This post is brought to you by Her Conference 2016 and Her Campus Media.
So for the first time ever I’m attending the Her Campus Her Conference and I’m hyped.I love events in the city and I especially love them if they’re relevant to me. This is totally relevant. The Her Conference focuses on young women in journalism, media and marketing! As a blogger and someone who’s interested and involved in all of the above, I’m so excited.
This event is a two-day event full of keynote speakers, panels, workshops, contests and giveaways. Basically it sounds like a fun business carnival and classroom complete with goodies and other girls with similar interests. I’m also extra extra extra excited because I was chosen as an IHC x Her Campus Her Conference correspondent to help cover the event!
The keynote speakers this year are U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, SELF magazine Editor-in-Chief Joyce Chang, fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, ESSENCE magazine Editor-in-Chief Vanessa K. de Luca, Olympic champion, fitness advocate and author Nastia Liukin, and Andi Dorfman from ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. I’m most excited for the EIC of SELF magazine!
As if that doesn’t sound cool enough, there are some pretty cool sponsors for the Her Conference this year. I’m sure you know where there are sponsors there is usually some pretty cool swag or freebies.
One of the big sponsors this year is Ulta Beauty and I don’t know if you guys know this, but if you’ve read my blog you know that Ulta is my favorite place on this planet. They have so much makeup from drugstore to high end and it makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop.
Another sponsor this year is Amtrack which is perfect for travelling to and from the conference. Luckily I’m close enough to the conference where I won’t have to take the train, but it’s perfect for any ladies attending from out of town!
Juicy Couture is also sponsoring the event and just hearing their name reminds me of their popular fragrance and I’m totally hoping the entire conference smells like Viva La Juicy, but I’ll totally understand if it doesn’t. Vera Bradley is also sponsoring this year, so I’m excited to see their role in the conference!
Another sponsor this year is Shake Shack, they’ll be providing lunch for the attendees! I always pass Shake Shack in Grand Central and in other areas around the city but the line is always so long because it’s such a popular place. I’m excited to finally try Shake Shack without having to wait in a line long enough to make me miss my train. Plus, shakes and burgers are A++.
Tips for Attending (and what to pack)
I’m totally done rambling about sponsors, I can’t wait to write about the event when it’s over! In terms of tips for attending Her Conference, I’m going to use what I’ve learned from others mixed with my own personal packing list and tips that I’ll be following. Here we go:
1. Wear comfortable shoes. The dress code is “collegiate chic” which could mean a cute pair of heels and flats, but I’m not sure how bright and busy-tailed you’ll be if you’re wearing painful heels. Choose your shoes wisely! I’m probably going to go with flat sandals or comfortable flat shoes, especially since I’ll be at two days of this event.
2. Bring portable chargers. I’m 100% sure that every outlet in the building will have dozens of girls fighting over it to charge their phone. Portable chargers are the bomb, just make sure you charge them beforehand. I’ve learned that the hard way.
3. Bring business cards. I’m so HYPED to finally have the opportunity to use my business cards. If you don’t have a business card, you still have time to order some before the conference!
4. Pack lipstick and blotting papers. You’re definitely going to want to touch up. Blotting papers will keep you looking not-oily for pictures and lipstick is always a must-have, after all, you will be munching on SHAKE SHACK! and possibly cupcakes (Baked by Melissa is also a sponsor, yum!)
5. Be social. Considering I’m attending this conference all by myself, I’m going to have to be as social as possible. There’s a high chance you’ll have something in common with anyone at the conference, so don’t be afraid to approach them and say hey! If you happen to see me, coming up and saying hello is highly encouraged. I’ll be forever grateful to anyone who comes up to me–I’m an awesome conversationalist, I swear.
6. Share on social media! There’s going to be so much going on, so sharing on social media is an absolute must. I love live-tweeting events, so I’m excited to be doing so here!
7. Bring a notebook. I guarantee there’s going to be a ton of useful tips and quotes and notes to be taken during the workshops and speakers. Phone battery is precious so avoid using your phone to take notes. A notebook and a pen is the perfect old school way to take notes! I bought a $1 cute notebook from Michaels for this event–it’s flexible and tiny so it’l easily fit in my bag.
8. Choose your panels and workshops in advance. I literally just spent twenty minutes analyzing the topics and people on each panel and workshop and I made some tough decisions. There are so many great workshops and panels that you want to carefully choose which you can attend since many are happening at the same time! Making this choice in advance will save you stress later on.
P.S. This HC packing post from Erica @ Coming Up Roses is really helpful!
Be sure to snag your tickets if you haven’t yet, it’s going to be an awesome time! Will you be attending this weekend?
