A Morning of Talking Business with Disney Social Media Moms

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Have you ever opened a piece of mail that sort of made your jaw drop open and made you look over your shoulder to see if someone was pulling a prank on you? Well, that’s exactly what happened to me last month when I opened my email and saw the Disney Social Media Moms logo:

I received an invitation to the Disney Social Media Moms- On the Road event for the DC area!

I felt beyond privileged to be included on the invite list. In fact, if you follow me on Twitter you know that I felt quite out of my league to attend this type of event. I am not a Disney-blogger(goodness, I still haven’t written up all the amazing details of our October Disney trip). I’ve not maintained my online business presence since just before Miranda was born, and my readership is small in the blogging world (but loyal and encouraging, I love you all!).  This would also be the first non-faith-based social media event I had ever considered attending. Thankfully there were only two and a half weeks between the invite and the event, so I didn’t have enough time to chicken out!

So, this non-morning person was up and in the car before 5:30am on June 7th to down to the Capital Beltway, with my little pipsqueak in tow!

It was a very rainy day, but thankfully we made it early enough to settle and let Annalise stretch her legs before nestling her into the sling for the non-stop information-filled event.

We were welcomed in true Disney fashion. Plush characters from Monsters University decorated each table and each attendee had a yummy chocolate-covered Krispie treat at their place setting along with information sheets with all the current events at the Disney Parks.

We had a little bit of time to mingle with and network with other attendees while we filtered in and found seats. It was a bit of a relief to me that this was a rather intimate gathering of around 100 attendees. I surprised my introverted-self by actually starting a few conversations!

Once we were seated we were served a yummy frittata for breakfast and shortly after Maria Bailey took to the podium to begin the event. and introduce us to the team that came to bring some Pixie-dust and Disney-magic to the DC area. She also set the tone and imparted just how important the voices of women are in the market and media. Did you know there are 5.5 MILLION mom-owned businesses today?

The energetic and astoundingly cheerful Gary gave us a run down of what the summer has in store at Disney Parks. I was really excited to hear about the Art of Animation Resort. One of Disney’s newest resorts, it has a number of family suites (though it seems they’re still a little on the small side for a family our size), to make vacationing easier, more comfortable, and affordable for families. He filled us in on the fun of Disney’s Monstrous Summer as Monsters University premieres this month!

Our keynote speaker was Jennifer Labit, founder of Cotton Babies. As a cloth-diapering mom I was very familiar with her brand, but having the opportunity to learn about the woman and family behind the name was excellent. Three things that completely impressed me:

• She was a homeschool graduate, who earned her MBA with no undergraduate degree.
• Cotton Babies has always run as a cash investment and debt-free business.
• Her nursing baby attended with her, he’s only a couple of weeks older than Annalise.

Jennifer shared so many points worth considering, regardless of what the purpose of your online presence is. My big take-away from her: Start right- set goals, know your boundaries, and address wrong perceptions. Having a mindset to succeed helps you mark the milestones to measure your progress. She also encouraged us to not get caught up in watching what all those around you are doing. Without looking ahead, you’ll never go any further than those you’re following!

There was a mom-preneur panel featuring Frederique Irwin (HerCorner.org), Anastasia Dellacio (Dolci Gelati), and Christina Daves (CastMedic Designs). They held a Q&A session to field many questions from attendees. There were many things discussed that didn’t truly pertain to my internet presence, but I gleaned these pieces of wisdom:

• Motherhood has to come first, because that is the legacy that truly matters.
• Leave room for your brand to grow and change with you.
• Our biggest challenge tends to be that our expectations and our reality are not often the same. What do you need to adjust?

Our final speaker was Michelle Stepney, who spoke helped us understand how to be media-ready. While I don’t have aspirations to be a media-star, her points were very easily life-applicable. My favorite take-aways from Michelle:

• Stick to your expertise. Don’t attempt to be an expert where you have no authority.
• You are in control of what you put out. Nothing is off the record.

To say the there was a lot of information shared in just a few short hours would be an UNDERSTATEMENT! I departed for home feeling equipped but not quite overwhelmed. I’d say it was a well-spent morning. I didn’t leave empty-handed. We got a nice swag bag with a lunch tote and water bottle from Disney Parks and a package of Flip diaper covers from Cotton Babies (I came for with a few extras since I was one of the few cloth diaper users in the room).

I enjoyed getting to know the ladies at my table a bit and look forward to becoming more familiar with them and their blogs in the coming weeks. From left to right: me, Annie (blissmamaof3), Amy (teachmama), MaryLea (PinkNGreenMama), and Lani (RoseTintedLani)

Seems I’ve gotten carried away with words. This recap has gone longer than most posts. This merely scratches the surface of the information that was shared in those few hours of a Friday morning. Something I must say is this, many times when a blogger or social media mom attends a conference or event it is an investment she and her family have to make from their own budget. With this event being complimentary I walked away feeling that Disney had invested in me! Think about that for a minute. How would that fuel your connections?

Do you maintain an online presence through social media or business? The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration – On the Road Event is heading to the west coast. You can find out more information here.

 

Disclosure: Disney on the Road was an invitation-only event and free to attend. I was not asked for anything in return for attending, including this recap.  It is my pleasure to share with you the information I received while there.