So at the beginning of the October, I got to travel with Marisa and Mocha Club to Indianapolis for the Influence Conference.
It was really great. Like whoa great. Here’s why:
1. Being there with Mocha Club…. I love seeing Mocha Club partnering with bloggers to make a difference and give bloggers a chance to use their voice for the good of others. Barrett did a great job sharing about what Mocha Club is doing and inspiring bloggers to get involved. It was like all my fav things coming together in the conference rooms of a random hotel in Indy.
2. Seeing some of my best friends bring the house down…. Jessica Turner taught the pants off a session on affiliates [that’s a compliment] and Emily Freeman was so poetic that she brought tears to many eyes and Amanda Williams served as a community leader and loved attendees like nobody’s biz. I was a proud little gal.
Me and Emily love each other to pieces. Our teen books released on the same day, we made a video in a bathroom, and in Indy, we holed up in a nearby Starbucks and dove deep into things that were heavy on our hearts.
[Dear Internet, thanks for giving me great friends. You’re cool. Love, Annie]
3. Learning so many things…. here’s one big why you should go to bloggy conferences: to learn. The Influence Conference did an amazing job of offering a variety of classes you could take. I loved learning from Nish and Hayley and many others. I like learning and hearing from other bloggers about how they are doing what they do. Two thumbs up to the courses available at this conference.
4. Making new friends…. here’s another big why you should go to bloggy conferences: to meet other bloggers and make friends. There was this thing at Influence. I don’t know how to explain it except to say that everyone was FOR everyone else. This Christ-centered conference was just that- centered on Jesus. And you could feel it in the air. It wasn’t cheesy or retreat feeling. It was just genuine. I’m a fan.
5. Nashville represented…. Our girls showed up big time. I love seeing our town making a difference in this creative community. It was so fun to make friends with gals who live in my zip code. I always love this city, but I love it even more when a crew of us get to gush about it while we’re in another town. Check out all them Nashy-girls!
For its first year out of the gate, Influence Conference was a huge hit I think. I’ve been to many-a-conference in my day and this is one that I look forward to watching grow.
They’ve created a cool thing called The Influence Network that I think is worth checking out too.
So save up your dollars for next Fall and let’s meet up in Indy!
[to the girls who planned Influence… thank you! Y’all did an amazing job and I was honored to be there. Look forward to seeing what God does through you in the future!]
