It felt quite surreal as I actually got on a plane on Friday morning and then suffered through the flight to get to Sydney. Watershedd collected Mum and I from the airport and I was so grateful, as after that flight I don’t think I would have coped well on a shuttle bus.
Saturday I woke up a bit before 5am and played around on twitter while I waited for Mum to wake up and talk me down off my ledge. I was freaking out a leeeetle bit as we got ready and headed down for breakfast, so as to be ready for registration on time.
Can I just quickly thank my amazing meet and greet team? You guys were amazing and you made the difference for me, between the morning being fun, or it being tear your hair out stressful. These amazing women volunteered to help man the registration tables, hand out swag bags and name tags and show people to their tables, as well as being just genuinely welcoming faces to all the nervous attendees. We couldn’t have pulled it off as easily as we did without them. I’d gotten a few panicked texts from members of the team who were running late (trains not running, sick children – usual stuff) and they were more worried about letting me down than possibly not making it in for the first session.
So, thankyou. You guys were amazing.
Everything flowed smoothly and went beautifully and I got to meet so many amazing people that I am still buzzing.
I moderated the “My Blog, My Story” panel and I would just like to thank the women who spoke.
Tiff from My Three Ring Circus
Kelley from Magnetoboldtoo
Karen from Miscellaneous Mum
Kim from Frogpondsrock
Carly from Tune Into Radio Carly
and Lori, from Random Ramblings of a SAHM.
These women made the room laugh and cry and their stories were so powerful. If you’re not reading them, I really think that you should be. It was a pleasure moderating for them, even if all I did was introduce them and hug them once they were done.
I learned a lot, met even more people and came away knowing that this blogosphere? It’s a bloody good place to play and work in. I cannot wait until we start organising 2012, after the success of this one. Melbourne is the idea, as the survey we asked you all to fill out in the beginning had Sydney first, then Melbourne next. Sharing the love around.
I had so much fun, thank you for all the support in the leadup and the reminders that I would be okay.
Oh and the keynote speech that I was meant to be reading, but was told I wasn’t able to because we were apparently running overtime? You can find it here. It’s one of my favourite pieces of writing.
And now, I leave you with photos because I appear to have picked up some kind of bug and I was awake throwing up all night. ALLLLL night. Fun times, fun times.
Can I just thank my fellow organisers who helped to make this thing reality. Nic, Karen, Tina and Brenda. It’s was awesome fun, didn’t we do a great job?
I didn’t get to meet you with all that was going on, although I did chat to your wonderful Mum for a moment or two. Thanks for the great job and I hope you get over the bug really soon. xxx
I was doing my best to meet everyone too and I still missed lots of people. We needed more time! I hope you had fun?
Unfair to be sick in the post conference buzz!!
Was such a great weekend thanks so much.
Definitely unfair, but also slightly expected.
Thankyou so much! I need you to send me the link to where you got your tights.
It sounds like it was great. I’m a bit sad that I wasn’t able to attend. Hopefully next time I will be able to make it happen now that I’m trying to blog again! I liked your story. I’m sorry you weren’t able to present it. Hmmm, about pages. I pretty much put my hand over my eyes, type it and get out of there, never to look at it again, terrible.
xx
Next year because I’m putting you on my ‘people I need to meet’ list.
Methinks I’ve a few blogs to follow that I didnt know about.. cheers!
Glad you had a great time and I hope you feel better soon..
– tork
Yes, definitely. Follow them, there are amazing. Tiff and Kelley both made me cry.
stalking them now 🙂
You did so well. And can I say – you come across as so composed and calm and confident. Truly. xx
Thankyou! It helped that everyone was so so lovely – people truly weren’t worrying me, I was just excited to be meeting them.
It was lovely to meet you Veronica, and felt so bad I couldn’t be there on time to help you out.
I was really looking forward to hearing your blog reading, so off to read it now.
xxx
I understand entirely, sometimes life gets in the way of other things.
Meeting you was a highlight for me, so lovely to have some time to just chat towards the end of the night. I wish you had been able to read that blog post, its one of my all-time favourites. Take care of yourself and once again, congratulations, it was a phenomenal success and you should be proud!
I’m so glad we got to catch up and chat too. I am definitely proud of what we did, it was a lot of work and it ended up being worth every second.
Oh, and I wanted to say that being on the registration table turned out to be one of the best bits of the whole experience for me, just brilliant to be able to meet so many fantastic bloggers and people, face-to-face before the conference even began! It was an absolute pleasure!
Wow, it looks so fun. Not the barfy part, though. Hope you feel better very soon!! 🙂
The barfy part is decidedly not fun, but everything else was amazing!
Glad it all went so well, such a shame that time constraints cut your speech. Perhaps the next one should be TWO or even THREE days long 😉
A two day long conference would be great, although I’m not sure I’ve got the stamina. Adrenaline would make up for that surely?
I watched all the tweets coming out of this conference and was so sad that I was on another continent. So glad it went well!
I always feel the same way watching the BlogHer tweets!
Looks like a success hun, which is more than fantastic!
Bugger about getting sick, I seem to do the same thing every single time I have something to attend which is important!
Lovely to meet you, Veronica! I had a ball – as we all did! – and applaud you all for putting this wonderful event together. x
It was so lovely to meet you. Sorry you’re sick. Hope you’re on the mend soon.
Next time, V, next time
x
It was so appropriate that when I did get time to meet you in a rare lull, we talked shop. Thanks so much for your advice. And yes… you did do good. Really, really good xo
Even though I managed to get a photo with you, because that’s just how I roll, we never got a chance to talk. I have to say I was surprised how young you are, because your writing shows incredible maturity and self-confidence, way beyond your years. I truly admire that…
One day I’ll get to meet you… *sigh*
Glad you had such a great time, pain in the BUTT about being pulled from talking though. 🙁
It was amazing to be a part of it, wasn’t it! Your photos are great. I didn’t get take any during the day – a little bit of video that I am just checking out now.
Hope you are feeling better. Nic x
Great to meet you 🙂 you did a wonderful job. Thanks for having me xx
Get well soon.
It looks like brilliant fun, I’m envious! Sorry you got sick (and that you didn’t get to do your speech) but it sounds like you had a lovely time.
Ticked ‘hugging the fabulous Veronica’ off mah bucket list.
Love you sweetie. You are amazing.
even if you have a funny accent 😉
I’m so sorry your speech got pulled. That sucks. I’m really sorry that you’re poorly too, I hope you’re feeling much better very quickly.
It sounds like the conference went well – bloody well done to you guys!
I’m so glad I got to hug you and your mum, and Kelley too. (I owe her a margarita…)
But I’m also sorry I wasn’t game enough to go around asking for more blog address cards, there were so many women there whose blogs I’d love to check out.
It was amazing fun wasn’t it?
I’m sorry you got sick after, I was looking forward to talking it all over a bit with you and your mum the next day.
Bugger, sorry to hear you’re unwell.
Was soooooo wonderful to meet you and your mum, you are fabulous and I hope we’re able to catch up again next year 🙂
Knowing how nervous you were beforehand, it’s nice to read how you came out the other end “buzzing”. Great stuff. Although, not good about not feeling well now!!
Can’t wait to meet you at AusBlogCon 2012! 🙂
Well I’m in the UK still sulking………
(Really hoping you feel better soon, it happens to me also when I get home after big stuff, I understand hun, I think EDS likes to bite back, albeit in the form of a bug, whenever I am exposed to groups of people I get a bug of some sort of another, and they say our immunity isn’t compromised!)
Despite my sulking I have been near to tears seeing the photo’s (thanks Kim) seeing you laugh, seeing you composed, so so very grown up. In the nicest way. The physicality of going so far away from home away from the distractions of demanding offspring (believe me I remember despite the fact that I loved my children with my whole soul) I remember feeling as though ‘me’ was very very far away somewhere but nowhere. Seeing you having the space just for a while to be ‘you’ was a privilege Veronica. So next time you are in the midst of a meltdown, the EDS a constant companion, nature shows its cruel side, look at the photo’s and there you will see, a strong, intelligent, beautiful independent woman, who can cope with anything. I think the conference will be a stepping stone a springboard in your life which in years to come you will look back on as such. Your nan will be looking on so very very proud.
xoxox
You should all be so proud; it truly was an amazing experience to be involved with! I’m sorry i was one of those people on a late train – would have loved to help out!
Already looking forward to the whole shebang again next year…
It was an amazing weekend, I was lucky to be there, you did such a fantastic job! It was also great to finally meet you!
Absolutely awesome job Veronica! So proud of you! I really enjoyed being on the meet and greet team too!
You all did such a fanfreakingtastic job getting that conference together. The tone and success is such a credit to you all. This blogosphere, it is awesome.
I’m so glad to have finally gotten to meet you and hug you in person… and assault you with a tiara 😉
xox
Thank you Veronica for all your hard work. It was an amazing conference. I wish I had of heard you read your beautiful writing. I heard the words in my head as I read them. Hope you are feeling much better. xxx
Wow! You are an amazing and beautiful woman! I did meet you briefly at the dinner when I came to your table & congratulated you on your bride-to-be status!
It is incredible to note that underneath your calm & gorgeous composed “outside” you are “awful feeling” inside.
My view.. You are just lovely AND you didn’t just conquer fears to come from Tassie … You blitzed it!! Left right and centre .. Great to meet you! See you in 2012. Xx
Yes you guys did a wonderful job. Thanks
Was a great conference and you guys did a terrific job. Thank you so much.
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