Of Vegas & Sexy Social Media Conference That was Blogalicious

Arriving in Vegas (via my Instagram)

Finally approaching Red Rock Resort & Spa

My new Samsung Galaxy & my jewelry taken off to work. Image c/o LBC

Roxana, me, Ana Flores, Rachel Matos

So in it!

All kinds of goodies! (via Instagram except top left c/o LBC)

Yumminess at Tea Party

More Yumminess at Tea Party

Chrystal and me looking cray cray after 2 hour of dancing at the Doug E Fresh Gain Party (via my phone)

Sexy cabana at main pool (via my Instagram)

Sipping on a $16 cocktail, poolside

Welcome to Las Vegas! ¡Bienvenidos a Las Begas! … as Cubans would say. It took me 5 days to recover from the most ratchet flight to the west coast and back ever. 9 hours there and 10 hours back, leaving at midnight from the bright city. I was not the chirpiest upon my return, having been up close to 36 hours w/out sleep… I was exhausted and wanted to desperately count sexy shoes in my dreams.

But I had just come back from Vegas so who cares I didn’t sleep.

I went to Blogalicious 3 weeks ago for the 1st time and experienced what I really hadn’t anticipated. Lots of boom, boom, bam and hey, there you are!  From the slated panels and sessions ranging from storytelling as explained by two friends Eric Payne and Taryn P., to how to maximize using G+ and Pinterest by my espresso addict friend Christy Glascoe and Stacy Teet, goddess of all things boards, to a tea party with a fabulous swag bag and uber cute petite fours, to meeting some “old” social friends in real life for the first time, the conference had the right amount of mixed events and sentiment. A little something for everyone. Even the picky palates got a hold of some good treats during the lunches… not to mention the decent 2 am breakfasts at the Grand Café for all of $2; fitting for the over-danced soul!

That’s Vegas for you.

Those elements were some of the highlights for me but that means there were pensive, chill and really high moments not to be forgotten. As with any other social media and blogging conferences,  hundreds of people, some new, some veteran, are all scrounging to keep the calendars in check while making time to stop and chat. During one of the breakout sessions, I  connected with the event’s media director, a super sweet young lady I’ve known via email for a few years, and who actually lives 4 miles from me in the DC-area. Putting a face to her name was one of those moments where I become really grateful for the social space that’s been created for us with a voice. Xina and I enjoyed a cocktail, nibbled on some of Red Rock’s sexy treats served during a mid-afternoon fiesta and talked about the business of blogging conferences. We split away for a second to enjoy a light Japanese dinner inside the resort. It was there I realized how much I was really enjoying a few days of listening to others’ experiences, challenges and goals in blogging and branding; not attached to my laptop. I even left my DSLR in my dinky room (insert hotel CIRCUS CIRCUS) so I could enjoy talking to people. I opted to minimally snap a few pics with my new Samsung Galaxy II for Instagram and not over do it.

Blogging is not for the lazy. It’s that one of few jobs where you do out of simple love for your own life and the things you do that make it special and worth sharing. Sure, not everyone may be interested in the nuances of your day to day or even your defined skill, but at the core it’s a beautiful  way of curating your life for you to reflect on years down the road. With the amount of growing pains I’ve experienced and have seen others fight through, there’s always a glimmer of sparkly hope when we come across opportunities to grow our blog, brand and business, if we’ve made one out of blogging, like  conferences, events, meet -ups  and public shindigs filled with like-minded people. We all gather  to scratch each others’ brains in hopes of walking away with something new that you can apply immediately.

Learning at these conferences is always the objective. New tricks, tools, sites, leaders and concepts are the ideal list of “things to consider” when studying your blog and its direction. However, a successful conference always knocks it out the box with non-work, non-informational and purely fun events… Such was the McDonald’s pool party for the ladies… full of sexy bodied men, mani’s (I iced out my nails and have my initials done in crystals — it’s called branding, baby– see pic above!),  ice cream, more swag and dancing. But the absolute highlight of the sidebar activities was the Doug E Fresh party where I, in my best 6″ heels and skin tight jeans, stood and danced for 2 hours non-stop! I was in a time warp, taken back to my HS days where hip hop reigned and owning Guess jeans in every color scooted you to to the top of the cool clique.  All we did was dance. I won’t share the video where a handful of us are showing off in a really oblivious manner that’s gone viral. Because that would violate all kinds of cliche rules. Like the one that says “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”

After attending 5 sessions, connecting with 4 potential new clients, sweating off 2 cocktails, 4 brownies and sushi at the retro party and later being kicked out by security out of a private suite hosted by my amazing sponsors at Sprint while hanging with my hot Latin hermanas, I left the main floors for the swanky poolside cabanas to enjoy the stunning weather and $16 cocktails.

Those are things that happen at conferences. Every bit of it. Sure, there are plenty of dirty little secrets, both good and bad that I’ve left out, but that’s because you have to be there to live it for yourself.

Oh, my biggest take away? I learned how to do the Dougie at the golf course! This is going to be epic next time I’m at the range!

Looking forward to more conferences and more live interactions with the lovely people that visit my blogs or are just getting to know me. It’s what makes these sphere go round and round!

*by the way, I never got around to wearing that pretty LBD I showed in my prep conference post. I stayed in jeans, shorts, tanks, and a hat of course! 

And, since I finally, finally got more familiar with my Samsung Galaxy II, I did a short vid chatting up how it helps me streamline my workload while traveling for work. Cuz you know, lugging that big Nikon is not always cute with my outfit and too clunky to carry. Thankfully, there’s PhotoShop! Don’t mind the light and background. I was in my remote work hole for the day after an intense workout…. 

*I attended Blogalicious as part of an interactive campaign sponsored by Sprint and BoostMobile. I was compensated for this post as part of my relationship with them and Latina Bloggers Connect! All opinions, stories, thoughts, sayings, pictures and emotions are my own!  

Eat well, love unapologetically, pray with true intention, and take care of yourself.

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