Before heading to Type-A or any conference for that matter it is important to decide what topics are most important for you to learn at this specific conference. For me the technical aspects of blogging are my focus this year things like coding and traffic building. I will always be interested in monetization because this is something I have had no success at and other topics are things I can use not only for my websites but also for those I build for my clients.

Thursday is the Business Conference and last year this was my favorite day because I learned soooooo much! Friday are the Sessions for Type-A and then Saturday there is a monetization power session, the blogger town hall meeting and the closing keynote. I will be doing lots of learning but also a lot of networking. Type-A is a great conference to network at, especially at meal time. I have my dinner dates planned for Thurs-Sat, still not sure what I’ll be doing Wednesday night but that is ok too.

Are you headed to Type-A? Please find me, I want to meet you!! If you aren’t coming please follow the hashtag #typeacon on Twitter next Wednesday-Saturday because I know we will be tweeting from the sessions.

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• Be yourself. You can aspire to be a better you but don’t try to be someone else.
• It is ok to say “no” to an opportunity that doesn’t fit your blog. Better yet, if you know someone who is a good fit, share their contact info with the PR person who contacted you. Your bloggy friend and the PR company with be thankful.
• Lead with your heart, not you bank account…or lack thereof. I spoke with a few people who felt they had “sold out” to filling their blogs with paid posts that didn’t fit them or their blog just to make a few bucks.
• There is an AMAZING community of mom bloggers out there and it is a wonderful thing to get to know them in real life!
• Don’t be shy, introduce yourself to new people-you never know who you might meet.
• If you do something well, you deserve to be paid for it. What is your time and expertise worth?
• There are some great companies out there who understand social media…there are a lot more we still need to educate.
• The companies that “get it” aren’t just looking for numbers they are looking for engagement. They don’t care if you have 1000 readers if those readers only leave comments on giveaway posts. **Ahem** ask questions and get them involved.

Did you Attend Type-A Mom? Do you have anything to add to this list? Leave me a comment and let me know what you took away from that enlightening conference.

I also want to thank HotelsCombined.com for sponsoring my conference pass. without their help I would not have been able to attend the conference.

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How much money do I need for food and what restaurants are in walking distance for the meals that aren’t included in the conference? During the 3 days of the conference dinner is not included. There are several restaurants in walking distance of the Asheville Renaissance hotel and if you drink water like I do your dinner with tip will cost around $20.00 per night. On a side note, I recommend eating at Pack’s Tavern I ate there twice last weekend and their food was delicious and affordable. The photo is what was left after eating some of the best baby back ribs ever!

What to wear? Do I need dressy clothes for the evening events? Where what you are comfy in. Jeans, capris, skirts whatever works for you. The evening receptions were not dressy either so you don’t need special outfits for them, save the room in your suitcase for the stuff you’ll be bringing home.

What do I need to bring? laptop, business cards, notebook, pens…what else? The what else would be…a smile, a camera and a smartphone. I did bring all of those things, though I desperately need a new camera…any recommendations on an affordable DSLR? Also, I’d like to add What should I leave home? Leave home your shyness and insecurities. I’m not usually good at meeting new people but I did a lot of that at Type-A. On Saturday night I went to dinner with 3 people I met that day…none of whom I was even following on Twitter…but I am now.

If I can’t find a ride to and from the airport…what is that going to cost me? $40 each way! I know that is ridiculous but it is what it is. I was fortunate to have a friend, Jerri Ann, who was on my flight into Asheville and she had a rental car included in her flight package so I was able to ride with her and Connie to and from the airport and it only cost me 1/2 of the fuel costs or a total of $3.00!

Conference newbies should not be afraid of Type-A Mom. I feel it was a great introduction into the world of mom blogger conferences. I’ll definitely be back next year.

Thanks to HotelsCombined.com without their help, I would not have been able to attend this conference. If you are in need of accommodations anywhere in the world check out their search features first!

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The Sessions were wonderful and very informative. I learned so much from Sarah Pinnix, Maria Bailey, Ang England, David Griner and others that it will forever change how I write, what I write and how I interact with the blogging community. Friday’s business track was worth the price of the entire weekend and if you are blogging as a business you MUST add this day to your conference pass.

The people is was able to meet were awesome! Type-A is big enough…yet small enough. I was able to meet and actually spend time talking with tons of people. Many were people I knew from Twitter but several were people I honestly had never heard of before and I am glad I can now call them friends. The picture is from our Sunday night dinner at Fiores Italian Restaurant.

The Parties honestly I am not a party girl, I don’t drink but I like to have fun. The evening parties/receptions were the one thing that disappointed me at Type-A. I know it can be expensive to throw a party and the first two parties had sponsors that covered the alcohol but the appetizers and music were seriously lacking. The appetizers weren’t a big deal to me because I went out to eat each night so I wasn’t that hungry but I will say the food combinations were a bit odd to me and lacking in flavor. The music and sound system were just sad. Even at the 80’s party you could really only hear the music if you were at the front of the room and then the music was coming from YouTube videos! Maybe it is because we own an audio company and we rent out sound systems and run sound for events all the time but I expected more from the evening parties…we had more fun in the bar after the parties officially ended!

The Location was nice. The Asheville Renaissance is a nice hotel, and just the right size for Type-A Mom Conference. I stay in a lot of hotels though and I feel the rooms were over priced for the accommodations. The only mirror that is not on the bathroom wall is on the back of the closet door with no electrical outlets nearby so it is virtually impossible for 2 women to get ready at the same time. Our shower curtain was torn in two places at the bottom and there was rust stains on the floor around the toilet. Our housekeeper didn’t seem to like how my room mate, Karon Warren and I put our things on separate sides of the bathroom counter because every day she’d come in to clean and mix all of our stuff together! The city of Asheville is beautiful, this Florida girl just wishes the conference was held a week or two later so I could have experienced Fall for the first time in 9 years! Oh well, now I just need to visit again-with my family.

Kelby did a great job bringing in top-notch speakers and panels. It was great to be able to meet with some of the sponsors and connect withe the brands that were represented. I hope you can attend Type-A Mom Conference next year. I know I will be back.

Did you go to the conference? Please link your wrap-up post in the comments I love reading what everyone else though of this great event.

Thanks to HotelsCombined.com without their help, I would not have been able to attend this conference. If you are in need of accommodations anywhere in the world check out their search features first!

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Things I still need to figure out:

• How much money do I need for food and what restaurants are in walking distance for the meals that aren’t included in the conference?
• What to wear? Do I need dressy clothes for the evening events?
• What do I need to bring? laptop, business cards, notebook, pens…what else?
• If I can’t find a ride to and from the airport…what is that going to cost me? I think I have a ride from the airport…anyone leaving Monday afternoon? I have a 4:25pm flight.

I know I should probably just relax but a) I am a planner and an organizer so having this many loose ends drives me crazy and b) I honestly have no clue where any “extra” money is going to come from cause hubby hasn’t been paid in months and I don’t get paid again until the first week in October.

Other than the questions I’ve listed above, I am soooooo looking forward to seeing some old friends and making lots of new ones. I am excited to meet some online friends in real life. I can’t wait to learn new things and grow as a writer, reviewer and business owner.

Have you been to Type-A? Are you going this year? Can you answer any of my questions? Are you a business that wants to partner with me, (see my sponsor opps page). Please leave me comments, help me de-stress and prepare for a great weekend of networking with my peers.

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I don’t get to go to many blogging conferences..ok, I’ve been to 1, IZEAFest ’09. I have never gotten to go to a “mom bloggers” convention, thought not for lack of trying. Type-A Mom Conference is held in Asheville, NC September 24-26 and after watching all the #typeamomcon tweets during last year’s conference I am so excited about getting to be there this year.

I want to thank HotelsCombined for again partnering with me! they have graciously sponsored my conference ticket. If you are planning a vacation anywhere in the world check out HotelsCombined.com for your accommodations. I am still in need of some more sponsors to partner with me. I need help with airfare, hotel and misc expenses. I am hoping to find a few bloggy friends who want to share a room at the Asheville Renaissance so we can split the costs.

The rooms cost $129  a night for 4 nights so if I can find a roommate it will cost $260+ tax. Airfare is going to be around $395 and food/misc. expenses could be $200. For more information on how your company or small business can sponsor me please check out my Sponsor Opps page. Please feel free to share this info with anyone you know who might be able to help.

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