Blogging Bootcamp Reviews

I've received some great feedback about The Smart Planner Bogging Bootcamps and I wanted to share some of it here.

On a personal note, I want to give credit where credit is due and let you all know that these workshops are really the brainchild of my friend Mary of the Scottsdale-based wedding videography company, My Wedding Film. She pushed me (ahem, lovingly nagged me may be a better description) for over a year to do the first workshop in Phoenix, and then it grew from there.  I am really fortunate to have friends in my life who are willing to share their big ideas and vision for people other than themselves so unselfishly and I hope to be able to bless others in that way as well. Here is a shot of Mary from the first Blogging Bootcamp in Phoenix (photo by Stuart Thurlkill):

It has been fun to see where the wedding industry is at in each city and to see how similar we all are.  While the curriculum for each workshop is the same, each bootcamp has been different from each other in the way the groups interact and in the specific content they are interested in.  For example, the Chicago class was well ahead of the curve when it came to being Twitter-savvy and all things micro-blogging, and the San Francisco class was fluent in the geek speak during the session on digging into Google Analytics and developing SEO strategies.

Here is some of the feedback people have shared on twitter, blog posts and emails as well as some photos of the workshops:

So I had such a fun weekend in Seattle, and it was so great to finally meet many of the ladies I'd been talking with online! It was especially nice to finally meet Liene Stevens in person, and she put on a great class. If you're an event professional out there, I would highly recommend you attend one of her workshops . . . it was worth every penny!
- Brandi, Weddings by Soiree in Boise Idaho, Seattle workshop

Photo of one of the breakout sessions during the Chicago workshop (photo by Rick Aguilar Studios, who was also kind enough to open his space up for us to use for the day):

Blogging Bootcamp was fabulous! I've already gained more subscribers to the blog since implementing ideas from the bootcamp. Worth it!
- Daniela, Bella Signature Design in Seattle, Seattle workshop

Liene must have seen my last post on Feb 20 about bringing her Blogging Bootcamp to Chicago, because this past Tuesday I had the privilege of learning from one of the best in the wedding biz, Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs, aka The Smart Planner. She  knows what she is talking about, and I truly admire her and her success at such a young age . . . Anyway, I can’t give away all the strategy she shared with us since people are paying good money for her blogging advice, but the one thing she engrained in my mind is that “consistency is key.” So obvious and yet . . . that, my friends, has been the downfall of my little blog!
- Charlene, Sweetchic Events Inc in Chicago, Chicago workshop

A photo of Charlene, myself and Natalie from I Heart Peonies at the Chicago workshop (photo from Charlene's blog):

Thanks for having today's workshop. I had a lot of takeaways and I'm super excited to get going on making my blog better!
 - Amy, Ardent Photography in Wisconsin, Chicago workshop

Some of the attendees from the Chicago workshop either listening intently or thinking about the amazing lunch that was catered by Designed Cuisine (photo by Rick Aguilar Studios):

If you can go to The Smart Planner's Blogging Bootcamp, do! My site stats have already improved so much.
- Alison, Aviva Events in Cincinnati, Columbus workshop

If you're interested in attending, these are the workshops coming up in May: Atlanta at The Bridal Bar and Orlando at The Celebration Hotel this Wednesday and Thursday (registration closes on Monday, so sign up soon if you're in those areas), Houston on May 20th and then Manhattan on May 27th.  You can see a full list of the workshops in the sidebar of The Smart Planner blog or by visiting The Smart Planner Workshops website.

Hope to see you at one of them!