I’m back from #BML16 & thinking about all of the amazing experience I had over the past three days. Let me tell you all about it!
I flew over to London early Friday morning. It was pouring rain in Ireland so I was delighted to step out into lovely sunshine in London. I had a nice walk from the train station to The Montcalm where I checked in for my stay. It was so convenient to stay there as the conference center is adjacent to the hotel.
After checking in I relaxed in my room for a couple of hours then headed off to meet blogger buddy Prabs from Absolutely Prabulous. After lots of hugs, we had a lovely dinner together at The Diner in Camden which was right down the street from the fringe party. Spending time with Prabs was soooo nice! She’s just how I thought she’d be & I feel like our friendship is much stronger after meeting in person. And stay tuned as I had a few oops moments during my London adventure that I will be sharing on Prabs’ Oops Files.
After dinner, Prabs & I headed over to the fringe party at the Holiday Inn Camden Lock where we met the fabulous Tayla from Motherhood the Real Deal (bottom photo) & the lovely Clare from Son, Sand & Sauvignon. And, so many other inspiring bloggers that made me so excited to meet them! I’m not going to try to list them out as there are so many & I’d hate to leave someone out. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet people in advance of the conference. The function room overlooks Camden Lock which made for a beautiful setting.
We were all quite sensible & headed back to our respective hotels to get some sleep before #BML16 the next day. On Saturday morning, I was delighted to walk out of my hotel room & be at The Brewery, it was glorious. The Brewery is a gorgeous venue. Everything ran so smoothly & was handled very professionally.
The day started with registration, coffee & tasty pastries. Brit Mum founders Susanna & Jennifer opened the conference with enthusiasm & positivity. #BML16 marked the fifth anniversary for Brit Mums Live. Next, some more very inspirational speakers took the stage. The day was a mix of educational sessions, networking with brands & chatting with fellow bloggers. Oh, and having prosecco, nibbles & a lovely lunch.
Photos Above Clockwise From Top Left: Morning treats after checking in, founders Susanna & Jennifer open #BML16, my Cuddle Fairy sticker was so helpful for people to recognize me, having some gorgeous freshly made ice cream, meeting Mim Mim from the CBeebies show Kate & Mim Mim, meeting Nody.
The highlight of the day for me was meeting bloggers in person. Bloggers that I have come to consider friends. Bloggers that I look up to & bloggers that I consider celebrities. I never stopped talking all day! Except when I was listening to the sessions. I was really delighted that so many bloggers came over to meet me. I think my sticker was a big help for bloggers to recognize me. I’m disappointed I missed a few people that I really wanted to meet. But there’s always next year!
Photos Above Clockwise From Top Left: First photo – I’m with You Baby Me Mummy, Mr & Mrs T Plus 3, Life with Baby Kicks & Life, Love & Dirty Dishes. Second photo with Poop Rainbow Mama (non-cartoon form exclusive here)! Next with What Katy Said, then with Prabs, with Days in Bed & finally with Zena’s Suitcase & Ickle Pickle’s Life & Travels.
After a day of networking, chatting & learning it was time for the Brilliance in Blogging awards (BiBs). Eeeeks!!! As you know, I was truly honoured to be a finalist in the Inspire category along with 4 very inspiring bloggers. Really & truly I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive category. We all wished each other good luck & honestly felt happy for any of us to win. Michelle from The Joy Chaser won the award. I’m delighted for her. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t win but, I feel like I am already a winner by being a finalist at such an amazing event.
Photos Above Clockwise From Top Left: Me pointing at “Cuddle Fairy” on the list of finalists. That was so fun!! A glass of sparkling wine during the awards presentation, Prabs winning Best Writer – woohoo! The view from our table with plenty of wine.
After the BiBs a group of us headed across the street to Cote Brasserie for dinner. It was yummy & so convenient that we could just walk over. This group of bloggers has become great friends to me after meeting in person. They are each so fun & so talented. It was a brilliant night.
Who are these mad bloggers you might ask? Lol Left to right on the group shot on the bottom row is: Just Saying Mum, Island Living 365, Life, Love & Dirty Dishes, Absolutely Prabulous, me, Mess, Stress and Fancy Dress & Life with Baby Kicks. Emma (Island Living) & Prabs both won their respective categories. It was so fun to have two great friends win awards that night.
So, that was my very busy weekend attending #BML16. The biggest takeaway for me was getting to meet the wonderful blogger community that I’m honoured to be a part of. I was really touched by all of the good wishes from fellow bloggers, family & followers. I can’t thank you enough for your support, votes & kind comments during the conference.
I also want to thank my amazingly supportive sponsor, Innovo. They have been a dream to work with – so kind & supportive! Their sponsorship made it possible for me to attend #BML16 & I’m very grateful to them for that. Innovotherapy is a non-invasive way to restore the pelvic floor. You can read more about Innovo here.
I’m sharing with #AnythingGoes | #MG | #ABloggingGoodTime
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