Hobbies on a Budget received discounts or tickets in exchange for this post; however, all opinions are my own. #SoFabUOTR #CollectiveBias

I have never attended a blog conference. But 2015 is the year for me to take the next step toward my personal and professional goals and attend SoFabUOTR in Cincinnati.

6 Reasons I’m Going to a Blog Conference

I’ve been blogging officially since February, 2009. When I started my first blog, I was completely clueless. I knew I wanted a way to share the deals I was finding with my friends and family so I created a blogspot account and launched my first blog called Here’s What I Found. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing but quickly discovered that I loved the world of blogging. Over the past 6 years, I have built and sold 2 blogs and created Hobbies on a Budget in June 2012.

Though I knew nothing when I started, I quickly learned that I needed a network of bloggers. That network has grown to include many talented, motivated and amazing bloggers. Last year marked a turning point for me. I came to a crossroads where I had to decide if I was going to be a part-time hobby blogger or if I was ready to turn this job into my full time business.

I have learned so much over the past 6 years, but this is the year that I am finally able to take the next step toward my goals. In order to grow as a blogger, I know that I need to spend time in real life with others who are working toward the same professional goals as I am.

I started researching the locations and cost for various conferences and quickly realized that there was only one obvious choice for my first conference! I want to be in a supportive environment with some of the people I have come to know and respect over the past years.

6 Reasons I’m going to SoFabUOTR

What is SoFabUOTR? SoFabU on the Road is a unique event that allows influencers to take advantage of educational opportunities that will help set you apart from the rest of the blogging community. SoFabU or Social Fabric University provides online influencer education opportunities to members of Social Fabric, Collective Bias’ community of influencers.

Cost

The price of attending a conference can often be a major factor in why bloggers don’t attend a professional conference.  But SoFabUOTR is priced at only $99.00 for SoFab members. Non SoFab Community members are invited to attend as well! Check out the ticket options for you!

Friends:

Another thing that holds many of us back is the fear that we won’t know anyone at a large conference.  The intimidation factor for new attendees is often a drawback.  But I’m excited to say that some of my favorite bloggers that I know online are going to be attending SoFabUOTR in Cincinnati!  (I’m going to get to meet Dawn from Cheap is the New Classy, Rachel from Roasted Beanz, and Jenny from Jenny at Dapperhouse!) These are just 3 of my friends that I have known online for several years and now I get to actually sit down to a cup of coffee and chat in real life! Who else is going to be there? I can’t wait to find out!

Location:

Does it ever seem like all the blogging conferences are in the big cities?  Sure, I would love to hop a plane and fly to New York City or Los Angeles, but that’s not feasible for me and my family this year.  The fact that SoFabUOTR is offered in 11 cities around the country, means that there is probably a location that is within driving distance from where you are!

Small Class Size

One of the things I am most excited about is the opportunity to be in a conference setting with less than 100 people who are all focused on the same goals.    At each of the conferences, there are different speakers and focus sessions.  In Cinci, we will be learning how to incorporate Google Analytics with other free tools and I will then be better able to organically grow the traffic on my blog. We will also have the opportunity to learn more tips on taking better pictures.  Since the conference size is limited to a certain number of attendees, we will be able to actually interact with the instructors and learn from the best.

Opportunities to learn Hands On:

I love hands on learning.  I am definitely a person who learns by doing.  For each of the conferences, there is the chance to go to an off site location and put into action the things we are learning. For the Cinci conference we will be visiting New Riff Distillery where we will put our new tips and knowledge into real life practice.

Meet the Leadership of SoFab

Did I mention that SoFabUOTR gives all of us a chance to meet the people behind the scenes? Almost one year ago, I was honored to move in to a Campaign Leader role with SoFab! I have had the opportunity to work with many of you on campaigns and shops. Now I get to meet some of you in Cincinnati! Plus, I get to meet at least one of our Campaign Managers, Linette Gerlach!

Check for a city near you!

Jan – Los Angeles
Feb – Miami
March – Phoenix
April – Cincinnati
April – Seattle
May – Dallas
June – NYC
July – Chicago
Aug. – Minneapolis
Sept. – Atlanta
Oct. – Bentonville

Have you attended one of the SoFabUOTR conferences already this year? What was the highlight? I look forward to meeting many of you on the road in Cincinnati!