16 Feb 5 Influencer Events to Consider Sponsoring This Year
In the world of influencer events and conferences, the list is quite extensive and looking through one can often leave brands wondering which ones are worth the investment. There are a few different ways to answer that question, so for now we’ll just pick one. We’ll go with the angle that your brand is looking to make connections with a large group of influencers to help further generate awareness by building long-lasting relationships. Again, the list is still rather large but we’ll highlight the top five events and hopefully this will help you move in the right direction.
Mom 2.0 Summit
April 27 – 29 in Dana Point, California
Created in 2008 to enable conversation between moms and marketers in the world of online marketing and social media, Mom 2.0 is on its 7th year and has grown from 175 attendees to over 600. Mom 2.0 brings together prominent woman bloggers, entrepreneurs and marketers representing many categories such as food, parenting, travel, design and many more. It’s an opportunity for brands to promote their messaging, programs and products as well as making lasting relationship with some of the most influential woman on the internet.
BlogHer
August 4-6 in Los Angeles, California
One of the world’s largest conferences for content creators and the brands that want to connect with them. BlogHer hosts a plethora of sessions for influencers and content creators to help them hone their skills in online marketing and social media. Aside from the great learning opportunities, they also provide an expo where brands can showcase their products and offer unique experiences to engage the audience while at the conference and well past it. After the days conclude there are plenty of activities and opportunities for brands to sponsor, such as themed after-parties. Having attended BlogHer twice for a past client I can attest to this being a great avenue to connect with influencers and also to see what other brands are doing to connect with their communities. This year, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Mayim Bialik are guest speakers which just completely thrills my inner high school self.
BlogHer Food
October 7–8 in Austin, Texas
Following the same model as BlogHer, BlogHer Food is a gathering of food writers, cookbook authors, chefs, food brands, and influencers connecting them all to discover trends, techniques and innovation. The two day conference includes kitchen demos, panel discussions, keynote interviews and sponsor networking. Like BlogHer, they have plenty of sponsorship levels for brands from having an inclusion in the BlogHer Food totes to space in the exhibitor hall which comes with a lot of other perks, it all depends on the level of activation that makes sense for your brand.
TBEX North America
May 29-31 in Bloomington, Minnesota
TBEX is a conference designed for travel bloggers, online travel journalist and travel brands. It started in 2009 with an email that was sent to six people and has grown since then bringing 600-1,000 representatives from around the world. As well as hosting a conference in North America, they also visit Europe (July 14-16) and Asia Pacific (October 13-16). The demographic attending is fairly evenly split between male and female, with the later drawing in only 10% more, and span the age groups from 20-50+ that are interested in a variety of activities from adventure to business travel. You can view more details about the break out here and here. For travel brands, this one of the best opportunities to connect with your travelers.
BarkWorld Expo
October 12-16 in Atlanta, Georgia
This post wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to those pet lovers out there and more so, our pet influencers. BarkWorld, which I’m dying to go to, is for those digital influencers with a pet to discover the best social media and digital techniques for their passion. It provides workshops, breakouts and keynote presentations for all and the best part? YOU CAN BRING YOUR PET! Of course it has to be up-to-date on all its vaccinations and well behaved. There are a lot of sponsorship opportunities in different categories for brands ranging from car & airline travel to pet food, toys and products and is really a great way to connect with a group that is passionate about their four (or two) legged friend.
This guy is ready to sign up.
I would have included Dad 2.0 Summit that’s hosted in Washington, DC this year however, the event is February 18 – 20. But be sure to keep that one on your radar for next year. Much like Mom 2.0, this event focuses on our male influencers and is an excellent way to connect with them.
This is just the tip of the iceberg of events and conference that brands can attend or even send an influencer on their behalf to capture content and make connections. It all depends on your budget and how much of an impact you are looking to make.
