The last week of April began what has been a month of travel, conferences, and fun. It kicked off with a bang, though, as it all started with a trip to Walt Disney World to attend Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration!
This was our third year attending this family-inclusive conference and as always, we had a great time. It’s great to be able to take the family along and have events that are for the whole family! It definitely makes it easier when trying to balance work and life.
Speakers at this year’s Social Media Moms Celebration included Chris Brogan, Peter Shankman, Ramon De Leon, Amy Jo Martin, and Lisa Druxman. They each spoke on a variety of topics, ranging from how they use social media in their businesses, to how they balance out their lives. It’s fair to say that the overall message from the speakers was that you need to create your own success and find the fun in life.
Here are some of the snippets I shared via Twitter from the presentations we heard:
The Social Media Moms Celebration also included a day of mini-sessions, of which I attended a Doc McStuffins presentation. I was able to learn more about this new show on Disney Junior and hear from the show’s creator about the inspiration behind Doc McStuffins – she saw a need for helping children learn about doctor visits after being in and out of the hospital with her son his first year of life. It was also very interesting to find out that when she pitched the show to Disney, her son was about 8 months old and the show did not premiere until he was almost 5 years old!
Between pirate-themed family dinners, a night-time visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and a sneak peek at the new resort, Disney’s Art of Animation, my family really enjoyed themselves. Personally, I was able to reconnect with many friends from our blogging community and learn more about how Disney world provides families with many opportunities to create memories. One of the strongest statements made during the conference that resonated with the majority of attendees was that we only have eighteen summers with our children to make lasting memories before they leave our house (traditionally). Wow, right?! Eighteen years! That’s it!
What are some of the more special memories you’ve been able to create with your children so far?
I encourage you to search the #DisneySMMoms hashtag on Twitter to find links to more posts from other Disney Social Media Moms Celebration attendees. I’m sure you’ll get a variety of stories from the conference and a wealth of information about Walt Disney World!
Photo: Josh Hallett
Melanie, we didn’t get to speak at the Top Blogueras, but I really enjoy your blog and especially the bicultural stories. I have never denied being Chilena, but it hasn’t really reflected on my blogs and now that I’m back in the US I am finding my voice among new readers (the UK didn’t help to nurture the Chilean side of me!) And please tell me, when does Disney accept applications for their next conference?? This sounds amazing! beso
Maria, thanks so much for the kind comments. I really wish there had been enough time to talk more with every person there! But, feel free to reach out any time. I personally didn’t start integrating my Latina voice until a couple of years into blogging, so I can understand. I find just sharing natural stories of growing up or stories of how I hold on to my culture now as an adult, make for easy sharing on the blog. I encourage you to guest post on Tiki Tiki Blog, as it’ll be a great starting point for you to share your Chilean side.
The Disney social media conference has been via registration and invite-only in the past. This year it was invite-only. You can learn more here: http://www.5minutesformom.com/disneysmmoms/
Hope that helps! I look forward to staying in touch. 🙂
The 18 years quote really hit me especially that Sammi is already 13. I learn something new each time I attend and can’t wait for next year!