I was not compensated for this post.
If you were lucky enough to attend the Magic of a Lifetime this past May, I am beyond jealous but so excited that you got to experience a fabulously informative and beyond-words experience with your family. For those who were not able to attend the tour is coming to you.
“The Happiest Place on Earth” is bringing a little Disney magic to your city! The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration is one of the most coveted events of the year, filled with magical moments, valuable learning and unforgettable memories. If you haven’t had the chance to experience this great event, you’re in luck because the team behind this legendary conference are taking the show on the road and sprinkling some pixie dust along the way! This summer, Disney Social Media Moms Celebration “On-the-Road” is in New York, Maryland, California and Washington!
The NY conference began with Maria Bailey, host of Mom Talk Radio leading the morning session. She discussed how the Disney Social Media Moms event started and why it continues to be a huge success for everyone. Disney is all about women in business; they are the Magic of the family by balancing /integrating pretty much anything that comes their way. There are 8.5 million home-based businesses run by women in the U.S. and these women are the biggest consumers in the US. and contribute 1.7 trillion dollars into the economy.
I would love to say that this conference was all about Disney and how to get the most out of your trip, but it isn’t. It is really about making the most out of you brand and setting goals for yourself. You also need to adapt these goals as life changes and your children grow. You can also learning from those who have done it ahead of you and getting their advice and expertise. Lessons learned along the way and spreading the “Magic” in what you do everyday.
Though when we did hear about Disney it was from Gary Buchanan the Social Media Managing Editor and Public Relations Manager for Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Parks. You can follow with Gary on Twitter @Gary_Jerry . He told of all the new and exciting plans that Disney has underway this season including Monster U and even showed a great time-lapse video of when Disney was open for 24 hrs straight and how some visitors made it the whole time check it out here. Disney always has something up their sleeve for everyone visiting. Though I haven’t been in many years I do remember the Dumbo ride and how exciting it was to go on. They have now updated it with to dueling Dumbo rides and you no longer have to think of waiting on long lines. They have transformed lines into themed ques with story telling in an air-conditioned tent. I wish they had that when I was a child. Oh! to go back and see the difference. Listening to Gary speak about Disney was amazing. The energy he has is fantastic. He truly loves is job and it shows.
Jenn Labit
Founder, Cotton Babies &
Creator, bumGenius, Flip, and Econobum
Jenifer Labit explained how she started a business with only $100. She knew that when starting a family and having her first child deciding between buying food and diapers was not an option and cloth diapering allowed her family to save money to use for other important things such as paying rent. When starting her business Cotton Babies she realized there had to be options for any family at any income level and that is how several brands have come to be. To this day 1 out of every 3 families have to choose between diapers/ child care or food.
While listening to Jenn speak that morning I learned some important things that you can take with you no matter what field of business you are in.
How to take your business to the next level: Write down a plan, What are your goals, When do you stop, What is your exit process. What do you want to accomplish. Look where you are going and focus on how you are going to get there. Most importantly what is you Creative process What do you want as your outcome are you learning from failure. Major take away As your children grow so will your business you learn to evolve and adapt to change.
Next up was a panel of Moms/ business owners who stand behind a product and a brand, each telling a great story of how they got their product to be recognized and what challenges they have faced along the way. Some were even winners of The Huggies® MomInspired™ Grant Program
Mompreneur Panelists: Susanne Budofsky and Robyn Spritzer, Greater Than One Kids
Sandra Frawley, Founder of Babybindle®
Lauren Levy, Magnificent Baby
Bonnie Marcus- Where Fashion Meets Paper
Something all these women agreed upon was that you must be willing to defend your product that you are endorsing, try to partner with bigger companies to help alleviate some of the bigger expenses such as getting trade marked or patented. Make sure you have a contract. Know your limit when speaking with others. making sure you don’t give away your trade secrets how so that they can take away your “big idea”. Always be aware of the connections you are making. When you might be starting out with a product or idea in mind get involved with the business, attend trade shows even just as a viewer socialize with those out there. What is missing in the market that you can improve upon. You can even get tips from store owners of where you would like your potential product to be sold. “Don’t let fear stop you & don’t take NO for an answer”
Next up we heard from Michelle Stepney, PR Content Director who gave some great tips for interviewing and being interviewed. This also helps when to know what information is trying to be put across. Those in the media are always looking for great soundbites and snippets to add in. Tips for a succesful interview would be to work on your conversation skills, be prepared do some research before hand. If you don’t think you can handle it or aren’t the right person to be asked find someone who can better assist.
To learn more about the speakers that are attending each conference you can check them out here.
Follow all the excitement on Twitter – #DisneyOntheRoad
My business card was chosen at random to receive a prize pack from Cotton Babies.
@WaltDisneyWorld @DisneyParks DisneyParksBlog.com FB- WaltDisneyWorld
WHAT A COOL EVENT.
I love living so near to PIXAR now—I need to find a way to suck up all the womenknowledge on that campus too 🙂
Sounds like such a fun experience with amazing speakers. I would have loved to hear from Jen of Cotton Babies! I’m in St. Louis and love going to the store and we use Flips. Love Disney!
Sounds like a wonderful day. Glad to hear that you had fun! I went to the one on Long Island last August and it was a lovely event.
Sounds like a great experience.
I went to it when it was in Charlotte last year and it’s just like you described. It’s inspirational and motivating. I felt really empowered as a woman in social media!
I’m going to the Seattle conference, and I’m so excited – even more so now!