It was around noon on a sunny Thursday in February and I had just sat down with my lunch…. I opened up my inbox to sort through the days emails. I opened one in particular from Reward Style with the title in bold print…”Congrats! You are invited to the 2019 Reward Style Conference!!”
My heart fell out of my butt and I think I might have blacked out for a good 2 minutes!
Is this real like? Am I seeing what I have been wishing for since I was accepted to LiketoKnowIt ? I was just more in shock that my hard work had finally paid off and I accomplished a MAJOR goal of mine. I couldn’t have had a prouder moment for my blogging career so far… BUT, also running through my head… “Okay so what now?” , “What in the world do I wear?” , “Who is going to be there?” , “Am I going to know a single soul?”
You might be wondering what the heck is the Reward Style Conference aka #rsthecon?
RewardStyle is an invitation-only affiliate program that bloggers use to monetize their content. Bloggers and content creators can apply to join to use their services to earn a small commission from purchases made via affiliate links on their blog/social media. The LIKEtoKNOW.it app was created by RewardStyle to make it super easy to shop your favorite blogger’s outfits + more! The best part, you can screenshot the image and when you open up the LTK app, you’ll be able to shop the look and find links to the exact items in the photo! If you don’t have the app, I highly recommend trying it out – you can download it here.
I have been blessed to have met so many amazing bloggers who have become some of my close friends (in real life + virtually) and I knew either way, it was going to be a blast! But, the initial intimidation of this being my first conference and seeing so many influencers I have always looked up to was slowly sinking in.
Okay Brittany…. ready or not, its Showtime!
Day 1: Arrival
Top (similar) // Jacket // Jeans (size 6) // Sneakers // Hat // Bag
I arrived a little early to the party to help get the room set up since I would be rooming with three other amazing ladies. I had no idea what to wear to a hotel full of fashion bloggers on Day 1 so I just went with my go-to…. COLOR + STRIPES!
Sarah (@themominstyle) one of my fabulous friends + roomies flew in the night before from Columbus, Ohio. Since there would be clothes and suitcases everywhere for the next 3 days, we did our best to make way for all the chaos! Now, all we needed were the other two… Sandy (@sandyalamode) + Kayla (@kotineru)
Day 1: Brand Meetings
Dress (size 8) // Bag // Sandals
And the show begins:
Since the day starts right in the middle of the afternoon, we have some time to meet with brands before the exciting pool party on night one. Its a great way to be face to face with the brands contacts and chat about future collaborations. It’s also where lots of the party swag comes in 🙂 I grabbed lots of goodies (skincare, makeup, jewelry, accessories etc) and I am loving so many of them right now!
Night 1: Pool Party
Dress (medium) // Jacket (medium) Sandals // Hat // Bag // Sunglasses
I couldn’t decide if I was more excited for the epic pool party or the dance party on the last day. But, when I walked out onto the pool deck to a sea of beautiful ladies and a dj throwing down the beats, I knew this was going to be the best weekend ever!
Here are a few of the fabulous bloggers I got to finally meet…..
Two Peas in a Blog
Pardonmuah
Chelsea Olivia
JessaJo
This photo pretty much sums up Night 1… #lit
And I am forever thankful for JessaJo because we were always the first in line at the bar in between sessions.. (not sponsored) She was also my dancing partner at every cocktail party!
Day 2: Morning Presentations
Jumpsuit (medium) // Denim Jacket (medium) // Bag // Earrings
The infamous bikes… I had to snap a picture and I am not sure why I look so serious?… The coffee was not strong enough I guess 🙂
Caught up with one of my besties Jen (@thesisterstudio) on a quick bathroom break…. love her dearly!
The morning presentations were amazing and we got to hear from some amazing women! CEO Amber Venz Box went through last years ups and downs and what the future looks like for Reward Style. I learned more about numbers and analytics than I thought even existed in this session. Hearing from the people that are behind the scenes of Liketoknowit was pretty eye opening but also very motivating. There are lots of amazing new features and projects happening in the next couple of months and I am pumped! This was probably my favorite session of the entire conference.
We also got to hear from another powerhouse that is a house-hold name in Dallas. Charlotte Jones-Anderson , COO of the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones daughter came to share her journey to the top and how she has never given up on her dreams.
Following the morning presentations, we were all pretty hungry and ready for lunch. The decor and presentation hosted by Mary Kay was gorgeous! This was also an opportunity to snap some outfit photos because the scenery of this conference is ideal 🙂
Night 2 Cocktail Hour:
Shirt // Shorts // Blazer // Sandals
It was finally time for some fun and drinks. I was very impressed with how well the Reward Style team put everything together. The location, decor, bar setup and atmosphere just made everyone feel more comfortable and gave us all an opportunity to let loose. This was probably my favorite outfit of the entire conference… t-shirt and cutoffs with a touch of sequins and a pop of color! :)
Of course we had to get a roomie picture and this featured something we all learned… the “blogger rock”:
Sandy @sandyalamode // Kayla @kotineru // Sarah @themominstyle
Love these ladies….
Jena Green , Leanne Benjamin , Lauren Lilly
Lauren and I go way back and I am so glad we finally got to meet and share some laughs!
Lauren (@lomeyer) is the cutest human and legit has the best northern accent in America 🙂
Yahs @newtexicali …….
This firecracker was one of my favorite people at the conference… not only could I find her first on the dance floor but her style and fashion sense is killer!
So glad I finally got to meet the one and only Tara (@themrsgibby)
Another amazing blogger, who I have always followed, can break it down on the dance floor!
One of the funniest girls and someone who is my height Ashley (@ashdonielle)
This pretty much sums up the night 🙂
Day 3 Brand Meetings:
Lace Top // Overalls // Bag // Sandals // Headband
Day 3 Afternoon Meetings
Lace Top // Ruffle Shorts // Bag // Sandals // Earrings
Catching up in between meetings
Of all the people I was determined to meet, LoverlyGrey was #1! Not that I dont love everyone else but she is AMAZING + one of my favs! And even better… super nice!
And finally… The Dance Party!
Dress (medium)
My whole entire experience was made when I saw Christine from Hello Fashion Blog arrive straight from the airport. I was right outside the front of the hotel taking a few photos and she was walking up to the door… luckily I was walking right in front of the door and held it open for her (screaming inside and freaking out)!! She is the OG of blogging and I have followed her since she started years ago. It was also the surreal moment that this is definitely real and I have finally made it!
I was so excited to also meet the boss lady and CEO or Reward Style Amber Venx Box. She actually was asking us our thoughts on the whole conference and things we would change for next year. I think that speaks volumes on how dedicated she is to making this experience amazing for all of us.
I could’t leave without capturing this epic photo in this dress! Red lady emoji for the win 🙂
What I Learned:
1. Be Prepared
Watching all the footage from past years from bloggers being at the conference, you dont really see the actual purpose of attending the conference. The meetings, the classroom sessions and learning all there is to learn about being a better blogger. Thankfully, I brought business cards and media kits ready to hand out thanks to advise from other bloggers. I also tried prepping my outfits for each day ahead of time. How many time do we get a chance to change and take pictures? I had NO idea the amount of down time we would have so I could have taken more outfits to do some shoots. I guess you can never have enough options either. If you have the opportunity to attend this conference, think of it as a business opportunity to meet the biggest brands in the industry. Outside of the fashion, be on your A game and be prepared!
2. THE LTK APP IS A NEW PLATFORM
Personally, before the conference I’ve always used the LTK app as somewhere people can go to shop my Instagram photos. Similar to what the Liketoknow.it service was before the app came around.
News Flash Brittany…. it is legit a one top shop for SHOPPING!!!
The LTK app is becoming a fully functioning shopping platform of it’s own where you can follow your favorite bloggers, search products you are shopping for and discover new bloggers. One super interesting fact I learned was that the top performing pieces of last year were all purchased directly from the LTK app!
The ladies encouraged us to share more details of our outfits, more everyday outfits (the content doesn’t have to be Instagram perfect over there, it’s a shopping app remember!) and more content you wouldn’t find yourself posting like your home and beauty!
3. Be Yourself!
As cliche as that sounds, you would be surprised that this isn’t always the case for everyone that attends. Not everyone you meet on Instagram is going to be who they are in real life. That’s just reality and probably doesn’t surprise any of you.
No matter what was going on or what everyone else was doing, I did not try and copy anyone else. I am 100% who I am on Instagram that I am real life. As scary as I was to sort of put myself out there (crazy and loud), I think being different is your greatest feature.
If I like and comment on your pictures or follow you, its because I genuinely like your style and support what you are doing. To me, we are all just girls who love fashion and are trying to help other women find clothes that will make them feel good about themselves! So what about that makes it ok for some of these bloggers to think they are better than another? I have NO idea, but I don’t support it and never will be that person. I do not care how many followers you have, I just care that you are kind human. Kindness is all that matters!
Overall:
From the classroom sessions to even just socializing with other bloggers, You learn tricks they use or hear what works for them, which is so helpful. In the classroom sessions you see statistics of what works for the best RS bloggers, learn tools to better your blog/Instagram reach, hear about new and upcoming changes to the LTK app etc. And its just always so fun to meet other bloggers you follow and interact with on a daily basis.
