Alt Summit is a conference for women in Palm Springs that is held every year. It is for bloggers, influencers, and entrepreneurs. It is a week long conference. It is colorful and it is FUN! This year was it's 10th year anniversary. I was honored to attend this year. My ticket was hosted by Alt Summit and I just want to say thank you so much. I learned so much, met beautiful, incredible, talented women, laughed, drank, ate, got some much needed sunshine, spent quality time with friends, listened to amazing speakers (including Joanna Gaines) and so much more. I am going to break down what I learned and some advice in case you are planning to go to Alt Summit next year.
Alt Summit did not begin until Sunday, March 24th. We decided to leave on Saturday to give us an extra day to get down there, explore the area, and get situated. When I say we, I mean Blake, me and the kids. Since Kennedy's surgery was so recent, I just did not feel comfortable leaving Blake alone with the kids in case something happened. I always feel better when we are all together anyways. Plus, Blake and the kids had a blast. We stayed at The Riviera Resort, which was so nice and it was one of the 4 hotels that was hosting the Alt Summit events. Alt Summit was at The Parker, The Ace Hotel, The Riviera, and The Saguaro. The kids swam all day with Blake and they had a great time while I attended workshops and visited with friends. If you are ever feeling like you really want to go to Alt Summit and are possibly not ready to leave your children or family, just bring them along. There is so much to do in Palm Springs or Palm Desert and you can still enjoy Alt Summit and be able to check on your family and kids. It was a true win-win for me.
Alt Summit is hosted at 4 different hotels. This was the first year they had it spaced out at 4 different hotels. In years past everything was at one hotel. This year they had shuttles to take you from different hotels to the different workshops you wanted to attend. I am glad we drove because I had a vehicle in case I needed it and did not want to take the shuttle. I never took the shuttle. It is really important before you come to Alt Summit to be organized. Make sure you read about everything that is offered each day and who is speaking at each workshop. That way you can plan out each day and go to the workshops that are most important to you and your brand.
On Sunday was the welcome party. It started at 1pm and it was at The Riviera, which was nice since I was already staying there. It was a gigantic pool party with floaties, drinks, amazing women who were excited about the week ahead, and lots of fun. I did not attend any workshops on Sunday. I visited with my girlfriends, we went around Palm Springs and took photos and had a fun dinner.
On Monday Joanna Gaines was the keynote speaker at 9am. I got up at 5am and was the FIRST in line by 6am. I knew I wanted a front row seat to see Joanna Gaines. I mean, I own her books, have watched every episode of Fixer Upper and my entire house is Hearth and Hand. She was a breath of fresh air. She is gorgeous. She wore this adorable yellow romper and I loved her shoes. She was pleasant and sweet and gracious. I felt like she was authentic and honest when answering her questions. It was not rehearsed at all. She preached about being authentic and just being YOU and it was so moving. I literally had tears!
Everyone in the audience was given a copy of the latest issue of Magnolia Journal
Side note: while waiting in line for Joanna Gaines I made so many new friends, including Jenny Keller from Jenny Cookies. She is seriously as sweet as her cookies. She was just so nice and I loved getting to chat with her and hang out. She even invited me to lunch that day. I just love meeting people, especially women who you possibly might follow and they are just as cool and nice in person.
After Joanna Gaines we attend a few workshops, visited all the hotels, took photos, and really got a lot done. I went to a workshop where Jordan Ferney spoke, she is the founder of the Color Factory in San Francisco, which we went to and loved. You can read my blog post here about the Color Factory. I was so excited to meet Jordan afterwards since she lives in the Bay Area and we visited for a few minutes and I got to tell her how much we loved the Color Factory. She was so nice. She talked about success, how to make friends, influence people, build your brand, and how to make money doing it. It was so good. I loved it.
This is Gabby Blair (Design Mom) who is the founder of Alt Summit. She is our fearless leader and she was so nice.
Monday night my friend Jenny and I were invited to a sponsored dinner with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Not every blogger or influencer who attends Alt Summit is invited to attend sponsored dinners. It is an honor to be invited and included in one of the sponsored dinners. Jenny and I had a lovely evening meeting more beautiful new friends, eating a delicious meal, and learning about Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. We even got to see the premiere of Real Moms, a new reality series by Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. We also got to meet two of the moms who star on the show.
Watching the premiere really hit home because of Kennedy's issues with her small intestines and being in out of Valley Children's Hospital. Raising kids is challenging enough. Raising kids with life altering medical issues...well, that's motherhood on another level. Meeting women connected by the common bond of raising sick kids in this new reality series launching this Mother's Day was amazing. You can find out more at realmoms.org You don't want to miss this show. It was so good.
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises critical funds. More than $400 million annually, for 170 children's hospitals across North America. Government and insurance programs do not cover the full cost of caring for kids. Donations are vital to closing that funding gap and ensuring all kids have access to the best care. Join the movement for children's hospitals: Change kids' health . Change the future!
Watching the premiere really hit home because of Kennedy's issues with her small intestines and being in out of Valley Children's Hospital. Raising kids is challenging enough. Raising kids with life altering medical issues...well, that's motherhood on another level. Meeting women connected by the common bond of raising sick kids in this new reality series launching this Mother's Day was amazing. You can find out more at realmoms.org You don't want to miss this show. It was so good.
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raises critical funds. More than $400 million annually, for 170 children's hospitals across North America. Government and insurance programs do not cover the full cost of caring for kids. Donations are vital to closing that funding gap and ensuring all kids have access to the best care. Join the movement for children's hospitals: Change kids' health . Change the future!
Alt Summit was amazing. I really had a great time and I loved connecting with so many new women and meeting new friends from all over. I mean girls traveled from Canada, NYC and all over to come to this. It is just amazing to connect with women who are passionate and love what they do like you.
Some things I learned after attending my first Alt Summit: Make sure before you come to Alt Summit to read about every workshop and who is speaking at the workshop so you get the most out of your trip. Plan out each day, like for example I would write out my entire day like times of workshops what hotel the workshop was located etc. Make sure you pack snacks. When you are running from workshop to workshop you sometimes need a snack so pack some small bars or munchies that can fit in your bag. Alt Summit does provide lunch everyday. Speaking of bags bring a good size purse or bag to fit papers, a notepad, pen, all your other belongings, etc. But maybe bring a smaller purse for night time events. Bring your laptop. I don't think it is crucial to bring it to the workshops. Just bring a notepad and pen or use your iPhone and record the speaker. But I brought my laptop so I could work at night in the hotel room. Do NOT bring your big camera. I am so glad I left my DSLR back at home. I knew I did not want to lug it around in my bag all day, so I just used my iPhone for all my photos. There are professional photographers everywhere at Alt Summit, so you really don't have to be worried about taking photos. You can always have someone take a photo for you or you will get all the professional ones from the Alt Summit photographers. Wear comfortable shoes. I wore flat sandals during the day because you are walking a lot and rushing to workshops and meetings. For night I did pack a wedge or heel. Speaking of attire, make sure you plan out your outfits and bring a bathing suit! I wore a casual dress on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday I wore a romper and on Tuesday I wore a dress. Dresses are easy and you can dress them up or down. It can get hot in Palm Springs, so I packed dresses that were cute, fun and perfect for photo ops too. I packed one dress for each day and I wish I would have packed a few more. Now I know for next time. Also bring some sort of jacket because it can get cold in the workshop rooms, so I brought my denim jacket and it was perfect for inside really chilly rooms.
I cannot begin to explain in words how much fun I had. It was truly an amazing experience and I loved every second of it. I am already looking forward to next year! If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.
My last piece of advice is book early! It will take place next year in Palm Springs March 1st through March 6th, 2020.
Make sure you check out my blog post here about the most instagrammable spots in Palm Springs.
Once again thank you Alt Summit for hosting me for the conference. I had the best time and I am so excited for next year already!
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Once again thank you Alt Summit for hosting me for the conference. I had the best time and I am so excited for next year already!
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