Mom 2.0 Summit 10 Most Memorable Moments

I've been to a lot of conferences.  Since I've spent so much time in the Internet/tech industry, most of the attendees are 20-30 something guys.   I can hang with the best of them.

But 350 30- 50 something moms?  I could barely keep up with them.  I've never seen that kind of energy.  Let me just say that any last stereotypes I have about moms just got shattered.

I'll be writing throughout the week about what I learned, but for this post, I just want to give you a flavor of what you missed at the Mom 2.0 Summit.

10 most memorable moments of the Mom 2.0 Summit

1. My keynote panel members - Maria Bailey of BSM Media and Lisa Stone co-founder of Blogher- two of the smartest people on the planet.  Special shout out to our moderator Blair Garrou who even held babies while women took the microphone to ask questions.  You went above and beyond dude.
2. Guy Kawasaki telling it like it is with his no bull-shiitake style.  He challenged the women in the room to embrace their true value and not apologize for anything. 
3. In the "you just can't buy this kind of photo op" category, Twitter rock star Gwen Bell at the Mardi Gras party hiking her red dress to give photographers a sneak peek at her Francie Pants undies given to her by a conference attendee. Now that's product placement.

4. Barbara Jones at One2One Network upping the cute guy factor exponentially with special performances by singers Chris Mann and Nathan Pacheco of Yanni Voices.  One word - yum. Kudos especially to Nathan for never missing a beat, even when an enthusiastic mom threw her bra at him.  (No, I'm not making this up)

5. The late night Burger King cheeseburger feeding frenzy followed by the traditional wearing of the Burger King paper bag on the head by the mom party goers.

6. A conference where 95% of the speakers were women - and I only counted two power point presentations with less than 4 slides each.  Note to conference organizers - lose the power points and make the majority of the presentations Q and A.   Watch your approval ratings and learning factor skyrocket.

7. The dramatic readings of blog posts of some of the top mom bloggers by a comedian.  His rendition of the Bloggess's list of top traffic driving Jesus keywords had us in tears - tears I'm telling you.   (WARNING- if you're sensitive to foul language and explicit....well, I don't even know how to describe it - just be careful.  Don't watch this video with children or bosses around)

8. Also under the "priceless photo op" category and the "who knew they were such fine dancers" category - Lisa Stone of Blogher and Maggie Mason of Mighty Girl waltzing together at the Mardi Gras party. They made a stunning pair. (think Ginger Rogers and, well, Ginger Rogers.)

9. Under the "be careful what you wish for" category - I was sitting next to a woman who was sharing stories of her kind of crazy ability to attract what she wants, then seconds later a vibrator comes sailing across the room right into her arms. (Lest you get the wrong idea - it was a giveaway from one of the attendees sponsored by the product maker. It was all done in very good taste.)

10. Getting to hang out with the conference organizers the Kirtsy girls and OpMom - You ladies (and gentleman John) ROCKED THE HOUSE!  With that many smart, accomplished, fearless ladies in one room, I am amazed the energy didn't blow the roof off the Houston Four Seasons.

Folks, this conference SOLD OUT in one of the worst down-turns our economy has ever seen.   There's a reason for that.

See the slide show.

If you missed this year,  beg, borrow or steal your way to next year's Mom 2.0 Summit.   Seriously.

Nuf said.

Comments

[allison]

I loved it. Great great great conference!

[Sheri]

Thanks for the memories. It really was a wonderful conference, and I can't wait for next year.

[Deb on the Rocks]

Wow, after the fact I wondered what possessed me to throw the vibrator across the room, and now I know that it was willed from my hands to the recipent! She's powerful! Manifest Destiny!

[jenny, bloggess]

Dude. I don't even need to write about the conference because you totally nailed it.

[Gwen Bell]

Bet if you ask real nice @momfluential would get you a pair of those Wonder Woman pants. You know you want some...

[Lisa Stone]

What a fantastic conference Mom 2.0 was!

Holly, YOU are one of the smartest women on the planet, as proven by The Soccer Mom Myth. (If you're marketing to women and don't have this book, go buy it: http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Mom-Myth-Michele-Miller/dp/1932226567>

As for dancing? Thank goodness Mighty Girl is a strong lead and I didn't permanently damage her feet.

And, as always, I worship at the feet of the Cheeseburger Queens: Y, Lindsay and Isabel!

[Kris]

Holly- I LOVED hearing your take on it all! It was a fantastic conference and it was great seeing and learning from you again!

[momfluential]

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to meet you Holly! Great recap of a fantastic conference. Now I just gotta get you to dance in some Francie Pants. You wouldn't have to flash them or anything. Just wink and I'll know :) Thanks for the mention. As always, you rock!

[Jenn Fowler (Frugal Upstate)]

Great recap! I'm tweeting it-much easier than trying to recount the experience in 140 characters :)

Was great to get a chance to talk to you a bit in the coffee line.

[tracey]

i wonder what kind of girl would get a vibrator thrown at her? giggle! loved meeting you Holly!

[Mary Dean]

Holly, thanks for pointing me to this. I can't believe I missed it (no one ever tells me anything as I slave away in my bubble) I'm putting it on my calendar now for next year

[Nursing Tank]

This is too cool of a post, I really enjoyed reading it, it felt as if i was also present there!