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

[Her Bad Mother]

The bra was mine. So was the baby. Both got a lot of exposure this weekend. Both contributed to the fun.

And man, was there fun.

[Account Deleted]

One of my favorite moments was meeting YOU after your panel! :)

[Kim]

Great recap Holly! That was such a fun weekend. My head is spinning with ideas to implement. It was great seeing and learning from you again! Cute video, too!!

Kim

[Jerri Ann]

It really was that awesome wasn't it? I will never ceased to be amazed what a group of women can do.....so surely the PR folks of the world are starting to take notice of who the "spenders" in this nation really are...ya think?

[Deb]

I'm feeling completely revived! It was such a blast! So great to have met you.

[Jodi]

Holly - Great post! I was a fabulous conference, wasn't it? Great to have met you!

[allison]

I'm buzzing, completely buzzing with excitement left over from the weekend! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. A great time was had by all. Thank you!

[Misty Khan]

Holly, thoroughly enjoyed your panel and especially enlightening cupcake illustration (see http://arrow-tips.com/archives/391)! Have to agree with Karen Walrond that one of the best parts of the conference was getting to listen to amazing panelists like you and then sit across the table from them in a discussion group as we did in Gwen Bell's Monetization group. Thanks for the awesome recap - look forward to more later int he week!

[Erin]

Holly, Great recap. I was laughing all over again at some of those! So nice meeting you and I can't wait for the next one!

[Suburban Turmoil]

It was really a pleasure meeting you, Holly, and getting a chance to chat Thursday night. I thought your panel was absolutely incredible.

[Barbara Jones]

Hey Holly--Great recap and I'll happily bring the 'yum factor' whenever possible! What I also love that is that for the most part, all of these women are genuinely rooting for each other to learn, grow and succeed. So refreshing!

[Barbara Jones]

Oh, yeah, and that wasn't just any bra, it was a nursing bra!! And THEN, @herbadmother asked Nathan how he felt about nursing mothers...priceless!

[Mindy]

Great recap - and thanks, for uhm, memorializing the paper-bag-on-head night. That's a hard pic of me to explain to co-workers! ;) But in all seriousness, what a great event - lots for this PR girl to take away! @mindyw

[To Think Is To Create]

So great to meet you, can't wait for the next chance to have some fabulous conversation (and see what kind of soft pet-able shirt you're wearing!).

`Arianne

[trisha]

it was great meeting you this weekend!

trisha
momdot.com

[Tracy]

Excellent recap! Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us. I have to agree that it was such a supportive environment in which to grow! Thanks for immortalizing my "crowning" moment - haha!

[Design Mom]

There are so many great reports about Mom 2.0 Summit — but this is definitely one of my favorites. You nailed the spirit of the conference on the head. And that slideshow rocks!

Thank you for coming. And thank you for sharing your best with us.

[Isabel Kallman]

It was a pleasure meeting you and hope to see you at BlogHer with a paperbag on your head. We'll get a shot of you!

[Isabel Kallman]

Oh, and one of my most memorable moments was you and your cupcake. You were fabulous.

In fact, I think you have inspired me to write a meme on the Top 10 moments at Mom 2.0. Thanks!

[Aimee Greeblemonkey]

Holly, I loved meeting you to. GREAT recap and slideshow!

[xiaolinmama]

Fantastic recap - loved listening to you and your panel - seriously - best one of the weekend and that is saying ALOT!
kudos!

[april~living the sweet life]

Thanks for your great comments at The Mom 2.0 Summit. It's always nice to listen to intelligent women share their insights.

[Jordan]

It was great to meet you. What a great summary of the conference.

[tara]

yes, and yes! mom 2.0 summit was so well worth it. moms are fun.n great recap.

[Susan (5 Minutes for Mom)]

Fabulous top 10 list!!!

I think this was conference perfection. I completely agree about losing the powerpoint presentations. The sessions were conversations just as the organizers promised they would be.