#DisneySMMoms 2012 Conference Day and Animal Kingdom Dinner

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration does not focus only on the conference. Not because it’s not a major point of the event, but because there’s so much more going on – breakfast and lunch for attendees, breakout sessions, surprises, time to visit the Disney World parks and special dinners with our families and/or friends.

But because the attendees are bloggers and social media enthusiasts, we thrive on conference day. It’s time to learn about our business and to be inspired. This year, I walked away with a mixture of information and motivation, with a higher percentage of motivation. And this was just what I needed during this time of my blogging career.

Meg Croftin on Conference Stage

When the doors of conference room were opened, I was awed by the stage, table decorations and the overall look of the room. Every year, it gets better! Rayovac sponsored the conference and kept us powered up with outlets on our table. Instead of flowers, each of us received a bouquet of USB outlets, batteries and chargers. Thanks Rayovac!

Maryellen Hooper

Speakers

• Amy Jo Martin, Digital Royalty @DigitalRoyalty – Known as a renegade in social media, Amy Jo spoke about finding your why in your business.
• Ramon DeLeon, Domino’s Pizza, @Ramon_Deleon – I was most inspired by Ramon, who went from a pizza delivery guy to the Social Media mastermind of Domino’s. His enthusiasm, his family values and his online honesty (he retweets negative tweets about Domino’s and then deals with them) had me listening to every word. I’m a fan and even kissed him after his talk.
• Peter Shankman, The Geek Factory @PeterShankman – I loved that Peter chose to honor us with a brand new talk. I understood all too well what it means to “be a weed”. Although unique, you probably have haters, but dig in deep and overcome.
• Lisa Druxman, Stroller Strides @LisaDruxman – Lisa began a business after having a child and proved to us that we can follow our goals even when we feel like we are overwhelmed.
• Chris Brogan, Human Business Works @ChrisBrogan – Chris gave us tips on updating our blogs to gain more readers.
• Conference Host: Maryellen Hooper @MaryellenHooper – Maryellen had me in stitches as she spoke about being a mother of two and showed us photos of her family.

Ramon DeLeon

Animal Kingdom Dinner

Visiting Animal Kingdom after the park closed was exciting and staying after dark was thrilling. We spent our time in DinoLand USA with a dinner buffet, opened rides, including Mt. Everest (the first time it was opened to riders after dark) and midway games.

Mickey and Minnie and Me

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck and other characters appeared for photos. Before we entered we were greeted by a face character (I don’t know her name) who called out my daughter, Sammi to ask if she was in the mafia. Sammi was wearing her black fedora. Sammi came out of her shell and had a very funny back and forth with her. We had time to sit with other attendees, talk and eat another scrumptious dinner. The celebration continued and we looked forward to the next day of breakout sessions and dinner at the not yet opened Art of Animation Resort.

My Flickr folder contains more photos from the Animal Kingdom Dinner. Take a look!

Stay tuned for more Disney Social Media Moms posts.

I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, free events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links are used on this blog