naked gymnasts, soul fire, and the 5 reasons you absolutely have to register for bloggers in sin city

It was March of 2009 and I had been blogging for about a year and a half. I was completely blown away by my fun and supportive new community, but our online connection wasn’t enough, and I wanted more. I wanted to meet these friends in person, to jump around and hug and stay up late and laugh hysterically and make new memories together.

So, I started looking into blogging events and social media conferences. I found big events like BlogHer, and genre-focused events aimed at food bloggers, tech bloggers, mommy bloggers, and other specific niches. But all of these events seemed to run on a top-down approach where the emphasis was on the panels and the speakers, instead of on the attendees. Great if that’s what you’re into, but it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a social meetup, a gathering of 20 & 30-something bloggers who primarily used the internet for fun and inspiration. An event for people like me who were lucky enough to have stumbled into an amazing new online world, and who wanted to grab those online friendships, bring them offline, and see what happened.

But, no such event existed, so I created my own.

Since that first event in 2009, Bloggers in Sin City has grown to be the absolute highlight of my year, every year. I’ve met almost all of my closest friends through BiSC, and I’ve watched other people meet theirs. The community that’s grown out of these events, especially in 2011, honestly feels more like a family than anything else, and I’m honored as hell to have each of those people in my life.

With registration for the 2012 event opening tomorrow morning at 9am PST, I wanted to share my little list of top 5 reasons that this should be a must-do for every blogger who’s looking to take the leap from Google Reader to poolside happy hour.

1. BiSC is by bloggers, for bloggers. We don’t have a single speaker, panel, or keynote session at our event, which means that the focus is totally on you. BiSC is a social event, built to bring people together for outlandish fun and unparalleled relationship building. Want to learn how to sell ads on your blog and market yourself through social media? This isn’t the event for you. Want to share an incredibly VIP 4-days in Vegas with 59 other bloggers whose only goal is to show up, have a blast, and make new friends? Now we’re talkin, baby.
2. Hand-crafted sponsorship interaction. At BiSC, we like to break rules – especially the one that says that the best way to get a blogger’s attention is to shove a bunch of coupons in a gift bag and hope for the best. Since our event is capped at 60 bloggers, we’re able to create an environment for real interaction, allowing our carefully selected sponsors a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage with an audience that’s ready for quality over quantity.
3. Two words: naked gymnastics. True, the people who attend BiSC are so amazing that they’d have a good time together in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, but the exclusive activities we have access to in Vegas are what really makes this event so magical. Gorgeous rooms at the Flamingo, open bar nights, specially reserved space by the pool, VIP access to Chateau for our Mad Men Themed Lounge Party, and best of all, a night to experience the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil with their most risque show yet: Zumanity.
4. Fountain Jumps
5. Soul Fire. It’s impossible to explain the tangible energy that buzzes when 60 creative, fun, open-minded, and loving people come together for four full days. For me, though, the best way to describe BiSC is to say that every year, I always return home feeling like my entire soul has been lit on fire.

It’s truly the experience of a lifetime, and if you want to join me, make sure you’re ready to sign up at 9am PST tomorrow morning. We only have 60 spots available this year, and they’re going to sell out in a flash!

Posted in: bloggers in sin city, life 2.0