#altnyc

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When I decided I was going to Alt Summit, I started looking around the blogosphere for what it’s like to attend (of course, there are now three different summits and the atmosphere is different at each). I was specifically interested in what it was like to go to Alt NYC and didn’t find what I was looking for (though it very well may exist somewhere). This post is my answer to the question, "What’s it like to go to Alt NYC?" I hope that it helps my friends, family and future attendees get a feel for the activity and work that goes into the event

The morning began bright and early. When I arrived (with my tote of business card bags in tow), I was given a name tag, told to choose buttons that fit my blog content and loaded down with awesome swag. I then entered the gorgeous, open space of Martha Stewart Omnimedia and got down to business. I first connected with a few women I met at the atly dinner the night before and warmed up my conversation skills on them. Other people were eating breakfast, doing crafts at various stations and tables, or chatting; I started roaming. I had brought my camera which gave me something to do, but in hindsight just wasn’t necessary because the professional photographer, Justin Hackworth, took so many beautiful photos and shared them via Flickr. Advice: You can definitely get by with a camera phone which leaves you open to concentrate on “live" coverage on Instagram and Twitter. You cannot get by without a big bag.

After about two hours, we were called to take our seats so the serious business could begin. Founder sisters Gabrielle Blair and Sara Urquhart made announcements and then it was time for the first keynote, Grace Bonney from Design*Sponge. Following her talk, I was absorbed in my notes and looked up to see Martha Stewart on stage (cue cameras!). After a quick word from her, a panel made up of Kathleen King of Tate’s Bake Shop, Bob McClure of McClure’s Pickles and Stephanie Housley of Coral & Tusk spoke on their American Made brands.

Following our busy morning, we were invited to lunch sponsored by Family Search and continued meeting fellow attendees. Some people had come with a buddy (which I’m sure provided mutual support), but I had come alone, put my introversion on the shelf and got used to introducing myself to strangers. Everyone I met was super nice and I exchanged cards and easy small talk with them. One of my goals of going was to find “my community" and I certainly did that; there were so many talented creatives there, I came away from those interactions feeling happy and invigorated. Lunch was delicious, but I was so busy talking I don’t think I ate much! Advice: Eat your food so you have energy later.

Following lunch were two presentations. The first was a panel made up of Tracey Stewart of Moomah, Jennifer Rubio of Warby Parker and John Jannuzzi of Lucky Magazine talking about brands and social media. The second was something called a nine by five where experts present for five minutes or less. Presenters included Nate Padavick and Salli Swindell, Ginny Wolf of ONE.org, Jen Lee Koss of Brika and Ross Popoff-Walker. After so much excellent information, we were ready for another break. Advice: Get your questions ready because most of the presentations end with a short Q & A.

Before the last keynote, Chevy provided snacks and a car in the middle of the room.  Advice: there was usually a gluten-free option, but I also brought and ate a few Lara bars throughout the day. The final keynote was the super cool Garance Doré  who brought wit and wisdom to her presentation about creative business. 

Alt NYC ended in an after party with roof access. I continued to meet people, connected with new friends and took a turn in the Smilebooth. Bedecked in Martha Stewart creations, the party was an awesome way to end the day.

I think the organizers did an incredible job orchestrating the flow and atmosphere of the event; it was a pleasant mix of fun and professionalism and I look forward to attending again next year.  Prior to going, I spent a lot of time fretting over my outfit. I read on Twitter that you should look like your profile picture so that your followers can easily connect with you and I think that’s important advice. A great outfit makes you feel confident and stand out, but wear what makes you feel like you. Advice: be you!

More on business cards and what I learned coming soon! 

When I got the email instructing me to sign up for my Alt NYC sponsor dinner, I was pleased to see a new site called atly on the list. I checked them out and found that they are a platform for online classes. Students can take classes at their own pace and get feedback from instructors; teachers can build, publish and share their classes and interact with students. Their tagline is: learn, improve, inspire. How perfect is that for me?! I am so fortunate to have met the founder, Adam Ashton, and to have been a part of their initiation into the online community. The beautiful box above later arrived in the mail; it's a welcome and instruction kit on getting started with atly. I wonder what I could teach?

The dinner was held at Tia Pol, a tapas restaurant in Chelsea. There were about 20 of us, including Adam. It was nice to meet some attendees in a smaller setting and then be able to connect with them the next day. I relished speaking with Whitney English, Amy Christie, Claudia Miller and Ellen Mattesi who were in all seated near me. I am so grateful to be on this exploration and to have stumbled into this community and finally found people with my passions and interests. I went home and actually told Nathan, "I think I've found my people!" As if that wasn't enough, we received incredible swag including a Clyde bag, crafting materials from Lifestyle Crafts and declan microfiber cloths. Check it all out below and try to contain your jealousy.

I had a FANTASTIC couple of days in NYC last week. A few friends and I headed down for the day-long Altitude Design Summit held at Martha Stewart’s headquarters. We started our visit with a dinner hosted by MailChimp and some great pre-summit networking opportunities (and some amazing food.) My good friend, Julie, who recently moved her lingerie company Dear Kate from Providence to New York, graciously let us take a peek at her new office space while we were in town.

Then on Thursday it was off to Martha’s for the most fabulous summit I have ever attended (sorry Lady Project Summit... but who can beat Martha?) We started out the day with a keynote from Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, which is my go-to source for design and home decor inspiration. Grace spoke on adapting to change while keeping a clear goal in mind when it comes to blogging. Her speech made me realize that I need to sit down and clearly define my mission statement and what it is that I want to accomplish with my blogging, my freelance business, and my future goals as a designer. She also mentioned something called “rejection therapy” which sounds very intimidating, but the idea behind it is that you ask people for things until hearing “no” isn’t a big deal anymore.

This is me taking diligent notes during Grace Bonney's keynote. (photo credit Justin Hackworth, sponsored by Atly)

After a break and a little more networking, Martha Stewart graced us with her presence. It was really funny to see everyone tripping over each other to snap a picture, then Instagram it immediately. We heard from a panel of American Makers and their stories of starting their small businesses, had an amazing lunch (all the food had Martha’s seal of approval... how could it not be amazing?), then heard from another panel discussing what the coolest brands are doing in social media. I was interested to learn that Pinterest is much more of a game-changer than I give it credit for... and thusly, will be stepping up my pinning game. There was a Pecha Kucha style series of presentations from a wide variety of presenters, including Sara Paul of Blue Q, which might be my new favorite brand of irreverent gifty items. Finally we closed out the summit with a keynote from Garance Dore, who I’m embarrassed to admit, I had never heard of prior to last week. Garance is an amazing illustrator, and she had some helpful nuggets of wisdom to impart on us, such as “never hire a French person,” “Haters gonna hate,” and “embrace your imperfections.”

It was truly an inspiring day, followed by an amazing party with the most breathtaking views of the city at sunset. I swear Martha planned it that was on purpose. I met some really great ladies and came away with some really great resources, ideas, inspiration, and also a whole lot of thinking and plotting out to do. And because I am such a fan of print, these are some of the lovely business cards I accumulated throughout the day:

  I also need to say thank you to all the amazing sponsors, such as Bing, Martha Stewart Living, Chevy, Atly, Mailchimp, Squarespace, Vivint, and many more. Thank you all for all the awesome freebies. I can’t wait for next year!

It's here! 

Since I began this blog back in March, I knew that I wanted to attend the Altitude Summit (aka Alt), a conference for bloggers to connect and learn. So in usual Elizabeth fashion, I found out the dates, bought a ticket the minute registration opened and started prepping for the event. Early preparing included the things I was doing anyway - creating content, participating in social media and figuring out what The Note Passer is all about. These things have continued as I anticipated Alt and added to my to do list.

The business cards went through several iterations and eventually became swag. I was inspired by photos from past events (like here).  I thought about this so much and for so long that everything finally connected and came together. I can't wait to give them out!

The cute outfits have been a source of mental anguish for me. Rationally, I know everything will be fine, but I think my perfectionism has zeroed in on my appearance. I'm still not certain what I will wear, but have first and second string outfits piled on the living room chair awaiting my decision. I did successfully get my first gel manicure as in addition to the Alt events, I will be going to two other parties this weekend. A normal manicure would never have survived.

Last on the list is being ready to learn. I'm always ready to learn so this is easy! I'm also at a point where I need some help, connections and wisdom from other bloggers. I'm ready to fill an entire notebook! As an introvert, I feel some trepidation about a conference of 300+ people, but this is a common theme among the past posts of attendees so I'm sure I will be in good (if quiet) company. I'm also motivated to meet people and connect to all the cool and creative bloggers that will be there.

Wish me luck!