I’m a loud and proud affiliate for the Preserve Retreat. However, I’ve already bought my ticket. If I can ‘earn it back’ with affiliate income, I would like to donate it to another blogger in the community. More on my Affiliate Policy HERE.
I am very certain that every online entrepreneur has asked their partner at some point, “Do you even know what I do?”
And when I moved from doing odd jobs for old employers to working online, I barely knew what I could do.
Which is the #1 reason to attend a local conference.
For me, my first local conference was BlogJam Atlantic, back in 2017. It opened my eyes to the potential for content marketing and the variety of bloggers in my area.
I returned to BlogJam in 2018 and even spoke, sharing my experiences in marketing methods that felt authentic to me. Being on the other side of the meeting room showed me a whole new side of my local blogging scene. That’s a second reason to attend a local conference – I learned that my neighbours were facing similar battles. Writers I believed had it all together, still had questions about running a business as well as their own confidence issues.
This year, the folks from BlogJam are running the Preserve Retreat, a two-day getaway at the Oak Island Resort on October 19th and 20th.
And I can think of so many more reasons to attend a local conference like the Preserve Retreat:
3. Meet local people, folks you actually have a chance of seeing again.
4. Meet local mentors, people who can help you grow your business because they understand your economic climate.
5. Build relationships with potential clients in your area – I’ve been hired by local entrepreneurs after getting to know them at BlogJam.
6. Step away from your desk – leaving the confines of my office reminds me of the freedom I sought when I began freelancing.
7. Buying a ticket to a local conference means the money goes back into your community (and while I’m not from the South Shore of Nova Scotia, I am happy to invest the East Coast economy).
8, 9 and 10. Local conferences may be smaller but they also provide greater opportunity to focus, encourage deep work and allow you to engage authentically with other attendees.
An eleventh reason to attend the Preserve Retreat is that we’ll have the opportunity to meet – you, dear Reader, and I. I’ve bought my ticket and booked my room at the Oak Island Resort for October 19th and 20th. I am looking forward to exploring the area just as much I am anticipating the long-form, workshop-based structure of this year’s event. I fully intend to take the weekend slow and to return to my desk the following Monday reinvigorated from a weekend away.
Will you make time to take time with me? If you’re going or interested in attending the Preserve Retreat in October, let me know in the comments. I’d love to grab a drink or go for a walk with a new friend.