BlogMeet - purpose & etiquette

Kinda late for this article, but no worries, this isn't your usual "I went to a blogmeet - let me show you what I've got" article. Of course, I'm using pictures with some of the products I got there - mostly because I'm trying to see what i can do in order to make some pretty, minimalist photos. I'd say this try (for photos) is a failure, but too much negativity can't help. I'm going back to my original thoughts.

This meeting happened like a month ago - and brought together 11 people - fast forward to me being very Bilbo Baggin-ish: “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

Ok, maybe not that harsh - but at these kinds of meetings it's inevitable that you'll have conversations with people you've never met or even never heard of. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it's boring. The thing that always saves the day is based in our mutual interest for a particular subject: skincare (or make-up? anyway, beauty related). 

So? Is there a social etiquette for these kinds of events? The blogging world would think: 

• share blogging / vlogging tips
• make lots & lots of instagram stories
• film everything (or as much as possible)
• take selfies
• take pictures with the products - one must deliver something to the sponsors, right?
• talk about how good we are & pat ourselves on the back 
• complain about how unfair a blogger's life is

For me, blog-meets are supposed to be fun. A chance to get out of my bubble and meet either people with the same interests, or people I'd never though I'd interact with. It has happened that I've met people who became some of my closest friends. Or people that only wanted me to provide something for them. I've met brands that stood with me for years and that I still use every day. And also brands that wanted the moon and the sky delivered to their front door for sending a nail polish. 

These kinds of interactions, together with my skincare maturity have convinced me to give up half of my blogging collaborations. This has led to some pretty bad-ass results: I consume less, I throw away less, I am not always anxious that I have to provide content on the pile of products that are gather in my closet and, most important, I feel better about myself (self-esteem and sustainability wise). 

Anyway, I was talking about etiquette. Let's get down to what I think would work better and would totally lower my anxiety driven by high expectations:

• don't have an agenda - you may or may not get the information you are looking for
• if you're expecting pictures, a specific lightening or setup, talk to the organizers before. Most of the times, these events are really low (or no) budget
• pay attention to the damn presentations. They're usually curated and are prepared specially for you
• take some photos / videos if you need them for your content, but pay more attention to the people around you. Live events are about people, not appearances on social media
• Be real. We're not always great, and there are people that work and have better results (learn from them, would you?)
• Don't be late. Don't leave (too) early. If you must, let the organizers know
• Share input. No one's going to steal anything from you

I find that trying to create some kind of respect based relationship with the rest of the bloggers is way more important than any advertisement you could do during the event. Don't worry, brands will stalk you and see if you really are on the same track with their goals. Pay more attention to what's happening around you right then and there. 

Going back to blog-meets and their purpose. It is not about the requests that come with attending this kind of event. It is not about creating content for the sake of content. It's about building the premises for an organic growth for both the blogger and the sponsor brands. 
This time, we had 12 sponsors (don't worry, you'll find them all at the bottom of this article) and I can surely say around 4-5 of them have products that are part of my skincare or make-up routine weekly. Others are just not for me. I'm not saying they're bad or anything - just that I'm pretty crappy at applying a specific kind of make-up. Or that I use liquid lipstick once per year. And that's fine. Those are the products that end up with either some of my followers, friends or family members (depending on how fast I need to de-clutter my room). 

Is giving away part of a blog-meet press kit etiquette? I have no idea, but I'm sure as hell it's way more sustainable like this than to keep something that would expire before getting used.

I must add one thing - we, bloggers, write in different ways. Some enjoy to share all kinds of news and to try all kinds of products. Others prefer to write about what they already know they enjoy. Others rely on storytelling and do an awesome job creating very unique content. Other are still searching for a way to put their thoughts on a digital diary. I'm there. 

Don't worry, you'll also see on my blog stuff about the products I got. After all I can't wait to find a moment to try the green mascara from Marionnaud, the oil from Farmasi, and the body products from Yves Rocher. The Estee Lauder minis are already in my traveling bag and the foundation is too dark, so I'm giving that one away. The Paula's Choice stuff is already in use. Strangely, so is the nail oil from Femino Help. I enjoy all of these - so here's my "advertisement" for beauty products. 

Ah, all this is inspired by the latest Beauty Bloggers Meeting TM - 2019 edition that I attended. Gotta give some special thanks to my collegues - Lucia & Cosmina for helping with the organization chaos and to Simona for letting us use her guest-house and bringing us delish food from Carmangeria Nora.

And the sponsors: Estee Lauder, the Makeup Shop, Lovely, pretty bu Flormar, Marionnaud, Farmasi, Paula's Choice, Wibo, Yves Rocher, Maybelline, Pellamar, Pr Avenue. 

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