ProBlogger Event 2014

It is hard to believe but the 2014 ProBlogger Training event is already last month and if I’m honest with you – I’m still reeling from it a little.

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What an amazing two days!

This was our second year of holding the event on the Gold Coast in Queensland Australia but it was the first time we’d had over 500 attendees all in the one room.

When I came up with the idea for the first PBEVENT back in 2010 I envisaged a small group of bloggers gathering around a board table in a meeting room somewhere but had no idea of what would happen to the event – or the Aussie blogosphere in the following five years.

Both have exploded – in a good way!

This year’s event took a good 11 months to plan for – with the help of an amazing team. We had 550 attendees, over 30 speakers (four internationals and the rest from around Australia), three new niche networking events, three new ‘accelerator’ workshops, a special partner event with Aweber, and one crazy networking party (with a nautical theme).

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Our international speakers this year were amazing. Pat Flynn, Rand Fishkin, Geraldine DeRuiter and Chris Ducker all made the big trip down under and all completely brought it to their sessions – delivering high quality presentations and really practical advice.

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Our Aussie speakers also blew our socks off with their storytelling, advice and generosity.

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The Australian blogosphere has continue to grow and mature in the last 12 months and the spirit in the room over our two days of training was incredible. This year almost two thirds of attendees were with us for their first time, most of whom were in their first year of blogging. Something is happening in Australia!

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Surprise and Delights

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This year we did a few of surprise and delight moments through the conference. Virgin Australia gave three attendees a total of 800,000 velocity points, Olympus Australia gave away their amazing OMD camera, and Tourism and Events Queensland gave one attendee the cost of getting to and attending our conference back to them. Oh – and then there was the free massages and coffee from Bupa and the networking events from L’Oreal (where I got made up with smokey eyes – see below), Annie Sloan and Pure Harvest.

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We also surprised those attendees who have been to all five PBEVENTS with free tickets to next year’s event, a couple of attendees with a trip to Melbourne to spend the day with the ProBlogger team to help take their blog to the next level, and another with a date night for her and her husband at a hotel in Perth along with free tickets to next years PBEVENT in Perth and next year’s main event.

We also had opportunity spend time with The Reach Foundation and hear from one of their wonderful young crew members to tell us about the work they do with thousands of Aussie young people.

I also had a few moments of surprise – one being on the last night when my team all appeared at drinks with Darren Rowse Tattoos!

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Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things

PBEVENT is fast becoming the highlight of my year each year – I love seeing the progression in our attendees from one year to another. Numerous bloggers who I met back in 2010-11 as brand new bloggers are now full time bloggers and launching amazing projects.

The theme of my opening keynote this year is that blogging is something that enables normal, ordinary people to do extraordinary things. In the Aussie blogosphere (as it is around the world) this is something I’ve seen hundreds of times.

In the last 12 months alone we’ve seen bloggers launching books and eBooks:

Launching businesses and training courses:

Experimenting with Kickstarter and Pozible campaigns:

Developing Apps and running events:

And that’s just scratching the surface.

Bigger than One Direction and Football

Our attendees certainly like to use social media!

PBEVENT this year knocked AFL football, Rugby and the birthday of one of the OneDirection group off the number-one trending perch on Twitter for two and a half days nationally in Australia.

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Over the two days of the event the #PBEVENT hashtag had around 15,000 tweets with over 47,000,000 impressions (over the month around the event this is closer to 80,000,000 impressions), over 3000 instagrams and since the event we’ve seen more blog posts written about the event than we can keep up with.

Following are just some of the blog posts we’ve found that give you a speaker/attendee perspective on what it’s like to attend a PBEVENT.

But before I get to those posts – I want to say another huge thank you to the team who helped run this year’s event. To Jasmin, Nicole and Laney who returned this year to form our core team. To those around them who put in many hours including Caroline, Liz, Shayne, Stacey, Yvonne, Cheryl, Jade, Brooke, Grove, Nathalie, Martine, Louisa Claire and to the many others who pitched in and lent a hand throughout the event.

Here’s just some of the team behind this year’s event pictured int he Olympus booth at our nautical networking party (yes, that’s me as Jack Sparrow). See more shots from this Photo Booth here.

All our speakers and panelists – thanks so much for your time and generosity.

Also a huge thanks to our sponsors (all mentioned above) who helped to keep our event as what I hear over and over again is one of the most affordable and value-packed events in Australia.

Lastly to our attendees this year and to the wider Australian Blogosphere – your support and encouragement drive us on to keep improving PBEVENT. As I said in closing this year’s event we’re already planning the 2015 events (yes there will be more than one).

We’re hoping to run a full day event early in 2015 in Perth and another multi day event at a similar time next year (location to be announced) as well as some smaller meet up events in other capital cities early in the year.

What Our Attendees Thought About this Year’s Event

As promised above – here are just some of the blog posts we’ve found about this year’s event from attendees and speakers. Thanks to Jade Craven for helping me get this list together! Enjoy!

Dear PBEVENT via Easy Peasy Kids
The power of the blogger community via Cas McCullough
Problogger Training Event 2014: The Wrap via Style and Shenannigans
The top 9 things I learnt at PBevent 2014 via Working Women Australia.
I Am A Blogger via 26 Years And Counting
for post ProBlogger confessions via It’s Time…
Once a Jolly Blogger via 4 kids, 20 suitcases and a beagle
7 Take-Aways From Problogger Training Event 2014 via Suzanne Kiraly
My Favourite Quotes From Problogger 2014 via Sally Wilson
I Must Confess…chasing my dreams… via My Home Truths
2014 Blogger’s Guide to SEO: Rand Fishkin at ProBlogger via Bluewire Media Web Strategy Blog
Not just a raving leftie via Talking Frankly
What I learnt at the 2014 Problogger Conference via Baby Mac
My PB Event Top Tips for blogging AND life via Kimba Likes
The things I learned at ProBlogger (and they’re not what you might expect) via About a Bugg…
16 Australian Bloggers and Their Shoes | ProBlogger 2014 via Adventures of a Rainbow Mama
5 Things I Learned At The Problogger Event with Design With Style
Top 10 Takeaways From Problogger Event – Part 1 via Girl Tweets World
ProBlogger 2014 – You Were Awesome! via The Mother Load (Australia)
My Problogger Smack Down via The Luminous Kitchen
Why do bloggers return to #PBEvent every year? via Blog Success School
SEO for bloggers: Rand Fishkin at Problogger via Kate Toon SEO Copywriter
It’s A Kind Of Magic via The Global Goddess
Some things about the amazing Problogger event via Carly Findlay
The ProBlogger De-Brief via Caitlin’s Happy Heart
It’s all about the people! via My Office Books
Problogger – love and learnings via Mummy Wife Me
10 Things I learnt from Problogger Event 2014 via Melbourne Mum
Music Teachers, Problogger and the Gold Coast via Creative Piano Professional
Good Blogging Is All About Love Kirsten and Co
ProBlogger 2014 – I’ll Be Back via Bargain Chick
Problogger 2014: My next big step via Kym Campradt
5 Things I Loved & Learned at Problogger via Denise Mooney
How to do Problogger Conference with a newborn via The Plumbette
10 Things We Learned at #PBEvent 2014 via Smarter Happier
8 Things I Learnt at Problogger 2014 via Economies of Kale
ProBlogger conference 2014 – my top five lessons via Em Hawker
Party in the Penthouse! And Other Problogger Event Highlights via Get in The Hot Spot
How to reach for the sky? via Clear Design Studio
Things I learnt at the Problogger Conference 2014 via Lisa Berson
Problogger Training Event 2014: Day 1 Live Blog via Marketing.com.au
Problogger: What I Do Next via Country Life Experiment
Behind the scenes of PBEVENT 2014 via Wonder Webby
Finding My Way (lessons from problogger ’14) via Style For A Happy Home
Reflections From Problogger 2014 – Part 1, The Tears via I Give You The Verbs
Problogger 2014: Cocktails, magic and raving fans via Unknown to Expert
How 18 amazing Le Chaise Eames chairs brighten the QT Gold Coast via Blossom and Bright
50+ Blogger Headshots in Two Days And Other Reasons I Missed Everything Said At The Problogger Event via Rachel Devine
5 Things I wish I knew about podcasting from my home office before I started via Cas McCullough
The Best Problogger Event Ever! via Create A Drop Ship Biz
10 Things I learnt from Problogger Event 2014 via Melbourne Mum
I don’t have time for this! via Louise Busija Jones
Five Tips from Pro-Blogger Conference 2014 via Go Future Media

From Presenters:

The ProBlogger Conference and the Flynn Family Trip to Australia
The elephant, the blogger, the brand and the reader via Laney Galligan
That Thing That Scares The Bejeezue Out Of You via Chantelle Ellem
Build An Online Community That You Love #PBEVENT via Styling You
Fitting it all in | Finding time via Maxabella
Problogger wrap up: My biggest a-ha moments from Australia’s biggest blogging conference via Secret Bloggers Business
5 Juicy Takeaways from ProBlogger Event via Donna Moritz

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger