I am beyond thrilled to announce that I will be attending this year’s Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in the Happiest Place on Earth–Disneyland! The magical invitation arrived in my email at what was a very appropriate moment as my daughters and I were in the middle of decorating our house for our #DisneySide at Home Celebration when the happy news arrived. 2014 marks the 5th year the Celebration/Conference is being held and this is the first time it is taking place in Disneyland. In 2010 and 2011 the conference was open to whomever was fortunate enough to register before all of the spots filled–and fill they did! As news of this magical conference spread around the blogging community, conference organizers realized its overwhelming popularity and the conference became an invitation-only event. Each year, a few months before the conference, Twitter is all aflutter with the #DisneySMMoms hashtag as social media savvy folks begin speculating about when the pixie-dusted invitations will begin arriving in bloggers’ inboxes. This year on the evening of February 3rd, Leanne Jakubowski, Director of Social Media for Disney Parks and conference organizer extraordinaire put out this tweet:
Yep… it’s time. — leannej (@leannej) February 4, 2014
Shortly thereafter my feed was filled with the delighted tweets of all of those who received the coveted invitation to this year’s Disney Social Media Moms Celebration which takes place in Disneyland over four days from April 10th to the 13th. As I said, this is the first time the Disneyland Resort is playing host to the celebration and already attendees are seeing a schedule that is packed full of learning, networking, family activities and plenty of Disney MAGIC.
Why All the Hype?
The fabulous folks on the Disney Parks PR Team know how to generate a buzz and inviting social media influencers to experience all the magic Disney Parks has to offer is a great way to spread the excitement. Only about 150 bloggers are invited to the celebration each year where they are treated to dynamic speakers, a stay in one of Disney’s deluxe resorts, theme park tickets, special dining and events and some pretty amazing parties, all at a deeply discounted conference rate. Bloggers are also invited to bring their families and plenty of time is made in the schedule to explore the parks as well as for family-friendly conference activities. Anyone who has visited any of the Disney vacation destinations has experienced what many Disney aficionados call “the Disney difference” and the Social Media Moms Celebration absolutely makes the grade–and beyond!
The small number of attendees gives the conference a more intimate vibe than other social media conferences, allowing participants to really get to know each other over the course of the long weekend. The celebration is a great opportunity for bloggers to bond and make lasting connections while honing their craft and learning from industry leaders. 2013 speakers included powerhouse personalities like Rene Syler, Danya Steele, Shannon Miller, Jackie Huba, and Disney’s own Gary Buchanan.
Finally, there are always plenty of surprises in store during the conference from special announcements about the Disney Parks, to visits from favorite Disney characters and
For a sneak-peek into some of the magic of the celebration, check out this Disney Park’s Blog video:
How Do I Get Invited?
Well, that’s just the million dollar question, isn’t it? One place to start is at the traveling mini-version of the conference known as Disney Social Media Moms on the Road. A registration form is on the Disney Social Media Moms website that you can complete to show you are interested in attending one of the On the Road celebrations. Last year’s events were held in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco and Seattle and besides being chock-full of great information and a ton of fun, participating in one of these is a great way to get on the Disney radar.
In the meanwhile, you can keep up with all the fun by following @DisneySMMoms and the hashtag #DisneySMMoms.
Want to learn more about Disney Social Media Moms Celebrations from past years? Here are some great recap posts from some of my favorite bloggers!
5 Minutes for Mom – Janice & Susan
Blog Clarity – Melissa Culbertson
All Things Fadra – Fadra Nally
Lil Kid Things – Andrea Updyke
Four Hats and Frugal – Amiyrah Martin
Congrats! I’m beyond envious. I can’t wait to here all about your experience!
Thanks, Heidi! I’ll be sharing on Twitter and Instagram with the #DisneySMMoms hashtag so please follow along!