Highlights from the 2014 Fashion Forward Conference in New York City! @fashforwardconf #FashForward

The Fashion Forward Conference is organized by Audrey McClellan, Vera Sweeney, power moms media and momtrends.

I am not a mom but I absolutely love their motto: 

"The Fashion Forward Conference aims to to bring aspirational and attainable fashion and style to real moms – after all why should women lose their sense of style just because they became moms…"

Many of you had the chance to follow my live tweets and I posted quite a few pictures via instagram as well, but I also wanted to do a full recap and include some hi res photos and video too.

Pink Roses by Passion Roses! Pretty! Looks like a full itinerary is ahead of us!

Conference Organizers from Left to Right: Nicole Feliciano, Audrey  McClellan, Vera Sweeney

Sponsors/Exhibitors (In no particular order!):

Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drinks

Staying healthy and keeping hydrated couldn't be easier with Kevita Sparkling Probiotic Drinks, I got to try out a few flavors during the Fashion Forward Conference and really like these!

You guys know just how much I love Dyson, and I was happy to see them again at The Fashion Forward Conference in New York City! I have reviewed both the DC65 and the DC44 by Dyson and they are both amazing!

Gold Emblem Abound Snacks are sold at CVS

CVS also helped to keep up our energy with their Gold Emblem Abound Snacks! There were Bars and Trail Mix and they were both really good! (These would be a great addition to some of my health monthly subscription boxes!) If you are a blogger and like me maintain your blog during 'off' hours, keeping these in stock instead of greasy chips or chocolate might be a great way to keep your energy up while writing and not packing on the pounds from snacking so late!

Dansko Shoes

I adore animal prints, so needless to say these shoes by Dansko caught my eye!

CAbi makes selling social with a personal shopping experience and sought after home based Career Opportunity, needless to say I honed in on the Animal Print Leggings!

Christy Turlington Burns is the founder of Every Mother Counts an organization that is dedicated to raising funds that help support maternal health programs around the world.

Miraclesuit at Fashion Forward Conference in NYC

I met the team at Miraclesuit earlier in the year at a Trendy Travel event and was lucky enough to win their raffle for a new swimsuit! I wore that suit this summer to Atlantic City (HERE is a post with me wearing it), and I just love it! Well guess what? Lightening can strike twice my friends as I won the raffle for Miraclesuit AGAIN at Fashion Forward! (I haven't picked out my prize yet but you will see it when I do!)

The Boodle Box - A monthly subscription service for 'fashionistas-in-training'

Here is a peek inside one a Boodle Box (I love that TAI Bracelet and the bag as those are MY initials!!!)

I am a huge fan of subscription box services and was introduced to one I was not yet familiar with at Fashion Forward - the Boodle Box, a subscription box service for girls and teens loaded with Accessories and Jewelry that are fab and age appropriate! I'm thinking my nieces would LOVE these!

End of the adult fashion show (there was one for the little ones as well) with all the models, brands being worn by the models included: CAbi, Dansko, Miraclesuit, J. Jill, Gwynnie Bee, Heucy, Talbots, Alex and Ani and Mark by Avon.

Check out the Video Highlights:



My Take:

I have been attending Fashion Forward since it's inception and it has been wonderful to see it grow and evolve. No two have been alike, and the speakers are always phenomenal! I loved the Fashion featured, totally functional and perfect for life - while runway fashion during Fashion Week here in New York City is always fun to look at, not all of it really works in my daily life, so it's nice to see a Fashion show that features clothes for women of ALL shapes and sizes and all walks of life. I loved discovering healthy goods too like Kelvita and Gold Emblem Abound, I hadn't heard of them before this, but will be going out to purchase these now. (I keep telling brands that sponsoring conferences and local events too are always smart, when women are passionate about something we ALWAYS share!). From the new brands now on my radar and seeing new stuff from brands I already know and love, no two Fashion Forward conferences are ever the same and that's exactly why I love them!

Is there a brand above that's new to you butterfly? Which would you most like to try? (Who knows, if there is a brand you really love maybe we can get them to come back and do something fun for readers!)

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FTC Disclosure: I was invited to this conference as a member of the Digital Media, I was fed, and gift bags were provided to attendees, however all opinions expressed in this recap are 100% my own! No monetary compensation has been received to share my recap of the Fashion Forward Conference.

Impressions of @mom2summit from a NON Mom! #mom2summit

I do Blog Conferences like I do my vacations, my preference is to do a different one each year. When I go on vacation I try to visit somewhere I have never been and I like to do the same with Blogging Conferences. Even with workouts I like to diversify and can't repeat the same type of workout over and over. It is just intrinsic to my personality. (If you are astrologically inclined, I'm an Aries, and we like to pioneer. Coincidence? You decide).

Mom 2.0 Summit went down in May in Atlanta and while it may seem odd that I am recapping it now, I did 'micro blog' and share my experiences as they happened via twitter, but it's when I take time to process everything that I experienced, that I tend to be more succinct.

You did read my headline correctly, I am NOT a Mother. While I do have a uterus/womb I haven't quite yet decided to use it, so I am not a Mom Blogger. Sadly if you are woman you are automatically lumped into the category of 'Mom Blogger'. If you are Latina, you are automatically a 'Latina Blogger'. I never wanted anyone to 'niche' me as I never chose to niche myself. The closest thing to a label I am willing to accept is "Lifestyle". And the beauty of that label in my opinion is that I do not need any one brand to garner content or make me 'relevant'. So long as I have life, I will have content.

Which leads me to the question I am sure you are asking in your head, Why did you attend Mom 2.0? For a wide variety of reasons, including:

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I had never attended this conference before

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I had never visited Atlanta before

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I am a Best Buy Blogger Brand Ambassador and they invited their Ambassadors to attend as they were Supporting Sponsors of the Conference

But most importantly, Conferences are an incredible opportunity to learn and grow! And stretching my wings is exactly what an Ascending Butterfly is supposed to do!

Some of my Favorite Moments and Takeaways:

This one was filled in: 'Beauty is Instagram' - There is something beautiful about how instagram captures everyday moments in life!

This one was filled in: 'Beauty is Playing Outdoors' - Sometimes families are 'too connected' - spending time outdoors in physical and creative play is a panacea to the spirit! For both young and old alike!

The photo above is from a Garden Party that was sponsored by Dove. Dove was the conference title sponsor and they challenged us all to define what Beauty Is. The answers were all as varied we are, and that to me was the beautiful thing!

If you had to fill in that blank: Beauty Is ________ what would YOU  say?

Above: The dress I am wearing is by IGIGI and the shoes are by Earthies.

The photo above was from an offsite Garden Party at a very beautiful venue called The Estate in Atlanta - the 2013 winner of The Buckhead Beautification Award. Dove also offered Bloggers an entire Beauty Suite within the conference venue  where bloggers enjoyed Hair Touch Ups, Manicures and Cocktails in a very relaxed atmosphere. It was a great place to slow down and get away from the hustle and bustle of the conference floor and to take a moment to connect with other bloggers too!

Left: Tracy from Ascending Butterfly (ME!) and Deb from Just Short of Crazy - Best Buy Brand Ambassadors working the booth during Mom 2.0 Summit!

Best Buy made work fun and addition to the Ambassadors hosting a twitter party in honor of Mother's Day while we were there (a fun way to bring those who couldn't be at the conference in the mix too!), the Ambassadors took turns at Best Buy's Booth to engage with bloggers, demo amazing products like the Misfit Shine, Dyson, and Sony QX10 (a lens that helps turn your Camera Phone into a DSLR! which you will see a review of here very soon) and they also hosted giveaway drawings for attendees to have a shot at winning the great products being displayed. As you can see from the photo above we were having a Charlie's Angels moment with the Dyson. Best Buy and their great vendors who came along with us sure made work feel more like fun. I love working with a brand who you can truly be yourself with, and makes everyone feel like a team! Best Buy is always looking for bloggers to join their WOLF Blogging Program and I can share that this Ambassadorship by far is one my favorites! I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the program.

Bloggers who stepped up to the Best Buy Booth had a chance to win the Misfit - Bloom Necklace for Shine - Stainless Steel as pictured below:

Press on the Photo Above and you can go directly to Best Buy to purchase this Necklace for any special fitness lover in your life!

Press on the Photo Above and go directly to Best Buy to purchase the Misfit Shine Fitness + Sleep Monitor.

The coral color for the Misfit - Shine Activity and Sleep Monitor, is an exclusive color to Best Buy! It measures steps taken, distance traveled and calories burned, tracks how well you slept, provides up to 30 days of data storage without syncing, boasts 12 LED lights to help you see in low-light situations and functions as a watch! It is water-resistant up to 164' for underwater use while you swim or engage in other water sport activities. It is crafted from Aircraft-grade aluminum material - so you know it's durable!

Press on the photo above to purchase The Sony - DSC-QX10 at Best Buy

The Sony - DSC-QX10 is an 18.2 Megapixel Attachable Lens-Style Camera for Most IOS and Android Mobile Phones. Available in either black or white, it turns your regular mobile phone camera into on that is capable of taking DSLR quality photos with the simple click of an attachment! This little guy was quite popular at the Best Buy Booth during Mom 2.0 Summit and for good reasons. Most bloggers hate lugging their heavy cameras around but do so because they don't want to miss a moment or end up with a grainy photo. Well not anymore folks! I will go into this one in more depth later!

They also featured several products by Dyson at the Booth including:

Press on the Image above to purchase the Dyson - AM08 Pedestal Fan White/Silver at Best Buy

Press on the image above to purchase the Dyson - DC59 Animal Bagless Cordless Stick Vacuum at Best Buy 

I reference the DC65, DC59 and the DC44 Animal Stick Vac HERE. And will be offering full product reviews on the misfit products as well as the Sony Qx10 so stay tuned!

Other Notable Moments from the conference included:



Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Panels - ALL of them! Each panel I attended blew me away. I am not new at this, and my biggest complaint about many conferences is that the panels are always geared to very new bloggers. And I was once very new so I understand that it is necessary to offer panels for a variety of knowledge levels, but Mom 2.0 impressed me more than any conference in awhile with panels that actually spoke to me at MY level. It was very much appreciated.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fruit of the Loom gave out underwear - Now there is swag you will use literally EVERY day!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Fandango had a fun photo opp and gave us a gift card so we could catch a movie as well as some popcorn (that got devoured in my room so it didn't make it to the movies!)

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - I geeked out when I met the folks from Sea Pak because I love their Spring Rolls - I go super far out of my way to get them as I can't convince my local supermarket to carry them.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Adobe Revel gave us cute macro lenses for our phones and we learned about their GroupPix app that is free for Android and iPhone. The app allows users to gather and share photos while they are at events, they hosted the official conference photo album which contained contributions from attendees. You can create an event in the app, set up an invite code and then users you give the code to can share photos.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - We also learned about EveryDrop a new water filtration brand developed by Whirlpool Water, you can use it both at home as well as on-the-go.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Dove offered a super cute nautical inspired Stella & Dot Tote Bag loaded with great Dove products including their Dove Pistachio Cream with Magnolia that has become a new favorite!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Honest Company (whose logo is a butterfly by the way) gave us a great assortment of their products to try out, you know how much I love both butterflies and brands that do good right? With every purchase from The Honest Co. a donation is made to families in need!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - The Zen Suite - I think it explains itself but with a Mattress so comfy I didn't want to get up, and PureCare mattress and pillow protectors that have a pocket where you can insert AromaTherapy Sachets, it was definitely a very popular suite during the conference!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Trapper Keeper is back baby!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Weight Watchers Brownie Bliss - Yummy and guilt free? um YES PLEASE!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ - Microsoft Surface 2 - While this is separate from the conference, I have to thank the folks at Microsoft who helped keep me connected with a Surface 2 Tablet that allowed me to not miss a beat while at Mom 2.0! I love the Surface 2, it is a hybrid tablet with the functionality of a laptop, runs full MS Office, it's keyboard is it's cover and as I edit a ton of photos I added on a great travel mouse and the Surface was not only my portable office, but I was also able to help co-host a Best Buy Mother's Day Twitter Party while I was there on this bad boy!



MY TAKE:

This was my first Mom 2.0 Summit but it won't be my last that's for sure. It was the first time in a long time that a conference offered panels where I took so many notes! I learned a ton at Mom 2.0 Summit, met so many great bloggers who were willing to share and were super welcoming. Not once did I get the stink eye when I told someone I was not a Mom (which sadly has happened at other parenting conferences and does sometimes happen at local events in my city), and was impressed with the amount of time I was able to get with each brand. That doesn't always happen when a conference over packs people into a small venue. They chose an amazing venue that was well-layed out and while the swag was fab, it was the panels and the fact I could make real connections with brands that seemed to really want to be there and make connections too that were the main standouts for me!

And special shout outs to the brands that helped to make this conference not only possible but enjoyable. Best Buy who have truly made my Ambassadorship with them feel like family, IGIGI who has helped me re-discover the joy of wearing dresses again and have helped to make fashion fun for me again after a very long period of time where I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin nevertheless in my clothes, Earthies shoes that make comfortable footwear super fashionable and Microsoft for keeping me productive, with files from my home computer in the cloud, using the Surface was totally seamless and allowed me to take notes, make outlines for posts, update my database, keep track of my calendar, (both appointment and editorial) and help me be able to co-host a twitter party with ease while on the road.

The 2015 Mom 2.0 Summit will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, will I see you there?

What is the best conference you have attended in 2014 so far Butterfly? (or if you haven't yet attended any, which one would you like to attend?)

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FTC Disclosure: This recap post is NOT sponsored, however I attended the conference as a guest of Best Buy. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. There are affiliate links included in this post. And some items mentioned were provided to me free of charge, however this did not influence my opinions, all opinions are 100% my own.