The Power of the Hashtag: #TSE2013 Experience

I just came back from an amazing conference: The Special Event Conference and Tradeshow. This is the “IT” show for the entire event community. It gathers once a year, changing cities each year. This year, the destination was Chicago. An arctic, Northern twist to its usual locations from years past, as the cities the conference typically visits are below the Mason Dixon line. It combines an exhibit hall showcasing the latest wears, in technology, decor, entertainment and so much more. The conference also includes a series of nightly networking and showcasing events hosted by local event partners. These events push each destination’s event community to it’s creative limits, so event professionals outside the market can see what that city is made of. The event also offers the chance for event professionals from all over the globe to gain insight and inspiration from other professionals through education, tabletop designs, wedding galleries, the Gala award celebration and good ole’ fashion face to face networking and thought collaboration. I absolutely love the conference and this last one was my 5th time in attendance.

With the creative and visual overload the conference provides, it is so difficult to network, capture all the photos for ideas, gather all the information you need, and truly enjoy the experience in full. I find with the advent of social media, it is so hard to juggle the task of capturing every detail you want for the event, as well as being present in the moment, to engage with others, and to party like you used to 10 -15 years ago. The temptation of being enthralled by photographing every moment sometimes detaches you from the experience of the event.

So, when I came home today and started to view all the photos I took, I felt like I missed so many shots. The shots that I saw others sharing on their Facebook pages, their Twitter feeds and their Instagram dashboards. SO WHAT DID I DO?