Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Disney Media Mom Conference, filled will great information, lots of fun and some tears #Disneysmmc

I was invited to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration conference. I paid a conference fee to attend. I received a discounted rate for my stay. All opinions are my own. I have not been compensated or asked to post about Disney .

Well the day is here! With butterflies in my stomach I headed down to the conventions center at the Yacht and Beach Club, I was off to learn more about Disney and make some great new friends. This was so exciting!
To start our first official conference day, we were greeted with a lovely healthy breakfast, an amazing spread that include an make your own omelet bar, and loads of other breakfast favorites. As we enjoyed our breakfast we learned how Disney is making the food they serve us in the parks more healthy. They are also working to make the food more allergy friendly. 
While listening to  Chef Garry, from Disney Magic of Healthy Living we learned that soon there will be 120 locations throughout Disney parks that will have an allergy friendly menu, that is amazing!
The food was fresh and delicious, just as I expect from Disney, they never seem to disappoint with food. I love that Disney does not just have "park" food, you know hot dogs and hamburgers... Disney branches out, and really gets some delicious and healthy food the whole family will love.

Now that we were all full and happy we were invited to the main all where we would be able to enjoy the various speakers throughout the day. The hall was ready for us bloggers with plenty of places to recharge your electronics! To start the show (or event?) we watched Mickey get down with his bad self, did you know Mickey could dance? Oh yes he is a great dancer! This was such a cute show, a great way to get the party started!
  Picture courtesy of Disney 

We were introduced to the hosts of this great event, Leanne O’Regan, Director of Social Media, Disney Parks & Resorts, event co-host, and Mark Daniel, event co-host. Each were hilarious and really got you comfortable & ready to learn and have a great day, and I have a feeling we all will.

Did I ever think I would be in the presence of the PRESIDENT of Walt Disney World?? Well not in my lifetime? But one of the first speakers to welcome us to this amazing event was none other than, George A. Kalogridis President of Walt Disney World! George was very warm and welcoming, he really wanted us to have a lovely time. Well we were all off to a great start! I have been a fan of Disney for so very many years, but I knew I would find out some great information I have never known, and I was right! The day was filled with spectacular speakers that encouraged you to be your best, and make the most out of your blog and life.

Eva Smith, Head of Marcomm and Insights at Pinterest. Eva shared with us some great hints and tips from Pinterest. We all know that the first step for a great Pin is a great picture… But did you know that a helpful description is just as important to getting a great pin noticed? I have to admit I have slacked back with my pinning, I just never thought it was that important. Boy was I wrong, I am missing out on all sorts of traffic, and possible visits to my site. I am going get more into pinning right now!
 Picture courtesy of Disney


Ever take a stand for something you believe in? Sure I have said a word or two to show I believed in something… I have never truly stood up for something I believe in.. not like little Vivienne Harr. She wanted to collect money for those in need and she started small, with a lemonade stand and now has a company of her own to stand up for others. Stand, is a site where you can learn about Vivienne’s book, her vision and learn how to donate. The Make a Stand Foundation is a ensures "impeccable impact" from our for-profit social impact brand platform. Vivienne is just 10 years old! My daughter is 10, and I just started to cry thinking that this little one is making such a difference at such a young age. "You don't have to be big or powerful to change the world. You can be just like me." Vivienne Harr.



Picture courtesy of Disney 

 Being a huge fan of pretty much any Disney Pixar movie it was one of the highlights of the conference to hear from Jonas Rivera, Disney Pixar Animator. He spoke about the newest Disney Pixar movie Inside Out. He started with just the idea of the movie, the pitch to the drawings to the voice actors. Do you know it takes years and years to get a movie like this together? 
 We were treated to a 7 minute preview of Inside Out. Then we were told we would be able to see the movie the next day with our families, and we cheered! This seems like such a winner! Have you ever wondered what it was like in the mind of an 11 year old girl? Well there is a lot going on in there that is for sure! Be sure to check out Disney Pixar Inside Out in theaters June 19th 2015.

Jessica Shyba, from MommasGoneCity and Author. Jessica was just a mom with a blog, blogging about life and her children… Then she stared taking pictures of her son and his new puppy. You could really feel the special bond with those wonderful pictures, and then life took off. Pictures went viral and changed Jessica’s life forever. Jessica spoke about the value of great pictures. Quality pictures get noticed… But remember to be careful of what pictures you decide to post you just never know what may go viral.

Picture courtesy of Disney 

Ever wanted to be the best you, you can be? Have the best company you can have? Speaker, Chris Brogan,  wants this for you too. Chris Brogan explores how people use media and community to build marketplaces around areas of belonging. He shows people how use content and community to build marketplaces. Be in charge of your sites, answer your emails.. Yourself! If a busy CEO like Chris Brogan can take the time to personally answer each of his emails, you can too… Don’t throw it off to someone else, take charge of your business and know and be in control of every aspect.
One of the most impressive speakers was, Donald Driver, Author and Former NFL player, I may not be the biggest football fan out there, but I do love reality TV, so I knew Donald Driver as a former Dancing with the Stars champion!   Donald Driver is a born speaker, he speaks from the heart and really gets you thinking… He asked us, Why do you blog? Have you really ever sat down and thought about it? Why do I do this? What are my goals? He really got me thinking….
 Donald shared personal stories, of the time he had with his father before he passed.. I teared up, I felt like I was there with his family so very moving.  Donald also spoke of the power of social media, be sure you only put what you would like everyone to see out there, also don’t say anything you would not want others to hear.  “It only takes seconds to say harsh words, but it takes that person a lifetime to get over it” -  Donald Driver.
Janice Belgemino with Disney Infinity gave us the inside scoop about Disney Infinity 3.0. Available Fall 2015 on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Wii U™, Xbox One, Xbox 360. The Disney Infinity 3.0 set will be a Star Wars theme, and include 2 Star Wars™ Figures: Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker! We were even treated to two of the newest figures, Mickey and Minnie, who I am sure you say frolicking though the parks via my twitter feed. The Disney Infinity 3.0 kits will be available Fall 2015 but you can pre-order a Disney Infinity 3.0 kit now. 

Picture courtesy of Disney 

Jeffrey Epstein with Disney D23 spoke about the great offers you can get from D23. Sure you can get a great magazine with insider info but did you know that with your paid D23 membership you have the ability to purchase special tours with D23 these are once in a lifetime opportunities that any Disney fan would adore! 

What wonderful speakers, I was so very impressed with the lineup, from Disney fun to personal improvement. I loved each and every minute of this conference. Now that the day at the conference hall is over, we are off to have more fun!
Did you ever want to meet Olaf? Well he sure wants to meet you and give you a hug! Well he sure wanted to make sure he gave us all a nice warm hug! Right before dinner we had a special meet and greet with Olaf himself! Olaf will be meeting in the parks soon, I will share more information  about being able to meet Olaf in the parks as I get it.  
Up next was dinner on the beach. Mickey's beach bash was such fun! To all get together and eat on the beach was amazing. The dinner on the beach was really cool, it was fun having other guests stop and look. And the food spread again was fantastic.
I honestly could go on and on about the food. We left stuffed. The beef with the mushroom gravy was fantastic. The mac-n-cheese, the tater tots, the drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and the neatest thing I’ve ever seen a make your own chowder station! Amazing spread. There was dancing and the Fab Five showed up in their beach gear for photo op’s, this really was an amazing night.
After dinner we still had sometime left to hustle over to the Magic Kingdom to get a few more rides in. We hit all the rides we wanted Peter Pan, The Mine Train, The Little Mermaid, The Haunted Mansion and Pirates. We were glad to get to ride Pirates again before they shut down for some sprucing up this summer.

Wow what an amazing day! Thing could not get better right? After this amazing day? Well I am sure they are going to, I still have much more to share! Tomorrow we are up early to ride Dumbo! It will not just be any ride on Dumbo we will have our experience filmed, such fun! We are also off to see Inside Out! My daughter is so excited, and I have to admit I am pretty excited too!  Stay tuned for more fun! 


 I was invited to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration conference. I paid a conference fee to attend. I received a discounted rate for my stay. All opinions are my own. I have not been compensated or asked to post about Disney .

 

Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .
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3 comments:

Frugal and Fun Mom said...

I hope I get another invitation to this event next year. I missed the deadline to book and I am really excited about a future opportunity after seeing everyone's pictures!

Debra @ A Frugal Friend said...

I'm sad we never got to meet but the conference moves so quickly and with family there, it's hard to meet everyone. I'm always amazed at what Disney plans! This conference was no exception.......and OLAF!!! :-)

Tammi @ My Organized Chaos said...

I've always enjoyed the conference and while it's been a few years since I've been able to attend, I remember it like it was yesterday. Such a magical and heartwarming time!

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Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions, . No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. This is a unofficial fan site that is not affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or Disney theme parks.