BlogPaws – Who Did You Meet?

I am still hearing about BlogPaws withdrawal from some of the people that attended the Conference. I know it was the energy, the excitement, the networking, the sessions only happen once per year and we have to fit it all in during one weekend. It leaves many crashing from a high. I think it took me a week before I could even process that BlogPaws was over.

Almost immediately people were asking what they could do in order to continue the momentum now that they are home ad behind their computers no longer face to face and nose to nose so I wrote the post BlogPaws – The Call to Action. If you haven’t read it you should click over and read through it and make sure you are signed up for the Network and the Community (there is a new opportunity coming next week from one of the Sponsors that was at the Conference!).

Which brings me to the point of this Blog Post. Who did you meet at the conference? I have seen all of these great posts about the friends you made and got to sit with at breakfast or the people you finally got to meet after years of exchanging Blog Posts but there were very few posts mentioning the brands you met.

I am going to start off with one of the smaller companies that attended BlogPaws this year only because I got to “meet” them before the conference. Be Pawsitive has such an amazing idea that when I learned about them I knew the had to attend BlogPaws and tell off of you about what they do. They had no idea what to expect going in but decided they needed to create a program before arriving at BlogPaws on Thursday that would give back to the Bloggers they met. So they created an Affiliate program. A really really generous program where Bloggers get 25% of each sale they refer! For those that don’t know about Be Pawsitive they sell boxes of Dog Treats. One Box goes to your dog and one box gets automatically donated to a shelter or rescue! The company was created after Travis adopted his dog because he realized that there were so many dogs awaiting homes in shelters and wanted to do something to make a difference.

Did you know that Just 4 My Pet not only offered to have personalized trading cards ready for you to pick up at their booth at the conference but offered to send all conference attendees trading cards to their homes if they didn’t get them at BlogPaws! And they also talked about how they offer free personalized tags for your dog with each order! I know I don’t update our tags enough and they wear down and bigger dogs tags get all grungy how cool is it that they offer free personalized dog tags! That is something you should tell all of your readers and fans because it is something that could help reunite them or someone they knwo with a dog that somehow gets loose.

Did you hang out with the Hill’s Team at their coffee and cupcake bar? They were there to talk to us about all of the amazing work they do to help after disasters as well as the changes they have made to their food. This next part is key and something that most people don’t know. During their twitter chat before BlogPaws some of us were joking around about how nice it would be if there were Almond Milk for the Coffee. We never expected it to happen and were surprised when they said they would see what they could do. They made it happen and somehow got almond milk to foam for my Pumpkin Spice Almond Milk Latte. Saturday night I needed to find a table to sit at for a few minutes and wound up at a table with the Hill’s Team. They asked if we (I was with Michelle Maskaly the Editor of Pet Age) had gotten to have some coffee with almond milk. We both said we had actually had multiple cups and thanked them for making it happen. Then we got to talking about the fact that while the almond milk was a special request that they do listen to their customers and dog and cat owners in general about what they want to see in their pet’s food and then go to the research team and veterinarians on their staff to figure out if it is possible and create ways to make it into a balanced diet they can sell. I thought that was amazing. How many pet food companies do you know that actually listen to what you have to say?

Maybe you attended one of the Purina Sessions. I literally only got to sit in on the Nutrition session for 17 minutes before I was called out to work on something. What I did get to hear was extremely interesting. They were talking about the differences nutrition wise between what a dog can process and what a wolf can process. I am talking genetic differences with real Science to back it up. I had actually gotten to meet the speaker once before his name is Arliegh and he lives all the way in Alaska. Arliegh works for Purina and raises high caliber sled dogs in his home in Alaska. He really puts the nutrition in dog food to the test with his pack. Did you stop by the Purina booth to hang out with Dan (who I think and I am not alone in this thinking is one of the most amazing brand representatives pet bloggers get to work with). Did you talk about the Incredible Dog Challenge? How about the work they do and the support they give to YOUR local rescue? Did you pick up some cans or bags of food to drop off at your local shelter?

Nutrish was there too. This is one Sponsor that I have to admit I didn’t really get around to talking to for very long. But I did have fun at their twitter party getting to know more about the brand and the products they have introduced lately. Did you talk about the work that Rachel Ray does to help shelter animals? Did you ask them questions about the nutrition behind their products?They are also another sponsor that has a Blogger Campaign coming up in the next month or two.

Did you meet Evan and Brooke from the Impetus Agency? They were there representing PAL and Habri. If you didn’t hang out with them why not? Evan is actually a ton of fun to hang out with and I really mean that. Evan and Brooke work for the company that puts together Global Pet Expo so not only have I gotten to hang out at BlogPaws with them but I have also gotten to hang out in Orlando with them (and their bosses). Back to PAL and Habri. Did you tweet about their shelter donation? Did you win? Have you checked out the PAL videos seriously head over to their Youtube channel if you haven’t.

Then there was Sony. Not only where they there to meet with you but they launched their Sony Action Cam Dog Harness at BlogPaws on Thursday afternoon. By Thursday night their Press Conference right from the BlogPaws Exhibit Hall was all over the international news wire. That is pretty cool all on its own but I want to share something even more amazing. Eldad Hagar visited with them told them who he is and what he does and they offered him a brand new top of the line video camera to replace the one that is not working up to par so that he can continue to film his amazing videos and help countless animals get the help they need.

Another company I have to mention is Zero Odor. Did you meet the Zero Odor Team? The firs time I met them was at Global Pet Expo 2 years ago. I was actually the very first Blogger they worked with to do a Giveaway of their product. (I didn’t really need to do a review of their product because I got to see so many people do their smell test on the Global floor to know the product worked but they did send me a bunch of product anyway). They have since worked with a number of BlogPaws Community members and are in the process of launching something pretty cool as a way to give back to rescues. So keep an eye on them.

Did you hang out and chat with Seth and Amanda at the Greenies table? I know lots of samples were taken and there was a lot of chatter about how excited your dogs and cats would be when you got home. I picked up a few bags of kitty treats. Not so much for the cat but for Davinia and Indiana. They love the salmon flavor kitty ones. They are the perfect size to be a nice little treat or a training treat without over stuffing the girls and they apparently are of high enough interest to Davinia that she allowed a big white dog to walk right by her without caring. (Davinia is absolutely not a fan of white dogs of any size). Greenies regularly works with Bloggers when they have product launches or before the holidays to promote their treats for under the Chirstmas tree or in stockings.

Did you take the time to get to know the brands and their representatives? There is no us vs them they come to BlogPaws to get to know YOU! To create relationships with you so that when you do receive their email you can put a face with a name, a story with the product, a personal experience with their company. They are there to get to know you but also for your readers, fans, and followers to get to know them on a more personal level. To show there are real people behind the brands that love animals. If you were too nervous to get to know the sponsors this year come find me and I will introduce your to them. Can’t find me just walk up to the booth and introduce yourself and tell them you want to learn more about their company and products.