I'm Not A Spring Chicken Anymore

I keep hearing the phrase that "30 is the new 20."

This may be true, but at the tender age of 24, I'm starting to feel my old age creeping up on me. Okay, okay, I'm just kidding---but only a little.

I like to think that I keep up with everything that's going on and try to stay current, whether it's with music, fashion, trends, celebrity gossip, technology, etc. I recently came to the realization though, that I had fallen behind a bit when it came to technology. Sure, I have an iPhone, I had a BlackBerry, Palm handheld, iPod, etc, but nowadays, technology is so much more than the physical gadgets we use.

In today's world, there's Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, podcasting--the list goes on and on. I have only begun to scratch the surface by recently creating this blog, and joining Twitter a few weeks ago. Although easy to navigate and get the hang of, I surprised myself by how long it took me to tackle these two things. After all, so many people have been blogging and "tweeting" already, could I really just jump into it? I'm still young and cool, right?

On March 16th, I attended the Best Events Expo at the Sheraton New York. It was my first ever event planning-related conference, and I was super excited. I registered for it on my own, and attended it on my own. I didn't really know what to expect, but I assumed that it would consist of a variety of business vendors exchanging business cards, in business attire, and acting very...well, business-like. Typically, that's not my kind of scene (I like meeting people more organically), but I was willing to do it for the sake of event planning. However, upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.

Everyone, from the hotel staff to the event attendees, was very friendly. Dress was business casual--professional, yet comfy. As a matter of fact, the whole atmosphere felt relaxed and stress free. It was obvious that we were all there to learn. I quickly connected with a young woman and her colleague, who actually became my "Expo Buddies" for the day. Overall, it was very easy to meet people, which I definitely think added to my pleasant experience.

Aside from the networking opportunity, the main reason I registered for the expo was because I was interested in the many workshops that were being offered. One in particular was titled, "Social Media: Get It, Got It...Good." This session was presented by Tatiana Byron, President of 4PM Events, and served as a brief introduction/tutorial for how to use social media to promote your events. In her presentation, Tatiana gave tips for how to start and maintain a blog and Twitter account. Some key points were:

• Post entries at least three times a week
• Focus your posts around a common theme
• Personal and business matters should never be mixed

Before I joined Twitter, I didn't understand it all. The concept didn't make much sense to me and I figured it was just a simpler version of Facebook status updating. Basically, I joined because I figured it was the right thing to do.

Now, I understand that Twitter is a wonderful way to engage and disseminate information to a large group of people. As a small business owner, it's perfect because I can get the word out to my followers quickly and easily. It also motivates and forces me to stay on top of the happenings in my field. And yes, I must admit, it's fun! However, like so many other things, Twitter is not for everyone. Check out this interesting article, "5 Signs You Might Not Be Ready for Twitter": http://bit.ly/9jvCyq

Although the session only lasted about 40 minutes, it was Tatiana Byron's clear and concise presentation that gave me the motivation and courage to start my own blog & Twitter accounts. If I hadn't taken the initiative and attended the expo, I'm not really sure if I would've taken that step both on my own, or so soon. That being said, I highly recommend the Best Events Expo for these reasons:

• It was a smaller scale conference, with an intimate feel.
• The informative workshops were short enough to learn, but didn't bore you to death.
• It was a great way to connect & network without the usual forced "networking" atmosphere.
• The expo hall was packed with vendors, but was still small enough to maneuver without getting tired or lost.
• The venue itself was contained to a small area, so you didn't have to go too far for anything.
  
• The "green" gift/tote bag was cute and sturdy enough to hold all of the information you collect.

So, if you've been thinking about joining a social media network, but have been hesitant, I say go for it! You might surprise yourself. Maybe being "in the know" doesn't come easily to me anymore, but I'm still young. Hey, if 30 is the new 20, then that would make me 14, right?

Follow me on Twitter! @RedLotusEvents