Inspiration Found at Disney On The Road

 

 

 

Okay, by now you probably know I am a big kid at heart and love all things Disney!  After attending the Disney Social Media Moms event back in April I truly appreciated (even more) what an amazing visionary Walt Disney really was and love that he never gave up on his dream of creating the Happiest Place On Earth!  Which I can honestly say is one of my favorite places to go with the family.  I love to see my daughter’s face light up while on the roller coasters or when she runs into a Disney character at the park.  Plus, there is something about eating popcorn while walking down Main Street that brings you back to being a kid!

 

 

Disney On The Road Conference Inspires:

I was super excited to attend the Disney On The Road event in Phoenix and hear about what is happening at Disneyland and Disney World.  I decided to drive from Orange County to Scottsdale, Arizona as I haven’t had a solo road trip in forever! The scenery from Orange County to Scottsdale is pretty bare but the music my husband put on my iPhone helped make the hours go by quickly! Let’s just say it was an 80’s flashback party! I arrived late afternoon at the Fairmont Princess Resort where the conference was held and was amazed at how large and absolutely gorgeous the resort is!  Once my bags were in my room, I immediately found the Well & Being Spa and enjoyed their eucalyptus serenity room.  Ahhh… just what this ‘ol mom needed!  Went to bed early and woke up ready for some magic pixie dust!

The event started at 7:30 am and I ran into Leanne Jakubowski O’Regan, the Disney Parks Director of Social Media, waiting for a ride to the conference room outside my suite (yes, they upgraded my room – thank you Fairmont). I told her how impressed I was with how smoothly all the events went at the Disney Social Media Moms event and felt it was organized so well!  After I inquired about her organization skills, she filled me in that she is one of those super organized people and I told her I could tell – the event was really well done!  Some people are just like that – I aspire to be that organized!

Michele Himmelberg greeted us at the conference.  She’s the Public Relations Director at Disneyland Resort and spoke about Walt Disney’s legacy of inspiring others and reminded us to do the same with our work.  Inspiring women to go after their dreams is one of the main reasons why I created dandelion moms – a community that encourages women to go after their dreams – whatever they might be!  It was good to hear from a Disney executive that the work we are doing matters and to keep doing what we are doing!  She also talked about how Disneyland is celebrating it’s 60th anniversary and to make sure to check in on the Disney Parks Blog on July 17th at 10am PST for a sneak peek for exciting news!  You can follow @Disneyland and #Disneyland60 on Twitter.

Maria Bailey is a woman of all trades.  We featured her in our Inspirational Moms section as I am so impressed with the work she has done and has helped businesses see the value of moms and their influence.  She is one of the key people who tapped into this and has written several books about the influence that women have on family purchases such as trips, cars, homes, and daily/weekly purchases like food and clothing. I am sure you can attest to the role women play in what the family does and purchases!  She said something at the conference that really hit home.  “Wouldn’t you like to make money in your sleep.”  She talked about how as mom bloggers we write reviews for companies – why not create our own product and “make money in our sleep.”  I was inspired to keep moving forward with a product idea I have centered around my character Penelope the Purple Pirate! Thanks Maria!

We also heard from Erin Glover, the rather clever and adorable Social Media Director at Disneyland Resort and Disney Parks Blog writer/content producer.  She said that about 10% of their time is spent posting their content whereas 90% of their time is spent on planning, researching, and sharing.  She also spoke about the success of the DisneySide campaign which we participated in last fall.  Showing your DisneySide is all about what brings out the big kid in you.  I tweeted (@gopluto) her a picture of our family on Space Mountain where you could say we all were showing our Disney Side with silly faces!

 

Featured Mom Entrepreneur’s:

There were several successful moms featured as panelists and speakers.  Maria Bailey lead the panel of mom entrepenuers who are recipients of the Huggies Mom Inspired Grant Program.  It was truly inspiring to hear these moms speak about how their ideas started from scratch and they have gone on to have great success.  Please moms, if you have an idea you have been working on – make sure to check out the Huggies Mom Inspired Grant! You never know – you could be the next recipient (application process open until the end of September). I heard Romy Taormina, CEO of Psibands, speak at a Tory Johnson Spark & Hustle event and was really impressed with her product that helps relieve nausea in pregnant and cancer patients.  She talked about the importance of being kind to oneself.

Allyson Philips creator of Titly Cup showed us how perseverance can pay off.  She mentioned that she was finalizing a deal with a major company who wanted to license her Titly cups for their characters – talk about hitting the jackpot!  And I have seen Lisa Cash Hanson around the mom blogger scene and can tell she is quite the go-getter!  She created the SnuggWugg baby gear and spoke about the importance of having a good mentor.  I have heard this from other successful women who said that they owed a lot to their mentors.  I am all for women helping out other women in business! Lori Lorenz, Director of Marketing and Business Developer at HP shared with us all the cool features that HP printers offer – like their Two Smiles program that allows you to download a gift card onto a card you design on their site.  We have used this great gift idea on a couple occasions when we needed a last minute birthday or teacher gift.

Awesome Speakers:

One of my favorite speakers was Tracey Clark, a Photographer, Author and one of the three Disney Sisters, who shared a great presentation about Elevating the Everyday.  She fits the bill to a T about what it means to be a dandelion parent.  She really seems to embrace the magic in everyday that is present if only we open our hearts and eyes to it.  Her photography tips when using an iPhone – “because it levels the playing field and we most moms use their iPhones to take pictures of their life” – really made sense.  I was really intrigued with her suggestions such as to pay attention to the details like light (and shadows), and image placement.  She recommended to play around with taking pictures at different levels – she said she even hung from a chandelier at a wedding to get the shot she wanted.  We have an interview with her coming up so watch for it!

We heard from Nadine Bubeck who is a mom, wife, TV personality and author.  I found her story touching as she shared with us the challenges she faced in her younger years but persevered through them and believed that she could realize her dreams.   She listed 10 points when going after your dream job/business/product, etc.

1. Create goals – and write them down.

2. Know your industry

3. Don’t burn bridges – you never know when you might run into this person.

4. Embrace publicity and don’t say no to anyone who wants to feature you and your company.

5. Take pride in what you do.

6. Embrace public speaking

7. Have a tough skin – you will need it.

8. Be a self-promoter!

9. Be a risk-taker – what do you have to lose?

10. Be proud!

 

 

Swag

We received a photo of our favorite Disney Side moment that we sent in to the organizers of DisneyOTR and a box of HP Creative Photo paper. I am amazed at how great these photo’s come out. You can even get the HP app and print out a picture straight from your iPhone to your HP printer! I also got this really cool Disney pin.  I was so excited to receive this cool Trading Night Elsa Pin which I found out is a limited edition pin that has already been retired.  I received some other cool swag(see below) which I am giving away to a lucky dandelion mom.  Why not share the magical pixie dust!  Plus you gals are so cool!

 

 

Meet and Greet with Grumpy Cat!

Another favorite moment was meeting Grumpy Cat who has become quite famous in her (yes, Grumpy Cat is a she and name is Tarter Sauce) own right.  She attended the Disney Social Media Moms event but we were lucky enough to get a photo with her!  Here we are giving our best grumpy faces!

 

 

Photo Ops:

Prior to the event we were able to get dressed up in our favorite Disney characters and take some photo’s.  It was fun showing our Disney Side! And meeting other mom bloggers and putting faces to names.  My table was filled with Arizona mom bloggers and it was great talking with these supportive and cool women.

 

 

Disney Swag Giveaway!

This giveaway Mickey Mouse Expressions puzzle, one pack of HP Photo Creations, one MomTV ice cream measuring scooper, GoGo Squeez Apple Sauce pack, In the Raw Tote Bag, and one of the Disney Prints – winner can chose between the Snow White or Donald Duck print.  Good luck!

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