Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the RewardStyle conference. (You probably saw it referred to as #rsthecon on Instagram.) I’m excited to give you all the low down on the conference! Today I am sharing a recap and the schedule and tomorrow you’ll see what I learned and some tips to follow if you’re attending.
So.. this may not interest you if you aren’t an influencer. If that’s the case, sorry! But if you ARE in the industry then I hope this is helpful—especially if you are interested in attending in the future. Annnd it is a super fun weekend so if you’re just an inquiring mind that wants to see behind the scenes then this may be a fun post for you too!
RewardStyle is the parent company to LIKEtoKNOW.it which is how you all are able to see all my looks and shop them via Instagram. They are headquartered in Dallas and host a conference to gather the top 200 influencers each year. It is an invite-only event and the opportunity to attend is based on performance. This year the conference was at Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas.
This is the third year I have attended and each time I feel incredibly lucky to be around such amazing influencers, leaders in the blogging industry and great brands. RewardStyle designs the conference so it is a mix between educational time + social time. And let me tell you, the parties do not disappoint!
RewardStyle Conference Schedule
It may be totally different in the future, but this is what it was laid out like this year.
THU
- Mingle in the lobby and check-in. Get your schedule, badge and conference materials.
- Grab a glass of bubbly and walk around the brand hall to greet the brands that are attending the conference. (The brand hall is where each brand will all have a booth set up with a representative.)
- Attend the kick off party. This is sponsored by a brand (this year Supergoop threw the party–there were synchronized swimmers!) and it is usually up on the pool deck.
FRI
- Grab some breakfast and coffee in the lobby.
- Gather to listen to speakers. Everyone attends this and it is super exciting to see so many talented people all together! A lot goes down during a couple of hours so I am going to break it down for you all..
- They give a recap of what is going on at RewardStyle and let you know what is new or what is in the works for the future! This year Amber Venz Box spoke to us to kick off the day. She touched on things like lifespan and stages of an app and how technology impacts our business.
- She was followed by a panel of brand representatives–Express, Supergoop + Urban Outfitters. They answered questions regarding collaborating with influencers. Things like what they look for in an influencer before choosing to work with them and why they value the RewardStyle campaigns were covered.
- After, Aimee Song spoke about her impressive career as the creator behind Song of Style. She was candid and honest and relatable. I am a huge fan of hers!
- And then we got to hear from Kendra Scott about how she started her jewelry line. Kendra went from being an average mom with a box of handmade baubles to an impressive business woman with a wildly successful company. She stressed how they focus on family, fashion + philanthropy.
- Lastly–we heard from RewardStyle about the launch of the LIKEtoKNOW.it app for android (it is available for download now!) and the new wishlist feature. You can now add items that you are interested in going back to shop to this tab in your app. It is genius–I will expand on this in a later post!
- Take a lunch break. This year Banana Republic sponsored a gorgeous lunch for us in the courtyard of the hotel. We tried on hats from their summer line, refueled and finished with mini chocolate covered bananas.
- After, you may have meetings with brands or a classroom session. These schedules and times vary for each influencer. The meetings with brands are a quick 10-15 minute chat and the classroom sessions are on a dedicated topic taught by an influencer.
- Head to the cocktail party in the evening! This year it was hosted by Express. It was a super fun night where they transformed the courtyard area of the hotel into a giant, upscale fiesta! There were huge, colorful paper streamers hanging up all above us!
SAT
- Your schedule will contain more meetings with brands and classroom sessions. As I mentioned before, these will vary between each person.
- In between those, you should make time to go back to the brand hall and speak to everyone. It is a great way to get face time with the brands and form a relationship. It is also where you will snag lots of goodies! My suitcase weighed 25 pounds more on the way home because of all the gifted items. No joke!
- Attend lunch. This year Sole Society hosted. There were gorgeous flowers along all the tables and someone doing sketches of us with the new products!
- Gear up for the finale party later that night! This is the biggest and the best party! rS really knows how to do it right! This year the party was at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and we danced the entire night away with the live band and dancing performers who had light up laser suits on! My feet are still a little sore. Seriously.
SUN
- Pack up and head home because the conference is o-v-e-r!
So, all in all, it is a extremely busy weekend! This year Ethan attended the conference with me. He took all my photos and also shot for other bloggers. It was really nice to have him to come back to the room to at night for a break and we were able to sneak off early each morning and try a new (to us) Dallas coffee shop. He is my favorite travel partner so this was a treat! However, it was still sooo nice to come home and settle back in on Sunday afternoon.
If you are still interested to know even more about the conference you should read my posts from last year. There are three of them and they can be found here.
Stay tuned because tomorrow I am going to share some specific things that I learned at the conference as well as some tips I have for you to follow if you are planning to attend! Happy Friday Eve!
