10 Aug, 2010
BlogHer10: swag and stuff
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Oh! Things!|Publishing/writing/career stuff
This is a continuation of yesterday’s post.
One of the other reasons I wasn’t planning on going to BlogHer was the swag. Seriously. I remember reading about it last year and the whole thing left a very sour taste in my mouth; the stories of women shoving each other for jars of spaghetti sauce (or whatever it was) were just too depressing and I didn’t want any part of it.
I’m a jaded swag recipient. Part of this comes from the fact that our house is tiny and I am trying to be more mindful of the amount of stuff that comes in here. Part of it is that I’m not under any illusions about why companies link up with BlogHer. They want to sell us stuff. End of story. They’re not reeeeally there to support women in blogging, they’re there to showcase their latest products.
So it was with mixed feelings that I wandered around the Expo Halls. I appreciated the fact that this part of the conference was totally seperate from the actual session. I thought that was a good move. There were two floors of conference sponsors. It looked exactly like a trade show (if you’ve ever been to one of those) except this one was very targeted to women… it had a disproportionate amount of booths devoted to cleaners and domestic duties and stereotypical things that would seem to appeal to women.
McDonald’s used its booth to introduce oatmeal to its fast food menu. The old clown was there himself, which I found kind of creepy. We are grown woman, after all, and the appeal level here is a big zero. (I was tempted to take a photo but chickened out.)
WalMart was there with some kind of “green” display – I’m not entirely sure what it was because I didn’t spend a lot of time there. But it is clear that they’re working hard to change their image of one of corporate greed to “caring” for the world. (Just in time too, now that surveys show that WalMart shoppers have a growing concern for the environment.) They are wolves in sheep’s clothing, really. I probably had the most trouble with WalMart’s link to BlogHer, especially given their business practices. (We’ve been boycotting WalMart for years. There is a great PBS Frontline documentary that should be required viewing for all, so if you feel like calling me out on this issue please watch the documentary in its entirety before doing so.)
Anyway, I’m getting off topic. I’m not keen on swag and sponsorship but I do understand that it is necessary. BlogHer could not be what it is today without sponsors, and I totally appreciate that fact. The cost of admission has stayed low. Many meals were included. The hotel costs were inexpensive for NY standards. This is all possible thanks to all the businesses that were there.
Many companies gave out promotional material. Some of it was great, other was less great. Before leaving for the conference everyone was advised to bring an empty duffel bag. I did so, not knowing how I could possibly fill it up with free stuff. But I did. And I didn’t even get/win a lot of extra stuff. People came away with much more than I did. Gah. You should have seen the swag exchange room. It was depressing. All told, I had some pretty basic swag: food storage containers, a Mrs. Potato Head, Playdoh, USB keys, electric toothbrushes/toothpaste, granola bars, gum, ear buds, a neck pillow, kitchen cleaning stuff, and I can’t even remember what else… but I had a duffel full of it.
When combined with the stuff I BOUGHT it made for quite a trip home. I declared $350 worth of purchases. I had receipts for $250 of it. The customs guy sneered, and asked me if that $350 included the stuff I got at the conference. I was honest and said it didn’t. He said I should have – and implied I was an idiot – and that this was my opportunity to change my total, and so I did. I crossed out $350 and replaced it with $400. And he wrote something on the back of my card and I was done for.
I was taken out of the next line and directed to stand in another – crazy really, considering that other people I knew were going home with WAY more swag than I was. The other customs guy was an older Asian man.
You looked scared, he said gently, jokingly, as I approached. (So much for my poker face eh?) No, I said, it’s just been a very very long day so far. He asked me what I bought. I showed him the long receipt for $250 (it was from Anthropologie) and a small bag of stuff I bought at the MOMA store, which was worth roughly $100. He looked at me questioningly. I think the issue with with this bag, I said pointing down at it.
Is that full of stuff you bought? he asked. No, it’s got stuff from the conference I went to. I unzipped it and showed him all the crap I had. I happened to open it to reveal a coffee mug and a kitchen sponge (I kid you not) and showed him the PlayDoh at the bottom of the bag. How do you attach a value to a sample of teeth whitening strips? Were you at the blogging conference too, he asked. Yes I was. He sighed. Ok. Go.
I awkwardly bundled everything back together and went on my way.
I didn’t really have that much time to shop while I was in NYC. I poked around the MOMA store for a good long time and could have spent mucho dinero there. I picked up some things for the girls including a wonderful paper animal kit which the girls played with for a few hours yesterday. (It is utterly beautiful, and for some reason it’s not showing up in on the MOMA website but it’s over here too.) I also bought Emma these paper robots and a windup toy that shoots sparks.
Julie and I could have spent all day at Anthropologie. It was totally overwhelming. I spent a good chunk of time in the housewares section and bought BEAUTIFUL THINGS I ALREADY HAVE. Like, um, an apron, measuring cups, measuring spoons, and dishtowels. Fer chrissakes. I didn’t need any of those things, but I couldn’t leave them there. They were calling to me!
I also discovered the Swatch store in Times Square and bought a ring – suitably titled Love Explosion. It is jingly and fun and I love it to bits. (Here it is. I got a blue one.)
I also bought Mark and I an anniversary gift (it was on the 7th, while I was away). A tin birdhouse. Behold:
That’s about it for the stuff I brought home. Phew. Next up: photos from NYC!
