The Charleston Sessions – A Winning Weekend

The First2Board Bloggers met in Charleston, South Carolina, for the first, of what will continue to be, a series of sessions relating to the field of blogging, social media, and the sharing of ideas. Many of the First2board bloggers also presented including Frugal Travel Lawyer, PointsSummary,  Indulge the Wonderlust and Deal Mommy. TheMrPickles spoke about Living The Mr. Pickles Life and Rick Ingersol, Frugal Travel Guy, discussed the changes that have occurred in the blogging world over the past few years. He also went on to share his new charity,  Our Chance to Give.

We stayed at the Aloft, Charleston Airport, a Starwood property that was just the perfect location – close enough to the airport for some serious planespotting and just a short drive to the city.

The Friday Sessions were attended by the blogging group alone while Saturday included other participants who share a passion for travel. It was an incredible experience, not only because of the opportunity to gather together collectively as a group, but also because of the topics covered, the restaurants visited during Charleston’s famed Restaurant Week, and an exciting raffle and other giveaways held on the last day.

Stacey, of Very Good Points, Tweeted last week that she had managed to find some incredible deals at her local Staples store.

It seems that Staples will no longer be selling luggage and was having a fantastic close out sale. I checked at my local store, but they didn’t carry luggage at all.  I was a bit disappointed at not finding one locally because my suitcase had been damaged on my last trip and ended its days being donated to our local SPCA thrift shop.

However, in order to share her great finds, she decided to include the Tumi T-Tech 22” Carry On and two Tumi Ballistic Snap-on iPad covers in the final raffle.

 

As with any raffle, there is always that moment right before a ticket is drawn that a little inner voice is saying “Pick me, pick me”.  I couldn’t believe that the name she announced for the suitcase…..was mine!

 

 

So, in addition to learning so much more this past week-end about my fellow bloggers, honing technical skills with WordPress and social media, and enjoying some of the finest cuisine in the country, I also came home with an incredible new suitcase. (If you are interested in Tumi luggage, you can often find great deals at eBags.)

Thanks Stacey and First2Board! This little treasure will come in very handy for my upcoming trip travels!

 

Have you ever won something while attending a conference?