The first day of the Savvy Blogging Summit was such a great experience, but Day Two definitely topped it!

They provided breakfast before things kicked off, and then at 9am I had a “Mentoring Session”. We were broken up into small groups of 4-5 people for an hour, which was a random selection to encourage meeting new people.

That was A LOT of fun.
We brainstormed, shared resources and discussed blogging strategies.

Next on my agenda was a scheduled “Work Break” (cool!). Tom Brownsword (@thebizprotector) and I decided to grab an iced coffee and do our work out on the patio. The day was just too beautiful not to enjoy!

Before we got started on our work, Tom and I were talking about the quality of this event – and how we’re both impressed with the organization, the content and the atmosphere here…

Every single person has been a joy to meet. There’s a genuine interest in getting to know each other, sharing ideas & resources, making introductions, and just having coffee and conversation even. Outside of the very few people here that I know, I’m a total stranger to this group. But I certainly haven’t felt like one.

And it’s not just the other attendees, but the sponsors and speakers as well. Several of them made it a point to find me after a session where I’d asked questions, and offer a resource or a more detailed answer in the hallway. There’s definitely an “atmosphere” to this event like none other I’ve experienced…

The Venue & Agenda

Unlike most events, they have given us plenty of leisure time to enjoy the beautiful weather & scenery here!

We have extra breaks, long lunches, outdoor evening meals & events, etc.

It has been FABULOUS

And the Cheyenne Mountain Resort…

Wow. Just wow.

The Monetization & Productivity Expo

Just before lunch I went into the Monetization & Productivity Expo, which was a room set up to mingle with the sponsors and companies. It was similar to a typical expo, but much more casual and conversational.

We were separated into smaller groups to access the Expo, which gave you a lot more one-on-one time with people you wanted to speak with. Again, incredibly well organized. I was able to sign up to affiliate programs on the spot, got some cool swag, and learned a lot more about the companies that are here.

After, we enjoyed a long lunch – and then another iced coffee on the back terrace before heading in for the afternoon sessions.

Phil Hollows kicked it off with a session on Email Marketing…

Phil is SO COOL in person, by the way. He’s funny, engaging, smart – and his presentation was full of actionable tips (just like his guide).

He talked about email engagement, list growth, social media integration, subject line hints & tips, branding and design, and much more. And he gave away t-shirts.

Next was the Search Engine Optimization Session with Troy Lerner

This was actually a very in-depth session, which surprised me. I expected it to be more basic for some reason. Troy was right on target – accurate information, great stats and detailed how-to information with *proof*.

He gave detailed how-to information, lots of resources, and live examples. He showed us what to look at in Google Analytics, how to use Google Trends, talked about Mobile Search stats and what type of keyword phrases to target for mobile searchers. It was an excellent presentation.

At one point he used the term “share-bait” (a play on linkbait), which I liked. Great tips for increasing your rankings through social media…

The closing session started off with the “Savvy Blogger’s Husbands” on a panel, answering funny questions about their blogging wives.

THAT was funny. LOL.

They ended the event with a Dinner & Tour outing at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was a higher altitude (and the end of several long days in a row) so several of us stayed behind and enjoyed a quiet evening on the Terrace.

The attendees at this event truly are “Savvy Bloggers”

They are not newbies or hobbyists, but very smart & talented bloggers. The content was a great match for the demographic. It was advanced, high quality how-to content. But not over-your-head.

There were no pitches. Even the sponsors and merchants were more interested in helping us than “selling us”. Everything was geared toward growing blogs and growing businesses, from the content to the networking – and even the companies that came to mingle with the bloggers.

The content was GOOD. The perfect mix of topics, on the right level, with plenty of time to implement & network in the event schedule. Truly amazing. Hands down the best event I’ve been to this year (and in awhile, to be honest)…

Best,

p.s. You can get recordings from last years event, and you can also watch that page for recordings of the 2011 Savvy Blogging Summit event as well.

The Summit Sale ends on July 23. The discount code is “TheSprings”. All 2010 recordings will be 50% off plus if you get the recordings during the sale you’ll receive a free recording of Phil Hollow’s 2011 Email Marketing session.