Southern C In Review

Since I am borderline crazy, I decided it would be a good idea to attend not one but two social media conferences in the course of a week. If you've ever attended a conference before, you know just how exhilarating and exhausting they can be. However, as a girl who never shies away from a challenge, I decided I could handle it. 

Exactly one week after leaving for Palm Springs, I left for Sea Island to attend the Southern C Summit with my neighbor & jewelry designer, Paige. Southern C is a conference for female entrepreneurs. While men definitely attend, the great part about the conference is that it's geared towards women and run by women which means that everywhere you turn, there's something gorgeous to look at - whether it's the locations, the food, or the swag.  Everything was stunning. 

Since I gave a full review of Alt Summit, I thought I would do the same for Southern C. This conference could be beneficial for just about any sort of entrepreneur you can think of: real estate, creative business, bakery...anyone and everyone is welcome! 

Travel:

Thank you sweet baby Jesus for easy travel to and from Southern C. Since the Summit was held at Sea Island, it was just a quickish road trip to the coast. We made it down without any big issues, and it was so nice not to have to cram everything into a tiny carryon suitcase. We definitely made the most of Paige's trunk! Since so many of the entrepreneurs come from the South, I think this is a great location for the Summit. Win!

Setting:

I definitely can't complain too much about a trip to Sea Island in February, so I won't. Sea Island proved to be a wonderful setting for the Summit. It was picturesque and perfectly walkable. I will say that since it was off season, something seemed to be a little off about the service. When I've been to Sea Island in the past, I was completely awestruck by how amazing the service was. This trip...not so much. Many of the restaurants were closed, and the resort seemed understaffed and overcommitted. 

Speakers:

I loved loved loved the speakers at Southern C. All of them gave valuable information and put a very human touch on being in the business. Of course, I enjoyed hearing from my friend Mandy and my now crush, Gray Malin. Ironically, I had just seen Darcy Miller at Alt just a few days before, and her presentation was the exact same. Now, I am probably the only person in the entire room who happened to be at both conferences besides Darcy herself, but I would have liked a different perspective. 

Content:

The big takeaways from Southern C were vastly different than the ones at Alt. Of course both conferences really honed-in on the value of social media (specifically Pinterest), but what I enjoyed about Southern C was the way that it really felt like we were all in it together - these huge brands got on our level and spoke about their humble beginnings. I loved that. It's such a misconception that everyone starts big or everyone has it all figured out. To hear these huge brands and bloggers say otherwise was incredibly comforting. I do wish there had been more time for one-on-one or small group conversations. Southern C is very much a "large group" setting. There are tons of circular tables with 8-10 chairs at them which is perfect for conversation...except there was never any time to chat. In the future, I would love to see breaks between speaker sessions for people to discuss what they're learning or ask questions.

Parties:

Since we didn't stay at Southern C for the entire conference, we only got to enjoy one of the parties. It was well done, and I enjoyed the circular tables that allowed everyone to have conversation. Conversation is huge for me, especially at conferences, and I always prefer an intimate setting. The party featured a spread of oysters and shrimp for happy hour with BBQ indoors. It was fun and easy. 

Networking (aka. friends):

Since Paige had been to the conference before, she already knew several people attending. I also knew a few people attending, so it was fun to be surrounded by old friends and new ones. I loved bumping into bloggers and other friends as we made our way throughout the conference. Plus, there were a lot of opportunities to meet new people. My favorite part of networking was the Southern C app. It made it so easy to connect and get to know people before we got there, plus it made it easy to find friends you met in passing again. The app is fabulous, and I hope other conferences jump on board with a conference-specific app in the future. Great idea and execution! 

Final Thoughts: 

I would without a doubt attend Southern C again. In fact, I think I might attend every event they have. Not only was it completely in my wheelhouse, but I felt like the value was unmatched. Everything seemed organized, planned, and executed well. If you're in the South and have a business, no matter what it is, plan to attend!