In case you missed it on The Southern C... I can't believe another Southern C Summit has come and gone. My Southern sabbatical in the Music City was exactly what I needed. I re-connected with summit alums, met some fabulous first timers, and gave my brain a creative reboot!
Pictured: (left) Me with Katherine Sandoz illustrator extraordinaire, Goo Goo Queen Beth Sachan; (right) my sweet mom, Lacey of Southern Swap, and Molly of Molly Jane Designs.
We kicked off the event in style at Mason’s Nashville in the Loews Vanderbilt Hotelwith specialty cocktails and small bites by chef Brandon Frohne. It was the perfect way to kick off the summit! I had a great time getting to know some 1st time attendees, and learning about their brands, blogs, and what they hoped to gain from attending.
TSCSummits start early and I am NOT a morning person. Thank goodness for Carey Morey of Callie’s Biscuits and The Fresh Market for providing breakfast for us! We warmed up with fresh coffee and tasty biscuits and got settled into the gorgeous venue, Ruby Nashville.
The original building (above) was the Blakemore Primitive Baptist Church built in 1945; below is the current Ruby venue.
Sales and social media master Ryan Dohrn started off the day with jam packed session full of important tips and hilarious analogies. As the social media coordinator for The Southern C Summit, live tweeting his sessions are exhausting...in the best way.
All of the speakers provided excellent info applicable to a variety of businesses. Gotta give it up for one of my fellow Athenians, Amy Flurry, for giving another motivating presentation alongside Recipe for Press grad Nan Myers of Firefly in Thomasville, Georgia. I recently purchased my very own pitch wheel and I’m so excited to put some of my ideas to work. Stay tuned!
Another standout session was the C-Team presentation with Libbie Summers of Salted and Styled, Holly Phillips of The English Room, and Cassie McConnell Kelley of Womanista. Their session was extremely relatable with a resounding piece of advice- be authentic. If you haven't checked out their blogs yet- you should!
Local food is an important centerpiece of every summit. We did it up right in Nashville! We had a local smorgasbord of goodies including Edley's BBQ, Chef's Market, The Southern, White Whale Mixers, and Cathead Vodka. And to top it all off, we had sweets treats provided by Schermer Pecans ,Epting Events, Grey Ghost Bakery, Husk Nashville and Olive and Sinclair Chocolate.
After a long day of learning we made our way to Cocktails and Conversations. The party bus was rockin,' drinks and apps were delicious, and the Southern Living Idea House was stunning. I even snuck a word with Southern Living's main man- Lindsay Bierman!
With three of these events under my belt a phrase comes to mind...No Rest For The Weary. I know it's traditionally a biblical quote, but to me it speaks to perseverance and tenacity. The Southern C Summit continues to bring together a unique group of attendees and speakers that inspire me to work harder and think outside the box. I'm so thankful to be a part of this exciting group of creative thinkers and doers.