What is Beaches Moms Social Media on the Sand?

Just little over a week ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Beaches Moms Social Media on the Sand Conference. You may have seen me hashtagging #BeachesMoms and #SocialMediaonTheSand and wondered what exactly I was doing and how I got to do it (broken foot, and all)!

I thought it would be fun to write a little behind-the-scenes type of blog post today and share about this recent adventure to Beaches Turks and Caicos. I’ll be breaking this up into a few blog posts – the conference, my outfits, and the trip experience as a whole. I’m really excited to recap it all!

As a blogger and influencer, I am always wanting to learn, network, and experience amazing adventures. When a top-notch brand is involved, it’s the icing on the cake. Enter Beaches Moms Social Media on the Sand.

What is Beaches Moms Social Media on the Sand?

Beaches Moms Social Media on the Sand is an invite-only conference for influencers, marketers, media, and blogging professionals held at a fabulous Beaches Resort. The conference is geared towards digital influencers with an incredible speaker lineup to educate and inspire. Attendees will pay a deeply discounted rate that covers their stay and conference attendance plus their airfare to attend.

The entire event this year was four nights, with one of those days being the official conference day. During the rest of our stay, the #BeachesMoms team planned various events and opportunities for the attendees. We were also given ample time to enjoy the resort, relax, and choose our own adventures.

Basically, it’s an amazing work trip at a beautiful location filled with fun, adventure, learning opportunities, and networking.

Attendees can bring families so everyone can benefit from the trip! It wasn’t in the budget for us to bring everyone, so my best travel buddy Katie and I went together. There were a lot of other “single” moms on the trip and we had the best time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpGLnTPnxHE/

How do I join in on the fun?

You can apply to be considered for the conference. I was sent an email from the team asking me to apply in early March (I guess that meant they wanted me to come?) and was invited to attend in early April. If you aren’t asked to apply, no sweat! They have a place on their website you can click on to apply. Next year’s application process hasn’t begun yet – keep an eye out for that.

Special Touches

What made this trip extra special was all of the amazing touches the #BeachesMoms team did throughout our stay. We would get little gifts in our rooms each night, and everyone was so organized and helpful.

I also found it particularly amazing that they were so accommodating towards me after my injury (I broke my foot only two days before arriving). They were able to get me on a first-floor room and made sure that I was taken care of during my stay. That meant a lot to me!

One other thing I loved is that they brought DryBar to the resort and we could schedule a time slot to get our hair styled. Genius! Just check out my luscious locks…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpI0nUzH0w4/

Lastly, attendees were given the opportunity to partake in an interactive experience around the resort. There was cocktail mixing, facial massages at the spa, sushi rolling, sandcastle making, and so much more! I was scheduled to try SNUBA, which is like snorkeling but with a long tube attached to a raft at the water’s surface. But, again, since my injury, I had to sit out.

Sponsors and Swag

Like other conferences I’ve been to, there sponsors for the event. Beaches Moms was no exception, and the sponsors were incredibly generous and involved in the whole conference.

I thought it was particularly unique that the sponsors took the time to connect with all of the attendees at a special event called the “Swag Bungalow” instead of throwing us a big bag of swag when we arrive. In the swag bungalow, attendees got to go from booth to booth and talk to sponsors and receive gifts. It was really neat! And let me just say, the gifting was insane.

Events during our stay

Aside from the conference day, the #BeachesMoms team planned a slew of top-notch events throughout our stay. Seriously, no expense was spared. We felt like legit celebrities! These events were for attendees and their families.

The first night we were taken out on a sunset catamaran cruise. Breathtaking views, a killer DJ, lots of snacks and booze, and so much fun.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpDf_uMnZB_/

The second night, they had a Mad Hatter after party. I thought the first night was unbeatable, but they seemed to top it with this next-level party. There were dancers with light up wings, the Queen of Hearts walking around on stilts, the most impressive dessert spread I’ve ever seen, body art, hats for all, a photo booth, dancers, a DJ, and more.

The third night they held a Sesame Street parade and beach party. I did not attend this because it would have been hard to navigate with my foot, but I saw lots of pictures and videos and it looked like so much fun!

The final party was out of this world. I thought they surely could not top that Mad Hatter party, but they totally did. Somehow. We kept sarcastically saying, “They really keep things super low key around here.”

They threw us a Floatoapia party (sponsored by one of my favorite brands, Spin Master!). It was legitimately the most insane pool party I’ve ever been to. There must have been about 100 floats in that pool. They had fly dancers, a mermaid, King Triton dancing on the side, a buffet, a drone flying around, drinks (waitresses walking around IN the pool serving drinks), swag, and they even brought in a boy band! No joke. A new band called In Real Life performed for us while we floated around! Oh yeah, the Sesame Street crew even came by and danced.

Now the real question is… how in the world will we ever top THAT party?

What is Conference Day Like at Social Media on the Sand?

Like I mentioned before, one day of the trip is dedicated as the conference day. The Beaches Moms team assembled an impressive lineup of speakers. It was truly an honor to be in the presence of so many great figures, celebrities, and entrepreneurs.

The conference included inspirational moments along with education moments. I left feeling inspired and motivated to continue to work on my own slice of the internet.

This year’s speakers included:

• Maria Bailey, CEO of BSM Media
• Debbie-Ann White, SVP of Public Relations at Unique Vacations, Inc.
• Sam Champion, retired weather anchor from Good Morning America and The Weather Channel
• Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals, Intl.
• Holly Robinson Peete, actress and autism advocate
• Alli Webb, owner of Dry Bar
• Rebecca Minkoff
• Corrine Travis, CJ Affiliate
• Michelle Vincent, Facebook Industry Manager
• Kristin Castillo, VP of Strategy at Trendera

After the main portion of the day, we were able to break out into little “cabana chats.” These took place literally in cabanas along the ocean. Amazing! My favorite cabana chat was with Julie Cole, who is the owner of Mabel’s Labels. She is a gem and a breath of fresh air.

Overall…

This experience was totally worth doing. I met so many great people, felt inspired, and got treated like freakin’ royalty the entire time I was there. I must say, a lot of that had to do with the fact that I was at Beaches Resorts Turks and Caicos, but it also was the conference team that put on a stellar event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpOJmWRHGNn/

Can we go back now?

Beaches Turks & Caicos Travel Vlog

I’ll leave you with this video I made documenting the trip to Beaches Turks and Caicos!

Stay tuned for more – as I go into more details about the Beaches Resort and everything I loved about it!