10 Things You Might Need to *Know* About Allume (#Write31Days)

Day 6/ 31

 10 Things You Might Need to Know About Allume.

But a couple of first things first, What is Allume?  Allume is a community of writers and bloggers that seek to love God and others while allowing His light to shine out through them and into their spheres of influence. The Allume Conference  is an incredible conference within that community which is currently in it’s FIFTH year running. If you have ever wondered how to grow practically and spiritually in the world of blogging, please do yourself a favor and check it out for next year!

1. You DO Belong. Period. Whether you have been blogging for five years and have 2K followers, or you have just written your first blog post and your mom really loved it– there is no standard of “who you have to be” in this community. So just get that out of your head, pronto. If God has called you to write– and the chances of that are pretty good,  if you feel pulled to attend Allume– then just know HE will equip you, and don’t waste time comparing yourself to others. Everyone is 100% welcome.

2. The food and coffee are amazing. (Definitely not typical conference fare.) The meals are always a real treat and the perfect opportunity to make new friends. If you arrive early to a meal and do not have a “spot.” Find a table and sit down and then invite others to join you. Everyone is looking for a welcoming face. I know I was last year.

3. The speakers are all excellent. Between the Keynote sessions, the break-outs and the late night chats, you will be filled to the brim by the end of the first day. Take notes and give yourself time to process. I like to try to schedule an afternoon (or morning) by myself a few days after I return to “download” all of my notes and process a bit.

4. Make a loose plan and be flexible. With many great sessions available, go into the weekend prayerfully and willing to be led in a different direction. One of the most important sessions I went to last year was not one I originally planned to attend.

5. Save ROOM in your suitcase! There is a FUN gift bag for all attendees, and you definitely want to have space if you are flying. Also, there are some fabulous vendors present at Allume and some of them usually have conference specials– not to mention all the books!!!

6. Bring clothes and shoes that you feel good in. Layers are a great idea; the conference rooms can be pretty cool.

7. Business Cards. Most people bring business cards– just with your basic contact info, web address and social media handles. I like to include a photo, it really helps remember who was who after conference time.

8. Visit the prayer room. There will be a room set aside for prayer and quiet during the entire conference. Withdraw when you need to.

9. Be Fair and grant Grace. Last year there were 450ish people in attendance. Know that even with name tags, everyone will be making an effort to remember those they know both “online” and in real life. When you happen to bump into that blogger whom you “know” and interact with on FB, twitter, instagram, etc and she doesn’t have a clue who you are at first– be GRACIOUS. It can be tough making so many connections at once with what you know from a 1-inch avatar and who is right in front of you. Remember that even the writer with several books to their name is equally HUMAN and may not be able to make immediate connections. Just a humble plea for grace for all of us. For ourselves, and for others. 

10. There is an #Allume Twitter party, tomorrow night at 9:00PM EST!!! Please join in! (Haven’t taken part in a Twitter Party before? Consider using TweetChat or TweetDeck to make it easy to follow #allume.

Want more? Here is my Allume recap post from 2013.