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Another Haven High: Haven Blog Conference 2013!

August 7, 2013 By Rhoda 59 Comments

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Last year’s Haven was fantastic, but this year was I daresay, twice as good.  Maybe 3 times as good!  The Haven team really knocked it out of the park this time and we couldn’t be happier.  If you had told me 2 years ago when I sat and dreamed about pulling a conference like this together that we would be so successful 2 years down the road, I wouldn’t have even believed it.  This conference was needed among the DIY/home blogger niche and from the response this year from new bloggers, it was a hit.  All I saw the entire 2 days was smiling faces and happy people.  And that makes me happy!

We had a wonderful assortment of sponsors this year and I think all of them were happy too.  It’s so fun to bring a group this size together, all talking about home improvement and making their homes better.  Along with the blogging classes too, there was so much to absorb and take in. I did get go hop around to classes this year to sit in on the speakers and hear a bit of the topics myself and I learned a bunch from the SEO class.  None of us know it all, that is for sure!                                                Presidential suite

There’s definitely something fun about staying in a swanky hotel and living it up for a few days. The Haven team crashed in the Presidential suite on the 22nd floor of the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead and boy, was that a treat.  This 2 bedroom suite was about 2500 s.f. according to the facts online and 4 of us were in this suite with the other 2 team members just next door in another luxurious suite as well.  Our suite became party central for all our friends at night and we didn’t get to bed before 1 or 1:30 every single night. You can imagine how it would be to meet up with your friends you don’t get to see that often and catch up after hours.  There just weren’t enough hours in the days to do it all.  But, we tried.  We really tried!

bath in suite

This large bathroom, with huge walk-in closet was nice to have.

bathtub Presidential suite

Check out the jetted tub which was so swanky, but we didn’t even have time for a soak.  The rain shower was certainly a treat though.

bedroom suite

The huge master suite that Kristin and I shared.

TV in suite

We even did a few little personalization to each attendee’s TV in the rooms with Haven welcome.

view of downtown ATL

The view overlooking Buckhead and towards downtown in Atlanta.

Haven Team

I just love our Haven team.  We are 6 now and I appreciate their willingness to work hard for Haven’s sake.  Beth, Chris and me on the front row and Traci and Sarah behind us. We all work together to pull off something of this magnitude.  My right hand girl, Kristin, also in Atlanta,  isn’t in this pic, but we really couldn’t do it without her. She’s has the brains with her event planning skills and working with the hotel and sponsors to get everything set up just right.  She makes Haven look great!

Homes party

We started Haven with a fun cocktail party on Thursday evening, hosted by Homes.com and ForRent.com.  They are super sponsors of ours and have supported us in this endeavor for 2 years in a row.

outdoor terrace

The Grand Hyatt has a beautiful terrace with Japanese garden up about 3 floors with a beautiful view of the Buckhead skyline and we lucked out with gorgeous weather that evening. It wasn’t even stifling hot as it normally is in August.

two terraces

There are 2 terraces across from each other and the garden connects them.  Such a beautiful setting for an outdoor party.

flowers at party

We got a few decorations together in preparation for all the attendees coming in that evening.

more attendees

Then they all arrived to cocktails, appetizers and lots of talking and chatting it up.  It was so fun to hear the buzz of excitement in the air.

Haven attendees

Haven is a very exciting conference and you can literally feel the energy when everyone arrives.

Rhoda Katie Sherry

Me, Katie Bower and Sherry from Young House Love catching up at the cocktail party. These ladies spoke at a session on Friday and they are two funny girls.

Kristin Emily

Kristin and Emily. There was SO much stinkin’ talent at Haven this year.

Chris Sarah Katie

Chris, Sarah and Katie.

Cassity Marian

Cassity and Marian.

more party goers

Everywhere I looked there were smiling faces and lots of chattering. You can imagine how much talking was going on with almost 350 women in attendance.  A handful of men find their way to Haven too, with a few husbands tagging along with their wives.

Rhoda Chris Sarah Lindsey

Me, Chris, Sarah and Linsdsay.

Traci Cyndi Richella

Traci, Cyndi, and Richella. Love these three ladies!

Kari

Jessica and Kari

Cassity Gina Shauna Wendy Marian

Cassity, Gina, Shauna, Wendy and Marian.  These girls are all good blog friends of mine.

Home Depot

We had The Home Depot once again as our top sponsor and we’re so happy they are on board with us here in Atlanta.

Southern Accents

I missed taking pics of many of the sponsor booths, but here are a few.  Southern Accents in Cullman, AL brought their rustic stuff over for their booth space and it was a big hit among our attendees.

Homeright booth

Homeright was also there.

Kreg booth

Kreg Tools is another sponsor back for the second year.

onlinefabrics

These ladies had awesome swag bag products, Online Fabric Store.

Purebond

Purebond was back again.

Royal Design booth

Royal Design Studio was rocking it once again.

Ryobi Nation

The Ryobi booth was very popular and they threw a fantastic party for attendees and gave out tons of free products.

Simpson Strong tie

Simpson Strong Tie was represented.

3M booth

3M had several of their brands represented and also gave out lots of freebies.

Cottonelle

 Cottonelle took over the bathrooms with their products.

Duluth booth

Duluth Trading Company had some wonderful shirts to hand out to all.  That was fun!

Frogtape

FrogTape (one of my personal faves) had plenty to share too.

GMC booth

This year, GMC stepped in as a big sponsor too and even brought in one of their fab SUV’s right into the show.  They do some awesome things with Habitat and sent bloggers out on the longest yardsale again this year.  Fun stuff!

Haven banner

Haven was hopping this year and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

set up for keynote

We got things set up for the opening session and it was a sight to behold, this huge ballroom filled with wonderful sponsors.

Haven stage

We had Ana White as our keynote speaker this year and she was fantastic and so inspiring.

Haven grand ballroom

It was fun to see this place fill up with smiling faces.  I didn’t get to take pics during the opening session, but imagine these seats all filled up.

Mocha my day

We also had Mocha My Day back for coffee service.  It was so nice to have coffee going all day long. We all needed the extra energy.

wood trim class Sandra

This year, I was able to pop in a few classes and see what all was going on.  We had several hands on DIY classes as well as lots of blogging classes too.  Something for everyone!  This is Sandra, doing her thing with power tools.

trying out nail gun

This class got to try out some awesome products by Ryobi for hands on DIY.

giant chalkboard

Southern Accents brought in a fun chalkboard and everyone signed their names.

Ballard designs setup

One of our other big sponsors, who were so much fun was Ballard Designs.  They supplied our gift bags this year and sponsored our living room. They brought in all their beautiful furniture and had it set up as a living room setting, where all could lounge and relax.  That was such a treat!

Ballard designs room set up

Such a beautiful setting too.

fresh flowers

Complete with fresh flowers.

Haven ball room

It took a team to get everything set up after the opening session and we all pitched in to get things going.

bookcase challenge

Ballards also sponsored a bookcase challenge both days, with 3 teams competing for Ballard bucks.  It was so fun to watch and I was a team leader on both days.

t

They had lots of fun Ballard Designs accessories to choose from.

bookcase challenge finished

And each team had about 15 minutes to complete their bookcases.

my team bookchase challenge

This was my team the first day and they ended up winning their challenge.  It was really pretty.

my team bookcase challenge

And this is my team on Day #2.  I don’t have all their names, but they were fun to watch.

rhoda lisa

My friend, Lisa Mowry, was there speaking on behalf of working with magazines.

Haven friends

Wendy, Aly, Stacy, Cassity, and Marianne.

Haven DIY gang

I’m not going to name all of these bloggers, but they are all dear friends of mine. We have so much fun getting together in the same city and we stayed up way too late chatting into the night.

Vicki and Haven people

These ladies were chatting with one of my dear friends, Vicki (on the right) who came to help us out by volunteering.

high school friends

It’s funny, but me, Vicki and another attendee, Barbara, all graduated from Sprayberry High School together and I hate to even say the year.  Ughhh, it was a long time ago!

Haven attendees (2)

These ladies were all smiling and enjoying Haven too.  So sorry not to get all the names straight on here, but it was a busy time.

Jade Rhoda Kelly

Jaderbomb, me, and Kelly.

Rustoleum party

Rustoleum, another of our fab sponsors, hosted a wonderful cocktail party the 2nd night. It was so pretty!

Sherry Young House Love

The ever-funny Sherry from Young House Love had a little fun with the cheese burgers.

That’s about all the pics I got, but wow, was it ever a fabulous conference.  We loved planning it and we loved how it all turned out.  I’m so, so grateful to have the opportunity to start this event and to keep it going for another year or so.  We really feel that it’s a super thing to do for the home/DIY community of bloggers and that it is needed and useful and that’s why we are doing it. To bring together all of these wonderful bloggers and fabulous brands together is a magical thing.

Everyone wins!  When I look back 2 years ago when I came back to Atlanta not knowing what my future held, I can’t help but feel so incredibly grateful for where I am today.  Taking an idea like this and making it happen with the Haven team is so rewarding and I couldn’t be happier.

We can’t wait for Haven 2014 next year!! If you want to read more recaps of Haven, check out our Haven link up page on the website.

This song by Laura Story is such a good reminder to me that sometimes blessings come after the rain and that’s the case with my story as well.  Every time I listen to it, it makes me tear up.

 

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Filed Under: Travel 59 Comments

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paula@SweetPea says

    August 7, 2013 at 6:45 am

    Thank you for all of your hard work to make Haven a success. I loved every minute of it and appreciated all of the small details (like my name on the tv when I came in my room) that you and the other girls thought to do. All of the sessions were informative and the sponsors were of interest. I am going to mark my calendar for Haven 2014 as soon as the date is announced!

    Reply
  2. Melanie says

    August 7, 2013 at 7:04 am

    Glad the conference was so successful. Loved the song you posted at the end. Needed to hear that today.

    Reply
  3. Jennifer@vreelandroad says

    August 7, 2013 at 7:22 am

    I’m crying in my coffee! So happy for you and the Haven team and so happy I got to attend. It had a great vibe and the setting was just so amazing. Those pink flowers at the cocktail party took my breath away!

    xoxo
    Jen

    Reply
  4. Kelly - Talk of the House says

    August 7, 2013 at 7:31 am

    Man…I knew it was going to be great! You just made me hate missing it more. Why does school starting and Haven have to coincide? You guys obviously put your heart and soul into it, and it looks like everyone reaped the rewards…from the attendees to the sponsors to the speakers and everyone in between. And your Laura Story song at the end is one of my favorites. My daughter sang it at the funeral for the mother of a dear friend of hers. The story behind that song is amazing, too.

    Reply
  5. Heidi @ Decor & More says

    August 7, 2013 at 7:39 am

    Another amazing conference, Rhoda! I got so much great information AND inspiration — just the absolute BEST. Thank you for all your hard work… and for your bloggy friendship. 🙂 Hope to see you soon –xo Heidi

    Reply
  6. Mary@athomeonthebay says

    August 7, 2013 at 7:44 am

    I enjoyed Haven so much Rhoda. The teams hard work really showed. It was an amazing event with no detail left behind. Thanks for all that you do for our niche. You are a blessing to us. hugs.

    Reply
  7. Barbara Hunnicutt Moore says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:14 am

    Y’all hit it out of the park, Rhoda! It was just magical. Thanks is too small a word for how grateful everyone feels for all your team’s hard work. Can’t wait till next year!

    Reply
  8. Kristin @ bliss-athome.com says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:16 am

    Rhoda, it was AMAZEFEST USA!! I am blown away by it all, especially since it was my first conference ever! I thank you, Kristin, and your team for putting it all together. I had a blast and learned a thing or two or three! So glad I got to meet you beautiful lady 🙂 xo Kristin

    Reply
  9. Betsy Gordon says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:17 am

    Rhoda,

    What a huge success, you must be proud! I enjoyed living vicariously through all the instagrams and Facebook pics.
    Next year, I’m coming! That is my goal.
    Hope you’re enjoying a rest on that beautiful screened porch!

    Betsy
    West of the Square Designs

    Reply
  10. Anne Boykin says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:26 am

    Hi Rhoda, You sure get a lot done! Congrats on a great conference. Looks like there were sure some great sponsors. How nice of Ballard Designs to participate.

    Reply
  11. SheilaG @ Plum Doodles says

    August 7, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Thank you for all the hard work you and the rest of the team put into making the conference a roaring success. The hotel was beautiful and everything went so smoothly.

    Reply
  12. Jane @ Cottage at the Crossroads says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:04 am

    Rhoda, I enjoyed every minute of the conference and I attribute that to you and your team thinking about every detail in advance! The closing message really struck home with us and we are giving it a lot of thought. Congratulations on another successful Haven!

    Reply
  13. Katie | deranchification says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:05 am

    Rhoda, Haven was amazing! From the generous sponsors to the supportive environment, from the great speakers to the yummy food – everything was awesome!! Y’all created something so fabulous!!!! I can’t wait for Haven 2014!!

    Reply
  14. Emily Clark says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:05 am

    Loved reliving it through your recap. Can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it. Thanks to you and your hard-working team.

    Reply
  15. Amy@eatsleepdecorate says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:10 am

    It was an amazing event and thanks to you I met so many wonderful blogging friends that will last a lifetime! Thanks so much for all the time and effort you put into this. Know you are making a HUGE difference in many lives. Can’t wait for next year! XXOO

    Reply
  16. Kelly @ Eclectically Vintage says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:13 am

    Rhoda – what an amazing conference! I had the best time and it was so great seeing you again! Can’t wait until next year – I should be fully recuperated by then!
    Kelly

    Reply
  17. Pat@Back Porch Musings says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:18 am

    I just can’t tell you how much I would have enjoyed Haven, Rhoda. Wish I could have been there. It all looks absolutely wonderful.

    I have always wanted to see Buckhead ever since I read my first Anne Rivers Siddons book!:-)

    Congratulations on your success, with Haven!

    Reply
  18. Kathy says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:21 am

    That looks like soooo much fun. How does one get invited to something like that?

    Reply
    • Rhoda says

      August 7, 2013 at 10:00 am

      hi, kathy, tickets go on sale & people buy them. They will go on sale after Jan. 1st next year. Stay tuned if you want to join us!

    • Kathy says

      August 7, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      Thanks for sharing that information. My friends and I will certainly try to get tickets to it.

  19. Terry says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:29 am

    Thank you for the song…my 83 year old mama just died…and I have my 88 year old daddy to comfort. This song helps.

    Reply
  20. Crystal says

    August 7, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Rhoda, Thank you for the recap. It looks like such a warm, inviting experience and I’m so glad everyone had fun. I missed again this year but am so hoping to go in 2014. You are such an inspiration. Vision + audacious faith = amazing things happen

    Reply
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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