I Believe in Magic

I believe in magic – Disney magic.

When I registered to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration at the Walt Disney World Resorts I knew that $350 was a small price to pay for all the fun and surprises the good folks at Disney would have in store. Already having a great relationship with my Disney friends, I was certain they would sprinkle pixie dust all over the place and neither I, nor my family, were going to miss it!

Not to be cliché, ahem, but the conference was truly magical. It was the perfect combination of good information, enlightening speakers, exciting entertainment and plenty of time to enjoy the parks. We kicked things off Wednesday night at ESPN Wide World of Sports with a media conference and Tailgate Dinner Party for the entire family. Thursday morning Guy Kawasaki taught us how he uses Twitter as a marketing weapon; then we celebrated the contributions of community volunteers at Epcot where we were able to do some volunteer work ourselves. Disney is celebrating volunteerism with their Give a Day, Get a Disney Day initiative that offers one Disney theme park ticket for a day of community service. We ended the night at a dinner party in Epcot where Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato performed their new single “Make a Wave.”

Friday our families played in the parks while we were treated to a day of inspiring speakers including Maxine Clark, Founder and Chairman of Build-A-Bear Workshop; Marissa Jaret Winkour, Tony Award winning Broadway actress and TV star; supermodel and business mogul Kathy Ireland; social media guru Chris Brogan; and comedian Maryellen Hooper. We wrapped up the day at a private party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where they opened the Toy Story Mania attraction just for us to ride over and over and over again – my high score was 119, 000.

In addition to all of that, they spoiled us. The resort, the Polynesian, was fabulous. The food was scrumptious. They showered us with goodies from laptop bags to pretty pink jackets to watches and game sets. When it rained they handed us umbrellas. On a cold evening they passed out hand-warmers. Disney magic at its finest. However, I’m confident that if you ask any attendee, the prize possession would have to be the special media Fast Pass that allowed us to skip the lines at all the parks and ride the attractions immediately. Ooh, it was priceless.

My BlogRollin' Partner, Christie; My Girl, Minnie Mouse; and Me

Miles planting a tree for Disney's Friends for Change Project Green

Milan volunteering with her little tree

The Kids hangin' with Buzz Lightyear and Woody

Milan and I ready to take on Toy Story Mania

Husband and the kids on the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom

Rain or shine, no trip to Magic Kingdom is complete with out a picture in front of Cinderella's Castle

Kudos and many thanks to the wonderful folks at Walt Disney World Parks for putting on such phenomenal conference; I’m already counting down the days until next year.

Winks & Smiles,

A $350 registration fee was paid to attend the conference that included the conference sessions, hotel accommodations, meals, and 7-day park hopper passes for four people.