Update your blog conference schedule for BlogWorld Expo

If you are serious about becoming a more successful blogger, the one social media conference you MUST go to this year is BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2010.

They recently announced that this year’s conference will be on October 14 – 16 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center instead of at the Las Vegas Convention Center. While I will miss staying at the Las Vegas Hilton and getting my exercise by walking the mile to the conference floor, the Mandalay Bay is gorgeous and right in the middle of all the Las Vegas Strip action.

Attendees can get rooms for $109 a night, which includes free WiFi. If this is too expensive, the BlogWorld folks are working on lower rates at Luxor and Excaliber – both of these hotels are connected to Mandalay Bay via a free monorail.

Registration and hotel reservation links will go up sometime in May on the BlogWorld Expo website.

Why you should attend BlogWorld Expo

The Sessions: BlogWorld features tracks on monetization, audio, video, advanced podcasting, and new media 101 for people just getting started with their blogs, podcasts, video and social networking. It’s a good mix of sessions for novices to seasoned professionals, and the perfect conference if you want to learn new skills, improve your blogging or dip your toes into the world of podcasting or video.

Community: Also, BlogWorld covers communities not usually found at mom blogger conferences such as sports, travel, health care, non-profit and cause marketing, politics, music and entertainment, real estate, and milblogging (military blogging). I’m excited to hear that this year they’ve added a food track, too.

If you’re new to BlogWorld, you’ll notice that the first day, the Social Media Business Summit, is very expensive to attend. This content is to help corporate executives understand how to use social media to build their business and communicate better with their customers. Feel free to skip it unless your employer is paying for you to go.

The Speakers: Since the first BlogWorld Expo in 2007, I’ve seen some amazing people talk like Chris Brogan, Wendy Piersall, Darren Rowse, John Chow, Brian Clark, Liz Strauss, Sonia Simone, Jason Falls, Dave Taylor, Laura Fitton, Michael Gray and Ted Murphy. I’m sure this year will be just as good if not better!

Networking: You’re bound to run into a few familiar faces at BlogWorld Expo since over 3000 bloggers and podcasters go every year. But it’s also a place to meet PR reps, connect with tech and social media brands, and make new friends.

Fun: It’s in VEGAS. Need I say more?