It’s our own little version of the fashon Superbowl… the annual LTKCON event where hundreds of fashion, home, life and style social media influencers take over Dallas and come together to celebrate, empower, inspire and learn from the best of the best in the industry. And the fact that I got the lucky invitation to attend once again always makes me even more thankful for this career that I absolutely love with my entire heart and the fact that so many of you continue to show up and support me, I’ll forever be endebted to your kindess and encouragement.
So let’s backtrack a bit… it’s been THREE long years since the last LTKCON way back in the spring of 2019. Crazy to see what all we have faced since that year and how far we’ve all come. I’m so thankful the LTK team was able to pull off this 3-day event this past week. Invites went out earlier this year and I was so excited to see they had found a new location at The Adolphus Hotel, perfectly matched with fall fashion and a more contemporary vibe as well. As a pro attendee now, I always try to arrive a day early to shoot content with my Dallas photographer, Audrie Dollins, get all settled in and kick off the festivities early as well.
This year, Tarte Cosmetics invited a handful of us that work with them to celebrate their founder Maureen’s bithday party and it was the perfect way to kick off our time in Dallas at Bar Eden. The uber inspirational girl gang that always goes above and beyond all while helping to clear teacher wishlists in a meaningful way so we can all join forces and make big things happen! Later that evening, a few of us ladies went to Monarch for dinner [which I highly recommend] and enjoyed all the vino before going to bed.
Monday morning, I was up early heading to Plano… to meet up with the CEO and founder of Shop Style Your Senses, Mallory Fitzsimmons, who I adore and catch up on what’s going on with her brand and some fun things to come soon I promise. I then checked out Keeks Handbags, an upscale boutique that sells high end deisgner bags and accessories and let me tell you, it was SUPER impressive and yes, I brought home a brand new pretty to add to my collection as well.
I then headed back into town to enjoy a brunch with my Shop Avara ladies and some dear blogging friends. It was absolutely perfect, relaxing and a way to celebrate with their team on the huge year they’ve had so far.
Marnie of Ms Gold Girl | Taylor and Stephanie of the Avara Marketing Team
That night, the festivities kicked off with a welcome reception, brand networking + cocktail hour and then a true Texas Chic Western Party at the hotel. One thing LTK never misses are the details… from ranch water cocktails to a custom hat creation station, you can best believe their parties will always bring the fun and they go anove and beyond to spoil us silly!
The next morning we got down to business… and yes, the techy nerd in me loves when they do the keynote speaking on the main stage because they alwsys give us sneak peeks of new and innovative things coming to LTK, helping us work smarter not harder, and of course allowing us the chance to listen to some pretty talented speakers and industry leaders like Shea McGhee!
That afternoon, I had a few classroom sessions… my fav was learning about holiday content + strategy for the upcoming shopping season and then I hit up the brand hall — also known as the hotspot for attendees — and it just so happens to be my favorite way to chat with all of the brands on a more in-depth level. This has actually been the way I’ve landed some of my longest standing partnerships, including Soma Intimates, Anthropologie and others, so for me it’s a fantastic way to get face-to-face time with retailers and brands I know and love and hope to collaborate with as well.
Night time rolled around all too quickly and that’s when the Abercrombie team brought out the best for yet another cocktail party! I went with a faux leather and ruffled bodysuit look that night–totally on trend this season yet still super comfy–and then we headed to dinner with Katey and Betsy from Two Peas in a Blog for some local mexican cuisine [yes, we go to eat!!].
Finally, the last day rolled around and needless to say I was wiped out by this point. My voice was gone [shocking I know] and my steam had run out… I attended the last few classes and brand meetings I had and then Sara and I called it an early night, skipping out on the finale party in exchange for sushi from Nobu and a quiet night in our room. I was sad to miss the final night’s festivities, but my body said it was time to rest and it served me well. I guess I am learning more about priorities as I get older ;).
All in all, it was a great trip… definitely full of fun, fascinating information + analytics, some exciting things that are in the works at LTK that I cannot wait to share more about and of course spending time with some extraordinary people, too. I’m also answering a few of your questions below as I had tons of them flooding the inbox upon my return… hope this helps!
Formerly RSTHECON, LTKCON is an invite-only influencer’s event where content creators from around the world are invited to Dallas, Texas, for a 3-day conference… full of networking, brand meetings, classroom sessions, parties and events and a way to celebrate a year’s worth of hard work with some of the best in the business.
I am speaking on behalf of my personal experience with this answer, but no, I have always paid for my ticket for attend, airfare and local travel, hotel accomodations and other expenses to attend. I do know that in the past they have taken care of certain attendees’ rooms + comp’d their tickets, but I am not certain how that happens. It can be pricey, but it’s also an investment into your career just as any other work conference and I’ve always felt like I got a good return on my investment from attending.
Each year, the LTK team nominates select influencers in each category [fashion, home, fitness, family, etc] and then lets followers vote to see who the winners are. This year, they held a ceremony to announce who took home the trophies and you can find a list of this year’s LTK winners here.
I think many of you were referencing old school bloggers/influencers with this question as I saw this asked repeatedly. Usually, the LTKCON is held in the spring and this year it moved to September so I know that may have impacted some attendees’ availability to come. I’ll be honest, fall is tricky with school + extra activities as well as fall break/etc and it was a hard time for me to be away as well. All a juggling game no matter what else you have going on. There were also a TON of new ladies in attendance this year, so I must imagine LTK is wanting to expand their reach by inviting up and coming talent in addition to their top 200 influencers like in year’s past.
Just as with any work/networking event, you’re going to have “pockets” of people who are close to one another and others that aren’t. I think LTK does a great job of bringing in a variety of individuals to these conferences and it felt even more diverse this year. For the most part, I’ve met some incredible women who have turned into some of my closest friends over the years and that never would’ve happened had we not met at LTKCON. I’ve found a great group of women that empower, uplift and support and I 100% trust and this event is always a fun excuse to see people you don’t otherwise get a chance to hang with.
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