The conference has just ended, and I'm trying to put into words my ideas and feelings about the conference in general and the love I have for being in this community of men and dads.
VULNERABILITY IS AT THE HEART OF DAD 2.0
At one of the early Dad 2.0's, Brenae Brown came and spoke, and talked about vulnerability and how important it was. At the time, I thought, yeah, yeah, buzzwords. And the guys who spoke and talked in those early summits were evolved, but a lot of the conversation revolved around the marketing and branding side of the conversation. And that's what I thought I wanted from a blogging conference. I wanted to use this idea of vulnerability to get gigs. |
| At the podcast panel, some podcasters talk about how to create great podcasts and get great guests. |
This certainly has something to do with the programming choices and the sensibilities of the founders/owners of Dad 2.0, John Pacini and Doug French, but it also has to do with the men and the brands who self-select to be here.
THE BRANDS THAT SUPPORTED DAD 2.0 2020
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| A little instagram filter magic and - a clown walks among the dads! |
I was surprised that a lot of companies that have sponsored in the past (Facebook, Google, Kidde alarms, Wrangler Jeans, to name a few) all were not in attendance this year. Do they no longer want to be in front of dad influencers? Are they getting them in a different way?
Dove Men+ Care was the premium sponsor, and this marks the 9th year that they've been with the conference in some way. They brought their customary barbershop and product giveaways back. They also asked men to sign a Paternity Leave pledge, and asked Dads to create content videos that either asked their congresspeople to support Paternity Leave or imparted some kind of knowledge onto men. I didn't make a video this year, but I've seen several in my feed so far.
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| Me (clownbeard) posing with Brickbeard, one of the Lego characters. |
Caulipower was a new sponsor this year, showcasing their delicious pizzas and chicken products.
ry year.
Legoland was also back this year, touting this year's opening of Legoland NY.
Bark was in attendance, showing off some great work they've been doing in assisting authorities in capturing online predators.
Fodada the t-shirt company provided shirts.
There were a couple of non-profit sponsors, including Responsibility.org promoting responsible drinking, and GSK, who are promoting awareness of a vaccine for Meningitis B, a strain that has been killing college students in the US.
And there were a couple of sponsors on the website that I didn't see at the conference, including Capital One Bank and Healthline Parenthood. I must have missed them!
FATHERHOOD MATTERS AT DAD 2.0 2020
This year the conference tried something a little bit different, they put all of the speakers and keynotes, and blogger spotlights on the first day, and then on the second day they did all of the practical workshops/split aparts/ and panel discussions.
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| Me (right) with Jason Falls, left. Jason and my wife have been colleagues, but it was great to finally meet him in person! |
Here's the chilling video:
I was also just amazed at the quality of some of the writing that was featured, as well as the
MY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMIT
•DadfluenceThinking about the idea of not being an influencer, but of influencing people, and influencing them not (necessarily) to buy products, but to take actions and to have their own ideas. Doug French, the founder of the conference said he despises the word, but loves the idea, and I mostly have to agree, although dadfluence might be growing on me a little.
• Impromptu conversations
I had a number of impromptu conversations with people from all over the world. I noticed that a lot of men were journaling and meditating and discussed that several times with people.
We also had a shabbat service for the first time, and said Kaddish for our friend Oren. It was a great way to connect on a Friday night, and I will definitely continue/participate in that tradition at the next Dad 2.0. Several non-Jewish dads were there too, and it was great to explain what we were doing and bond over the similarities and differences of rituals.
• Old friends
I've been coming to the conference for awhile, and seeing old pals (Many of whom I see in person only once a year is always a delight. It's great to reconnect with people.
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| Representatives from a number of City Dad Groups (which I've been a part of for 11 years!) |
• Practical tips
Although vulnerability was the watchword, I did get a lot of practical tips and ideas from the second day of the conference, including some great ideas about building a subscription service/community from Deborah Moebes, ideas about how to support your kids as they become content creators in their own right from Jason Falls, advice on pitching and promoting yourself to brands from Patrick Quinn and Jessi Sanfilippo, and some great advice from Julie Powell, who during an offsite dinner encouraged me to write every day, something that I have not been doing with regularity.
• Dad Voices
While bloggers are selected officially to be blogger spotlights, the best readings happen at the end of the night, where anyone who wants to can put their name in the hat and read an old or new blog post or just tell a story. It's always energizing. I went around 11:30 pm, and it was great to read one of my posts out loud to a group of appreciative guys.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR DAD 2.0
While I felt like sponsorships were down this year and the activations were not as grand (in the past we went to offsite parties, had venue activations and world-premiere movies, and sometimes got some pretty expensive swag) I still had a great time and enjoyed so much being in this community of like-minded men.Dad 2.0 announced at the conference that the next conference was going to be in Los Angeles in October, and that it was going to focus more on practical and actionable ideas to make you a better influencer. (If you purchase before tomorrow using the code DAD2LA, you can get entry for $79!
It's also not clear if there will be two summits a year, or if this is just a time-change. Either way, I'm hoping Dad 2.0 can find a way to keep bringing it's message to both the veterans and the newbies, because Dads who are woke to their vulnerability and influence are a powerful force for good.
