Fun fact about me: I hold back from doing things that I know I’d really love out of fear. Whether it’s fear of being judged or fear of not measuring up or fear of being too new to something. Who can relate?

Well, I looked into it further. I kept seeing The Pet Summit pop up on my Instagram feed, and I would visit their website a couple times a week. I knew I would be missing out if I didn’t get over my fears.

When I saw the topics covered at The Pet Summit, I really knew this was going to be perfect for me. This was an opportunity to network, learn more about blogging, branding, social media and so much more! All I could think was: “as a new blogger, these are all the things I want to get better at!”

Suffice it to say, I’m super glad I purchased a ticket to The Pet Summit, and here’s why…

Megan Rose (@nycdogmom, @pharrellandrosie, @rescuerumba, @gals.best.friend), Chelsea Evans (@abbieandgunner, @gals.best.friend), Paige Chernick (@puppynamedcharlie, @paigeknowsfirst) and Hannah Zulueta (@maggielovesorbit, @barkcommunity) are the four powerhouse co-founders behind The Pet Summit and they are so inspiring! I know how much work goes into putting together these kinds of conferences, not to mention the fact that it was all virtual. I’ve been following them on Instagram for some time now on their various accounts, so it was truly a privilege to learn from the best! I think the best word to describe all four ladies would be generous: they were generous with their expertise, their knowledge, their network and their time. If you’re not already doing so, I highly suggest you follow them all and their adorable dogs!

You can learn more about them here! 

The Pet Summit is geared toward pet bloggers, pet influencers, pet businesses and proud pet parents! Every class, workshop, keynote and panel offers tangible advice and information to help propel you toward reaching your goals, whatever they may be. There was a lot of advice and tips given throughout the week-end that are totally applicable to real life too—not just social media!

One of my favorite keynotes of the week-end: Colleen Wilson, CEO of Pets on Q! She gave a very informative and engaging keynote on working with brands and getting hired. Pets on Q is a leading animal influencer marketing agency dedicated to making the world a better place, one animal at a time. In her keynote, Colleen gives concrete tips on professionalism as a pet influencer and how to create long lasting relationships with brands. It was so good, I took so many notes! I won’t say more, you’ll have to watch it and find out!

Other highlights of the weekend—there were just SO many—include the live panel with marketing and social media professionals from some of the leading companies in the pet industry, like Zippy Paws and Fi Dog Collars. This panel was called What Brands Are Looking For: The Do’s and Don’ts of Influencing. It was very interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at what they do on a daily basis. Getting their perspective was so helpful in being properly prepared when approaching a brand. Pro Tip: Don’t just ask for free stuff just because. 

Other fun live classes given that weekend: a Branding 101 workshop with Dox Design, an art class, where we learned to draw our pet with New York Artist Andrea Caceres, a yoga (dog-a?) class with Jovita Ann and a cocktail class for both humans and dogs at Yappy Hour with Maison de Pawz.

There are also tons of pre-recorded classes that I can’t wait to dive into!

All the different live panels at The Pet Summit were super inspiring! During the panel with the Top Pets of Instagram, I particularly loved how everyone was so humble, hard-working, down-to-earth and ready to share their experiences with us newer accounts, even though they had 100k + followers.

Basically, the main takeaway from all of this was “be real and work hard”. And this is something that I truly believe; I’ve mentioned this before in my blog post about Navigating Your Dog’s Social Media. It’s really simple: be yourself and you’ll attract what you put out into the Insta-world (and the real world!!). People will always remember how you make them feel.

Good news! Tickets are still available to access all the panels and classes. There are over 75 pre-recorded classes, workshops, and panels from the industry leaders, and all this content is available for 6-months after purchase! So, you’ve got loads of time to enjoy these vids as much as I did. Plus, a portion of ticket sales and sponsorships go to their animal rescue partners! You get to learn a ton, plus help animals in need: double-win! Make sure to keep an eye out, too, because it looks like they’ve got some more things coming!

In short, The Pet Summit was filled with informative live panels, classes and workshops with real information to actually improve in whatever area of the pet industry you may be focused on. Whether you’re a pet business owner, blogger, influencer or proud pet parent, you’ll love The Pet Summit! Already excited for next year!

Purchase your full access ticket to The Pet Summit here! 

Fun links to check out after reading this blog post:

The Pet Summit – thepetsummit.com

Gal’s Best Friend – galsbestfriend.com

Bark Community – barkcommunity.com

Maggie Loves Orbit – maggielovesorbit.com

@PaigeKnowsFirst – paigeknowsfirst.com

Pets on Q – petsonq.com

Dox Design – dox.design