That’s a wrap on the 3rd annual Magical Media Retreat! If you aren’t familiar with what the Magical Media Retreat is, it is a weekend retreat for bloggers content creators, small shop owners, and other digital professionals! I co-host this yearly event with my friends, and fellow digital creators/bloggers, Justine from Little Dove Blog and Jenny from Princess Turned Mom.
We intentionally keep this retreat small and intimate to really give our attendees the opportunity to get ample attention and connection from us and the others that are there. We invite speakers to come in and talk about how to start a blog, new trends in online businesses, how to monetize your brand, and the ins and outs of blogging and content creation. But it’s not all about business, we also have fun! We always have a big group dinner on Downtown Disney, and this year, we even incorporated a group Disneyland park day!
Attendees can just be starting out and have less than 100 followers on social media, and others are more seasoned and have 100k+ followers on social media. The beauty of this retreat is that you always learn something new! This business is ever changing and it’s always good to keep up on the newest information. This is a retreat to connect with others and cultivate relationships, because this is a business where you succeed more with the support of others. We have ladies attend from all over the country as far away as New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as neighboring states like Utah and Arizona, and even local Californian’s, from So Cal and Nor Cal!
Park Day
This year we tried something new and incorporated an optional group park day at the Disneyland Resort! We met at rope drop and went on rides together, had snacks/lunch together, and even wrote postcards to loved ones and mailed them right on Main Street, sponsored by Pilot Pen! We had a giveaway challenge and awarded three attendees with a new pair of ears from Magic Mountain Ears and even had our friend and professional photographer Captivating By Amanda take headshots and multiple photos of us around the park!
Dinner At Naples Ristorante E Bar
That evening, after the park day, we all met at Naples Ristorante E Bar on Downtown Disney. This was our second time partnering with this incredible venue! The restaurant arranged a beautiful area for us and fed us with delicious salad, pizza, and pasta! We laughed, we ate, and we drank! It was a fun and lovely evening sharing stories and connecting as a group.
Retreat Conference Day
The next morning kicked off our conference day! We all met in the Garden Room at the Sheraton Park Anaheim hotel and had a full day of speakers as well as a brunch buffet! And of course, as hosts, Justine, Jenny, and I got there hours earlier to set up before everyone else arrived!
First, the brunch…
The Sheraton Park Anaheim food and beverage was delicious! We ordered a variety of food to satisfy every dietary restriction and preference and everyone was happy with what we offered. Our brunch was hosted this year by Get Away Today!
The Speakers
Then the speakers…including yours truly! We also had Laura from Lex & Park, Kim from Get Away Today, and our keynote speakers, Christian Cannon and Elizabeth Cannon!
The Farewell Reception
At the end of the conference day, we met in the hotel’s garden courtyard for a farewell reception that included a Tex Mex buffet dinner, a gifting suite hosted by Brighton Collectables, and macaron dessert from Kayla’s Cake!
The Hotel
This year we partnered with the Sheraton Park Anaheim Hotel. The rooms were renovated, clean, and modern and just a hop, skip, and a jump to the Disneyland Resort. We walked to and from the hotel to Downtown Disney and it took about 10 minutes and we felt very safe walking as a group. You can read more about the hotel in my blog here!
The Sponsors
Our retreat wouldn’t be a retreat without our incredible paying sponsors and gift donations for our gift bags! And this year we partnered with amazing sponsors! Our title sponsors include Pilot Pen, Brighton Collectibles, and Get Away Today. We are so grateful to all of our sponsors!
Pilot Pen
I have been parenting with Pilot Pen for many years now. I love their G2 and FriXion erasable pens! They sponsored our postcard snack break in the park and we couldn’t have had more fun in the park together writing love notes using Pilot Pen G2 gel pens that are long lasting and smooth writing! We used their Harmony Color Collection, which include two new colors, Sunshine Yellow and Blush Pink! Right now, you can pick up a “G2 Kids in Need Foundation” 8 pack at Target with those two colors, which supports teachers and students in under-resourced schools! All of our attendees were able to take home an 8 pack of Pilot Pen G2 gel pens.
Brighton Collectibles
Brighton has a variety of beautiful pieces that include luggage, jewelry, shoes, handbags, belts, sunglasses, and more! During the farewell dinner, we had a Brighton gifting suite where each attendee was able to pick out TWO items from this table! It was a BIG hit! I chose a beautiful silver cross bracelet, that I linked for you here!
Get Away Today
This is our second time partnering with Get Away Today! Get Away Today has the best deals on theme parks, hotels, cruises, and travel destinations! They have specials all of the time, so keep this link handy and use it to book your next trip! And use the code DRKIM for an additional discount!
Pink Desert
This is our second time partnering with Pink Desert. They provided each host with a dress to wear to the day of the conference (see my dress below). They have such wonderful clothing! This dress is called the and it’s from their Exclusive Collection! I have linked it here! All attendees took home a Pink Desert gift card!
Darling Dream Co
We loved partnering with Darling Dream Co this year! We are friends with the owner and love her to pieces! She gifted the hosts with a shirt to wear for our park day and blue fanny packs for everyone!!!! If you don’t follow her, and love Disney, you should! You will love her shop!
Magic Mountain Ears
This was the first year we partnered with Magic Mountain Ears, and loved it! The shop has beautiful ears and gifted each host with a pair that we wore during our park day! Then 3 giveaway winner attendees won a pair to take home! You should definitely check out this shop!
Dearfoams
This was our first time partnering with Dearfoams! I have been a big fan of their slippers for decades and we were all excited when they gifted everyone with a pair of their cozy Fireside slippers for the retreat! My daughter keeps stealing mine, but I can’t blame her, they are super cute and comfy! Want a pair? Click here to shop!
Mama X Brand
This is the second time we have partnered with Mama X Brand (formally known as Tiny Trucker Co). Jenny and I partnered with them for our first Disney blogger/content creator park day event back in 2017! They make a wide variety of hats and other items and I seriously wear this hat around town all of the time! I love it!!!
Walli Cases
This is our second year partnering with Walli Cases. I can’t tell you how many compliments I get about these phone cases. I love the loophole to keep my hand steady and my phone secured. And I also love the compartment where I can put my driver’s license, hotel room key, a debit card, and or even some cash when I don’t want to carry a purse! I have dropped my phone a few times and it’s never gotten scratched or broken, these cases are the best!!!!
Mabels Labels
I have been partnering with Mabels Labels for many years now in a variety of ways, and I absolutely love them. Not only do I love the owner and individuals that work at the brand, I love their labels. I use ones for my kids on everything from their water bottles, backpack, lunchbox, clothing, towels, and more! They stick really well and even stay on after the washing machine and dishwasher! And, they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, patterns, and styles! They are great for school and summer camps! And now I have some just for me with my name on them!
Love Corn
I just recently started working with Love Corn on a Valentine’s Day gifted campaign and I fell in love! Their delicious corn snacks come in a variety of flavors and I have tried most of them and love them all. I hope to continue working with them, because I truly love them and buy them at the store every chance I get!
Schoolyard Snacks
This was our first time partnering with Schoolyard Snacks. I found them on Instagram because I have been trying to eat gluten free snacks that are low sugar and low carbs, and found these! They were kind enough to send snacks for everyone to try! The cheese flavor are my favorite!
Kayla’s Cake
I have partnered with Kayla’s Cake for many years and I love their macarons! Most are gluten free and they are delicious! They have a storefront in Fullerton and also have a pop up store in Downtown Disney! They even had a cart inside Disney’s California Adventure this year during the Food and Wine Festival! They also ship, so if you aren’t local, you can still try them and enjoy them!!
Marco Polo
This was our first time partnering with Marco Polo. I am not exaggerating when I say that I literally use the app every single day! And this entire retreat was planned using the Marco Polo app! Jenny, Justine, and I would talk on the app daily to plan and discuss this retreat! And even though the retreat is now over, we still talk on there daily!
Want to come to the retreat next year? Make sure you are following me on Instagram to get all of the information!!
Such a good recap! Always a fun and informative weekend.