2026 Philly Influencer Mixer Conference. Let me let that sink in for a moment….. First things first, I know I have not been writing on the blog nearly as much as I would like to or should be. This one deserves a moment of its own and from my point of view. If you are new here, hi, I’m not only the creator behind Vida Fashionista but I’m also the founder and CEO of Philly Influencer Mixer, a community and networking platform that connects content creators, brands, media, PR professionals and businesses though events, partnerships, education, and curated opportunities.
Stay with me for a while as I reflect back on the day and give you my point of view. Now that the dust has settled and I’m seeing all of the content continue to roll in, all I can say is “WOW!” It’s crazy that some silly little idea I had back in 2019 has transformed into this! I now have TWO conferences under my belt. My number one goal for this year’s conference was to build off of last year’s. I hate when people say “make it better” or “it was better” because at the time, if I know myself, I know that I was giving my best. The saying that you are making something “better” diminishes the value of the work you put in on the prior thing you did.
Expanded Programming
TWO Creator Panels
I went into planning this year’s conference with so much ambition, a sprinkle of delusion, and so much hope for all of the ideas I had. The first idea was to expand the programming. I really loved that this year’s conference had two creator panels. Being able to hear from your own peers in person is truly invaluable. The first panel of the day being about mental health and creator burnout was so raw and so real. The fact that we can all resonate with that is what made it really special. You hear from people talking about it on social media but to have that in person connection knowing that someone sees you and is going through the same thing makes you have a deeper level of understanding and honestly respect.
Brand & Agency Panel
The Brand & Agency Panel was a hit last year so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The relationship between a brand and creator is pretty intimate but the one thing that I’m seeing is that we don’t seem to know enough about one another. The brands a looking for creators to work with and on the flip side creators want to work with brands. Somewhere along the way there is some disconnect. This panel was created not only to peel back the layers from the brands side but we always make time for a Q & A. This is the time for the creators to ask the hard questions, the ones that we are all thinking about but no one is saying.
Breakout Sessions
What I loved about last year’s conference was the workshop led by Gabbi Townsend walking creators through how to do something. Do just tell me, show me as I feel most of us are visual learners. I took feedback from everyone and decided to have not one but two breakout sessions. While I’m now learning post conference of the challenges that it presented, the intention was there. Not only were each of these breakout sessions being taught once in the morning but again in the afternoon too. That way if you went to Dymon’s session in the morning, you could see Ciara’s in the afternoon.
Keynote Speaker
Y’all, we had an Olympian as our keynote speaker. Like an actual Olympian, Priscilla Loomis like what!? She really brought it during her speech. It was electrifying, motivational and truly inspiring which is exactly why I asked her to speak. Not only is Priscilla a friend of mine but I truly admire her and she’s such a light. To know her is to love her and I cannot thank her enough for being our keynote speaker.
Creator Spotlight Awards
Before I get to activations and the vendor marketplace, I cannot leave out one of my favorite parts of this year’s programming. Not only is this conference about education and networking but I really wanted to celebrate the talent that we have here in Philly. Being a content creator myself, oftentimes your work gets looked over or people don’t truly understand what goes into being a content creator/influencer. The creator spotlight idea started off as just being a moment to recognize a few creators and then I thought “This is my conference and I want to do more. Why not make these awards!?” Now, the true surprise is that NO ONE KNEW ABOUT THE AWARDS! Do I think the awards component would have been great for press, yes but that was not the point. Seeing everyone’s faces light up when I announced that they would be receiving a psychical award was a moment I will never forget.
We may only have 32 teeth in our mouths but EVERYONE was grinning from ear-to-ear I feel like I saw more than 32. I was especially emotional for Ramil to receive his award because as he said in his speech, he’s been nominated and overlooked FOR YEARS by people and publications. I’ve seen his work, the effort he puts into his craft, how he takes risks, and is always himself unapologetically. I’ve also seen the grace he’s given as he was overlooked year after year. I felt that, I’ve been there too. And not to say that awards and accolades are everything but you have to admit, we are all human and it feels really good to be recognized for your work. He may not know it but that moment meant more to me than it did to him. Congratulations to you friend. Thank you so much to Performance Dodge Ram of Woodbury for being our Creator Spotlight Awards presenting sponsor this year.
Live on Fox29
I didn’t talk about this much but most people don’t realize that I did a live interview with Morgan Parrish of Fox29 during the conference (watch it here starts at 48:03). We talked about everything going on at the conference and it was just all around fun. Here is a photo of me during the interview. I snuck away into a corner of the VIP lounge.
Lunch
I must bring attention to and shout out Wawa for our amazing spread for lunch! We had an assortment of hoagies and wraps plus snacks, sweets and drinks. Everything was so fresh, delicious and we definitely had an abundance.
Vendor Marketplace and Activations
I proudly and confidently say that the Philly Influencer Mixer Conference was more than just a conference because of the many things we had going on. Shout out to all of our vendors and activations. When I was dreaming up this year’s conference and knew of the venue’s space and capacity I WANTED TO BRING IT! My literal words to the venue was “I was attendees to be overwhelmed in the best way” with things to do. I’ve been to several conferences in my years so panels, workshops and breakout sessions are to be expected. Even a few vendors and an activation here and there. Being a content creator first, I also know what I would like to see at a conference and honestly I think I achieved that and so much more.
If you’ve been keeping up with the conference coverage then you will be seeing lots of attendees taking pictures in our magazine Photo Booth. Truly a standout activation thanks to Mere Moment Rentals and Kendra James. Everyone looked like they were on the cover of “PIMCON Magazine” and that was the goal. I sent her the vision and the execution was perfection! Another standout activation, actually two: our headshot studio and beauty partner. Trine Echelon and Face On Makeup CRUSHED it! I mean truly knocked it out of the park. The level of professionalism, their flexibility, quality of their work, their kindness, omg they get rave reviews from me!
Our vendor marketplace was booked and busy and honestly I LOVE that for them! Like let’s please support our small business and try to help this economy just a lil bit. I was very intentional this year to encourage attendees to visit every vendor. And without giving everything away, you just had to be there.
Creator Studio and VIP Lounge
Some fun additions added to the conference this year were our Creator Studio and VIP Lounge. Woodford Reserve was our bar sponsor for the VIP Lounge which included a gifting table courtesy of Tanger Outlets Lancaster. The Creator Studio was a space for exactly that. Creators could come in a make all the content they wanted.
Finale Party
Y’all, there was so much happening at this year’s Philly Influencer Mixer Conference that I could truly keep going but I will wrap up with the finale party. This is our time to let loose, network and celebrate the day and we did just that. Thanks to my hometown DJ, DJ Dre Mny keeping the vibes high, we truly had a time. All I wanted to do at the end was swag surf and we did just that.
I truly cannot express my gratitude enough to everyone that was involved with this year’s conference. To my co-host Aunyea, I am forever grateful for our friendship and the fact that she was by my side to host the conference. Thanks so much for reading and I’ll see y’all at the next Philly Influencer Mixer Conference!
