Tech Companies Make an Impression at BlogHer 2011

As you know, earlier this month I attended BlogHer 2011 in beautiful San Diego, CA. One of the things that I noticed there is that tech companies had a strong presence again this year. I am not surprised at all. It is suspected. After all, we know that women play a huge part in household technology purchases. But, even more than that, there are lot of others like me… tech girls! Companies were there to wow us with gadgets, services, and support.

There was a piece written on the Huffington Post which mentions the lack of tech companies at the conference. Apparently the writer was out of touch and missed all the happenings. But, she was well informed in the comments on the post.

Here are the companies that I remember having a presence:

• HTC – HTC had a recharge suite. They were offering massages, and had a slew of devices for us to check-out and play with.
• LG – LG had a suite full of goodies to play with, plus an evening event with Jane Lynch. I enjoyed talking with a staff member in the LG suite who really knew his stuff. I also attended the LG Text Ed with Jane Lynch event.
• Verizon – There was a Verizon lunch called “Rule the Air, Change the World”. I was not able to attend because space was full, but I heard that it was good.
• T-Mobile – T-Mobile had a booth complete with stuffed, screaming monkeys, phones, and dress-up! Also, I was featured at the top of their booth! More on that later. 🙂
• AT&T – The AT&T phone fairy was on hand passing out phones to those that needed them. This included people with broken phones, old outdated phones, and lost/stolen phones.
• Samsung – The Samsung Recharge Station was a huge comfy area where you could grab a seat and recharge your devices, or play with the new Galaxy Tab 10.1 inch. There was also a press conference to show off the 8.9″ during the conference.
• Best Buy – Best Buy was on hand to recruit bloggers for their WOLF Blogging Network which sounds pretty cool. I signed up and I am hoping to get my hands on something cool to review for you soon.
• Etymotic – I love the idea behind this company. What many don’t know about me is that I have had minor ringing, buzzing, or whatever you want to call it in my ears for years. It is only noticeable to me when aggravated by loud noises, concerts, or sometimes flights. They specialize in making earbuds, etc. to protect hearing.
• Logitech – We all know who they are. Logitech was on hand at the Ladies Who Tech Brunch (post coming!) showing off some awesome accessories and passing out wireless mice. You can never have too many!!
• Intel – I did not get a chance to chat with Intel, but I LOVED their sand sculptures.

• Sony – A couple of friends of mine were invited to attend what sounded like an awesome Sony event. I was not so lucky, but they came away with fab gadgets and even new head-shots!
• Snapfish – Snapfish had a booth, but I was not able to go over and chat with them.
• Brookstone – While not a tech company, Brookstone has a store full of gadgets. They hosted an offsite event for some bloggers to check out the goods.

And I was told that these other companies were around, but I missed seeing them:

• Google +
• Yahoo

I also hung out with Chicalogic. As previously stated, I am a ChicaLogic Ambassador. There were no booths, or areas setup. However, a bunch of us tech chicks + my one brave guy got together for lunch on a beautiful afternoon and talked about life, the weather, and of course technology! It was awesome.

There was a few minor peeves that I had related to some of these areas, but I will reserve that for a separate post and keep this one happy. The majority of the ones that were there did a great job. They left a good impression on me which I am happy to pass on to others.

Disclosure: This post is part of the compensated Chicalogic ChicaAmbassador program. All opinions are my own.