This past week I had the opportunity to attend the Conversations with Coca-Cola Conference. It was the 3rd annual event held at the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
Photo Credit: Annie from MamaDweeb.com
It was a fantastic couple of days where we had a chance to learn about branding, business, and community
The conference was kicked off by Megan Calhoun of Social Moms, formerly Twitter Moms.
Megan spoke to us about the beginnings of Social Moms and how the group was just an idea one day and she made it happen the next. She spoke about branding and how important it is for us as bloggers to create and focus on the 3 pillars of our brands.
We were able to then carry over the inspiration and motivation we felt after her talk and put it to work. We created vision boards that centered on goals we wanted to achieve as bloggers, women, wives, and mothers.
Left to right: Tree from Mother Of Pearl It Is and Traci from The View From My Fishbowl
It was really fun! We had a great time chatting about what we were cutting out and why and getting to know one another better.
We presented our boards and to the group. It was inspiring hearing what others put on their boards and what those pictures or words meant to them. There were even a few touching tears.
Next up we had a delicious lunch which included Subway. I was so excited because I love Subway!
After we ate, we were introduced to Monica Vazquez, Subway’s Official Trainer. She was full of energy and so enthusiastic about healthy living and physical activity, she made me want to get up and go for a jog!
I was in luck because 20 minutes later she had us out in the courtyard of the Coca-Cola headquarters doing push-ups, crunches, and more. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to get out and move around a bit. I enjoyed her tips and advice on proper form and why the different exercises were good for various body parts and overall health.
Then Monica announced that we would be competing in a forearm planking contest. If you haven’t heard of a plank, it’s very similar to holding a raised push-up position. Since we were doing a forearm plank we had to drop down to our forearms which really works your core muscles.
It was a tough contest with some impressive competitors. And I’m excited to say I won the contest!
I received a Subway gift card for winning! Yay!
We then went inside and heard from the Women in the Workplace Panel which consisted of an impressive selection of women executives from Coca-Cola talking about their roles in the company and how they juggle being working mothers.
After that we were off to the World of Coke!
It was a fun look at Coca-Cola’s history, a fantastic collection of Coke memorabilia, and even a slowed down version of their bottling system.
We even got a peek at the vault that holds the secret ingredient!
After the tour we spent some time in the tasting area, sampling various Coke products from around the world.
Then we grabbed a glass bottle of Coke and went shopping!
After a brief rest at The W hotel where we were staying, we met back up again for dinner at BLT Steak. Dinner was fantastic and fun. It was a great opportunity to connect with other bloggers as well as Coke executives who dined with us.
The last day of the conference we learned a lot about Coca-Cola’s Live Positively Program and about Coke’s commitment to the community. We heard from Celeste Bottorff, Vice President of Living Well.
Coke has a number of fantastic programs that really make a difference in communities around the world. Each program was briefly described and I was so interested in them that I could have listened to this session for much longer.
Two of my favorite programs Coke has developed to give back to the community include:
- America Is Your Park – Vote for your favorite park to win a $100,000 grant for park improvement
- Triple Play – A $12 million dollar commitment to Boys & Girls Clubs. Triple Play is an after-school program that promotes healthy and active lifestyle choices.
We then had a a Seagram’s Taste Test where we had the chance to try some of Seagram’s new sparkling seltzer water flavored beverages.
They were very subtle in flavor and it was a tie among the group between the White Peach and Blackberry Raspberry as favorites.
I enjoyed my time at the Conversations with Coca-Cola Conference and was so happy to have learned about Coke’s commitment to community. It warms my heart when companies give back and Coke does so in a big way. I look forward to learning more about each of their community programs and I’m now inspired to do my part to give back through those programs and to my own community as well.
As a participant in the Conversations with Coca-Cola Conference accommodations, flight, meals, admission tickets, and other gift items were provided. I was not required, or asked, to write about the conference, events, or speakers. The honest opinions are my own.
About Tired Mom Tésa
Looks like so much fun!
looks like fun
That Seagram’s looks good.
Sounds like an awesome conference! And congratulations on winning the contest…I’d have been still competition…about 20 years ago! :)
Great conference. Sounds like everyone had a great time. Wish I could have attended.