Type-A Mom Conference: Asheville

I've attended BlogHer 07-09, Blogalicious09 (speaker), Blissdom10 (speaker), Mom2.0 Summit10 and now I'm adding Type-A Mom 2010 to the list.

Each conference has a unique atmosphere and its own set of rock stars. At Type-A one of those rock stars is the city of Asheville itself. Yes, I whined about the costly flight and the $40 ride from the airport. But if I knew then what I know now, I would've kept my mouth shut.

Asheville is a wonderful city. Kelby Carr chose a perfect hotel, just down the street (or hill, as it were) from all the action- restaurants, book stores, funky shops and a chocolate lounge from which at least one woman reported a tonguegasm after tasting a lavender chocolate drink.

Kudos to Kelby not only for a worthwhile conference, but one that infused some serious cash into the town's economy. Between three dinners out, a trip to the bead store and the aforementioned chocolate shop, plus a couple of souvenirs one anonymous blogger (ahem) said poured more than $100 into the city. If only even half of the conference's 325 attendees did the same, we're talking about a $16,000+ windfall for the city and it's indie merchants. I suspect it was much more. I was not kidding when I tweeted that Kelby deserves a key to the city!

One thing to keep in mind for Type-A Mom 2011 is to schedule a couple of extra days in the area to relax, reflect and explore.