A True Gift: The 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration

After a whirlwind month of traveling, major life changes and general kid woes I can finally take the time to reflect on my attendance to the 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration (DSMMC). To say I was given a true gift would be a complete understatement. Hosted for the first time at Disneyland Resort (and celebrating its 5th year as a conference/celebration), DSMMC is three days of celebrating, sharing my experiences on social media and spending the most precious time with my husband and children (a true gift).

The three-day event featured an amazing line-up of speakers, special guests, private events and lots and lots of surprises.

Arrival (Thursday)

My family and I arrived at the Disneyland Hotel.

The festivities began with a jam-packed event registration where my family and I had a chance to check out products and features from Disney Interactive and Disney Wild About Safety while grabbing some snacks, meeting Disney characters, conference representatives, and attendees and getting all of the information and materials I would need for the celebration (including some great New Balance sneakers for the Disney Fun Run – more on this below).

Before heading to our beautiful hotel room to freshen up, we had this fun picture snapped of me and my family.

Later that evening I attended a welcome reception hosted by Coppertone followed by a TRYIt! Dinner Experience sponsored by Disney Magic of Healthy Living and hosted in Disneyland Park, Big Thunder Ranch Jamboree. During the event we had the chance to try a variety of new foods, visit with more characters and participate in fun family activities such as face painting, a scavenger hunt, live cooking demonstrations and music.

 After the dinner we had some fun, free-time in the park before retreating to our hotel room.

Conference Day (Friday)

Friday was a full conference day for me while my family had the day free to enjoy the hotel pool, Downtown Disney and the parks. The conference day began with a beautiful breakfast sponsored by Hanes.

After breakfast, the doors of the conference center opened and our day of Disney magic began filled with inspiration, Disney news and learning how everyday people are driven to succeed (such a gift).

The general session – Driven –  was sponsored by Alamo. Speakers during the conference included: Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Leanne Jakubowski, Director of Social Media/Public Relations, Disney Parks; Gary Buchanan, Social Media Manager, Disney Parks; Doug Bowman, Creative Director, Twitter; Maxine Clark, Founder, Build-A-Bear Workshop; Donald Driver, Former NFL Player and Author; Kathy Magnum, Executive Producer and Vice President, Walt Disney Imagineering; Thomas Smith, Social Media Director, Disney Parks; Jay Ward, Creative Director, Cars Franchise, Pixar Animation Studios; Erin Glover, Social Media Director, Disneyland Resort; Grumpy Cat (seriously, for real); Leslie Kay, DisneyBound and; Jorge Navarez, Reality Changers. 

Some of the most memorable messages I received during the general session included:

“When navigating social media, having a mouse makes the job a little easier.” – @leannej#disneysmmoms#dsmmc

— Linda Arceo (@GigGobGulp) April 11, 2014

“Don’t forget who you are, don’t forget where you come from.” – @narvaezjorge ‘s mom #disneysmmoms

— Linda Arceo (@GigGobGulp) April 11, 2014

“All of our dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.” – @Donald_Driver80 Bravo to this family man! #disneysmmoms

— Linda Arceo (@GigGobGulp) April 11, 2014

After the general session we had free time as a family to enjoy the Disneyland Resort and finished the night with a reserved viewing of “World of Color.”

Family Events Day (Saturday)

The morning began with an attendee breakfast sponsored by Disney Junior.

During the breakfast we learned about Disney’s new initiative, Give a Book, Get a Book and had some fun family activities including a family story time with LeVar Burton of Reading Rainbow, David Arquette (voice of Skully from Jake and the Never Land Pirates), Ariel Winter (voice of Sofia from Sofia the First) and Tim Gunn (voice of Baileywick). I admit it, I screamed when I saw David Arquette and Tim Gunn.  Squeal!

After a fun-filled morning, my family and I saw an advanced screening of Disneynature Bears (which gave me a whole new meaning to the phrase, Mama Bear). After the movie we had lots of free time in the park and then had a special dinner at Mickey’s Toontown in Disneyland Park which was closed to the public and open to only conference attendees. We finished the evening by watching the “Remember … Dreams Come True” Fireworks Spectacular. 

Disney Fun Run (Sunday)

In the wee hours of the morning my final day at Disneyland began. I started my day by participating in a two-mile fun run through Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park (which was closed and totally awesome – definitely a true gift).  

The run ended in CarsLand which was just open to conference attendees and their families (another true gift). Can you spot me in the picture above? (Hint: I am holding a small GGG sign).

After the race and breakfast with my family we had the chance to explore CarsLand and the rest of the two parks. We spent our final day at Disney with my friend Tina and her family. Tina writes for Life Without Pink and lives about 20 minutes from me. Tina and I casually knew one another through blogging before attending the celebration but after experiencing the true gift of Disney together we will definitely be friends for life (and it doesn’t hurt that our families got along wonderfully).

The 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration was truly a magical experience – sprinkled with lots and lots of pixie dust. I remember walking around with such a deep feeling of gratitude for the opportunity. I can’t thank Disney enough for the invitation. It was an experience my family and I will always treasure.

 I was invited by Disney to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration in Anaheim, California and experienced special events and opportunities. I did pay a modest conference free to attend with my family. I was not asked to write this post by Disney. Opinions are my own.