Here's how The Guardian article - written by Kate Watson-Smyth, a freelance interiors and design writer on blogtour NYC - describes what BlogTour NYC unleashed from a digital and social perspective:
"As the 12th annual Architectural Digest Show opened its doors to the public, a group of international bloggers prepared to tweet, post and Facebook what it sees to its followers. By the end of the four-day show the blogtourNYC as it is known, will have reached a Twitter audience of over a million, generated 40m impressions and written more than 200 blog posts."
Impressive and exciting when you realize that, with bloggers becoming accepted contributors to media and news, events take on new life through a kaleidoscope of perspectives. "The bloggers can be really influential and the blogtourNYC helps increase their traffic and it helps the brands to launch their products so everyone wins. Everyone has a different take on what they see so it's really interesting all round."
Although focused on the AD Home Design Show in NYC, the article explains that bloggers participating in BlogTour do much more, visiting sponsor showrooms as well as designers and boutiques. (For a complete description of what BlogTour NYC included, read BlogTour creator Modenus' article on BlogTour NYC.)
As one sponsor explains, ""We all have to find new ways to connect with customers and with such a diverse group of bloggers this is a really interesting and direct way to do that," she says. "Time will tell which bloggers are really qualified to talk about design, but when we have the chance to engage with academics, colour consultants, interior designers and stylists all in one place it's a great opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.""
Furthermore,
"Companies have been taking bloggers to see their products for a few years now but Modenus have taken this idea and put it on a much bigger scale with international bloggers and multiple sponsors. Companies don't need to spend on advertising when they can get their products out there really quickly this way."
BlogTour goes beyond the immediate location or event. It is also a vibrant, closely knit community of bloggers who have connected as a result of the intensity of the BlogTour experience and their passion for design.
Yet, it reaches beyond the bloggers and sponsors. Thanks to social networks, the updates, images and insights BlogTour participants share via blogs, Facebook updates, Twitter, Flickr and Pinterest - to name a few - mean that BlogTour bloggers engage their communities in the discoveries they experience.
Here are perspectives from past BlogTours that Mr. Steam has been involved in:
(You can read more about them in BLOGTOUR NYC – Meet the Bloggers.)
Have you followed the BlogTour NYC updates? What about those from other BlogTours? What's your reaction? Did you discover fascinating design insights?