If you asked me 3 weeks ago “Hey buddy, what is Blogger Bash 2016?”  I’d say, “Get outta my face weirdo or I’m gonna bash you!”  I’m kidding.  I’m a very nice person.  3 weeks ago though, I had no clue what Blogger Bash 2016 was, no clue what Sweet Suite was.  Now though, I don’t think I’ll forget my fantastic experiences at Blogger Bash and Sweet Suite and I’m thrilled to be able to share that experience with MUReview.net readers.

Blogger Bash 2016 as it turns out, is actually the third annual Blogger Bash, an event held in NYC to bring information, strategy, support, education and vendors together with Bloggers.  I don’t know if the third time is a charm or they have been going like gangbusters since day one, but Blogger Bash 2016 was incredible.  Run by the same folks that bring you The Toy Insider, Blogger Bash is organized by people who genuinely care about and understand what it means to be a blogger.  The challenges faced and the lessons learned are all brought to Blogger Bash attendees in excellent forums including Blogging Concentrated, Speed Pitching, and panels like Media Mavens.  …unfortunately, I didn’t make it to any of that stuff.  There was other awesome stuff though.  Keep reading.

As important as the activities, was the location.  Blogger Bash was held on the Cornucopia Majestic at Pier 81 in NYC.  A 4 story Yacht.  It was epic.  It was catered, the bar was open mostly the whole time….and we did get to check out some of the awesome activities that Blogger Bash 16 had to offer.

Sweet Suite! We made it to Sweet Suite and we had an awesome time… but I’m not gonna tell you about that HERE, you can go HERE to check out how much fun we had at Sweet Suite.

We did make it to some of the Peanuts lunch, which featured stars of the Cartoon Network show.  The cast delighted, and to those of us who didn’t have great seats, it was neat watching tiny little shapes on stage talk about real life things and how much they enjoy working on the show.  Also, the food was fantastic!

Being the sites that MUReview.net and litlgeeks are, and having shown up a little too late thanks to an LIRR delay, which caused us to not have a seat for the lunch…we wolfed down our lunch and went to go talk to vendors en masse about all the awesome products they brought to the show!  Now, before I get on to the vendors we met, who were all great.  I’ll wrap up my experience for that day.  The skies turned black, the winds kicked up, and the clouds let loose their fury on a yacht that was about to set sail around Manhattan.  My sea legs and stomach wussed out and I missed what was probably the party of the year with the great people that I got to know at Blogger Bash 2016.  Those great people though, let me introduce you to them, their companies, their products.

Some will link off to their own posts where we will give some more time and space to the fine folks we talked with.

Sony

It’s 2016 folks, if you don’t know who Sony is, lift the rock off the hole you’ve been living in and click this to go check out what we saw is going on with Sony and Playstation 4

 

Home Advisor

We learned a little about HomeAdvisor, what you need to know about HomeAdvisor is this.  If you need ANY work done on your home, and you are looking for a verified resource to get the job done, you need to check out HomeAdvisor first!  From gutters, to driveway paving, to fencing, roofing, indoor construction projects, maybe you’d like them to come over and move a boot from one side of your deck to the other.  They might do that, it’s very specific, but you never know till you ask!

 

Eight O’Clock Coffee

It’s Eight O’Clock somewhere!  They make EXCEPTIONAL coffee.  Check them out at EightOClock.com.  They gave me a pour of delicious coffee to go with a tasty cookie I found nearby and some fancy straw based coffee cups.  I am eternally grateful.  I love cups!

 

Sprinkles Cupcakes

Find them at Sprinkles.com.  Funny story.  The wonderful lady at the booth was kind enough to give me two…count em! TWO!  Amazing red velvet cupcakes.  I took the first, and said hmm…my wife would love these.  So I asked for a second and had planned to share them with her when I got home.  She ate them both.

 

Worx

Ever hear of Worx?  They make tools, guy showed me a blower that’ll blow the side off your house and it’s less than a hundred bucks!  Ok, it won’t blow the side off of your house, but it’ll bag some leaves like crazy.  Check them out at Worx.com.

 

Speck

Speck makes fantastic, beautiful, durable cases for your mobile device, whether it’s an iPad, iPhone, Android smart phone or tablet, they have what you need to protect your gadgets!  The litlgeeks are hoping to get some review time with their fantastic line of kid-friendly, smash-proof grade iPad cases soon! Check them out at speckproducts.com.

 

Onyx By Orion Labs

The folks at the Onyx booth showed off a fantastic little bluetooth device that will turn your mobile device into a walkie talkie platform.  Using their device, it’s tap to talk via their accompanying app.  You can buy 1, 2 and talk with a party full of people A-Team style!  Check out Onyx By Orion Labs at their site orionlabs.io.

 

Insect Lore

Our friends at Insect Lore took us through the magical world of bugs!  Butterflies and ladybugs in this case.  Offering incredible DIY butterfly growing habitat kits, this company is growing it’s own wings!  Look for a review of the Live Butterfly Garden in the coming months at litlgeeks.com…it takes time!  Check them out at insectlore.com.

 

Hasbro

MUReview and litlgeeks have some of our oldest friends at Hasbro and we love it whenever we get a chance to see them face to face and check out all of their awesome goodies.  They brought some great new toys to Blogger Bash 2016 and Sweet Suite. Check out all the great stuff that they brought to the show HERE.  Fire. Breathing. Adorable. Baby. Dragon!

 

Kanex

Kanex is a fantastic company that brings tech solutions that bridge the gaps between…well. Tech.  At Blogger Bash 2016, they showed off in impressive multi-device charger that sells for less than $100.  A multi device keyboard that will communicate over bluetooth, through a key on the keyboard, you can select which device to type to and go, also available for under $100.  A fantastic Apple Watch Charger for on the go or fancy stay at home charging, and fans of Apple TV will rejoice, they are selling an Apple TV gen 4 adapter that will let you connect an optical audio out cable!  Check out the above and all of their fine wares at Kanex.com.

 

Four Roses Bourbon

I’m not going to lie to you.  When I saw the vendors for Blogger Bash 2016’s New Product Expo, two vendors immediately caught my eye and made my decision immediate.  One was Sony, I grew up a gamer.  The other, Four Roses Bourbon.  They absolutely justified my decision to head out with their exceptional easy drinking bourbon, of which…I had a lot.  And for that, I will be eternally grateful to the Four Roses brand.  If you are in a liquor store, pick some up.  It’s tasty, smooth, unique, and if you are a insane, you can mix it with other stuff and it tastes amazing.  For real though, put it over ice or drink it neat, because it deserves it.  FourRosesbourbon.com.  I’ll be picking up my own bottle when my current bourbon stash dries up.

 

Roku

Roku is a leader in giving you something to watch on your TV.  They are even making their way into the just plain old giving you a TV AND something to watch space.  You can pick up a Roku 2, 3, and the 4K displaying 4 in stores now.  The line tops out at around $130, and while the whole line is just dripping in value and bang for the buck, the Streaming Stick is epic for easy setup, on the go content delivery.  Plug in any Roku to your TV, setup an account and you’ll get access to a wealth of apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, Youtube and more (some apps require paid subscriptions).  Roku.com

 

Master Lock

Who doesn’t know Master Lock?  That’s what you buy when you need to lock something up, pad lock, safe, key lock, whatever.  The name says it, and they keep bringing new and exciting innovations to the security game by the minute.  This year you can pick up a bluetooth pad lock!  It interacts with your phone and keeps a log of who is opening and closing.  They also have a great little turn dial locking “purse”.  Perfect for travelers, it comes with a locking cable you can use to tie it down to something…tied down, like the little loop inside the hotel room safes that aren’t that safe.  Imagine a thief cracking the hotel room safe and finding another lock they can’t get by!  Perfect!  Master Lock also gave out a great little sample, a TSA friendly luggage lock.  Comes with a uni-key hole that TSA agents have so that they don’t have to chop off your luggage lock.  MasterLock.com

 

Homedics

If you have ever used a chair massager, you know who Homedics is.  They are still doing great massage stuff, but this year they were talking to us about scents in your home and relaxation.  Ellia scented oils and diffusers are set to take over your relaxation spaces in 2016, your spa, your bathroom, your bedroom.  The diffusers feature not only the ability to diffuse the incredible Ellia scent packages, but will provide mood lighting and relaxing sounds.  These awesome products are hitting later in 2016 and will also feature a kids line that litlgeeks is VERY excited to try out and tell you about! Homedics.com

 

Stealth Toilet from Niagra Conservation

The worlds most efficient toilet.  I’m not gonna lie to you, talking about poop is always at least a little uncomfortable, but what the Stealth Toilet does is pretty incredible.  It doesn’t just displace water to save water like many environmentally conscious toilets, it rethinks the entire concept.  Learn more at NiagraCorp.com/stealth.

 

Schmackary’s Cookies

There wasn’t anyone to talk to at the Schmackary’s table.  It really didn’t matter.  Holy moly those cookies were awesome!  Order some at Schmackarys.com.  I can’t recommend the Cereal Killer highly enough!

 

Chock full o’ Nuts

I don’t drink my coffee black.  Ever, but no one had cream.  When the folks at Chock full o’ Nuts brewed me a cup and handed it to me (Kauai Coffe) I drank it black and I loved it.  Now that’s good right a coffee company with amazing tasting coffee?  Yes. Yes it is, but what is more interesting is where they go beyond coffee.  Single serve packs feature a box with plant seeds built in.  Have a cup of coffee.  Bury the box and water it…get wild flowers.  Are you for real?  That’s taking renewable to the next level!  They don’t stop their though, they are now using environmentally concious compostable pods.  In a world of waste, Chock full o’ Nuts is fighting the power and you should fight with them.  Go get some coffee at ChockfulloNuts.com.  As an aside, this coffee is epic paired with Schmackary’s cookies!

 

Soleurs Sunglasses

I had a most pleasant stop at the Soleurs table to talk about sunglasses.  Their brand features fully polarized lenses (not just a coating) paired with fashionable, affordable, classic style frames.  So…if you like sunglasses, and you value not going sunblind, check them out at Soleurs.com.

 

Vytal easydry

Shop Ireland – Later in the afternoon folks shuffled into a side room featuring Irish brands called, get this…Shop Ireland.  One of the stand out brands for me was Vytal, with their easydry limited use towels.  The towels come in all sorts of useful sizes and dry amazingly well.  More like a sponge than a towel, the easydry premium towel can take shower fresh and dry a spot at barely a touch.  Absolutely worth taking a look at and a modern miracle for gym goers.  Hit easydry.com for more information.

 

The Irish fairy door Company

Shop Ireland – An adorable package of magic is the fairy door.  Place your door against a wall or a tree, build the story of the fairy that lives there with your children, invite a fairy into your home!  Fairy doors have been around for a long time, but this easy convenient, adorable and affordable package shouldn’t be passed up.  Learn more at theirishfairydoorcompany.com.

 

ARCKIT

Shop Ireland – Architecture at home, that is even kid friendly?  What an amazing way to learn the ins and outs of home design. ARCKIT sells building kits with what are essentially matched raw materials for micro home building.  You can model your home first in Sketchup 3D and then make it come to life in model size.  ARCKIT kits don’t come cheap, but they do offer a world of imagination for young and old builders alike.  Go see what they have to offer at ARCKIT.com.

 

Thank you again to the Blogger Bash 2016 for having MUReview.net and litlgeeks.com down to the show, thank you to all of the awesome vendors and to everyone who had a part in making this a great event.  I know many of the products above aren’t what we normally discuss on either site, but everyone was kind enough to give us some of their time, and we are more than thrilled to share what we saw and learned with you!

It was great to meet Diana from www.TheShadyLane.com and Barbara from HomeroomAtHome.com.

Also, a very special thank you to Coobie and AdamEve.com.  Both are pretty well out of what we cover here on the site, but we enjoyed our conversations and my wife LOVES Coobie!