15 Tips For Alt Summit First Timers

This year was our first time ever attending Altitude Summit – an annual conference for creative entrepreneurs and content creators. We were so excited to have made it in after being on the waitlist! We knew it was going to be awesome, but weren’t sure what to expect.

All we knew for sure was that we needed to take cute outfits because if you look at the photos from past conferences – the Alt Summit attendees’ style is ON POINT! Colorfully on point, which is one of the reasons we were drawn to the conference.

Now that we’ve attended, we’re so glad we did. We met so many wonderful people. We made AMAZING connections with potential sponsors and general movers and shakers in the influencer/content creator industry, learned a bunch, and genuinely had a blast. The final verdict: if you’re thinking about attending, we totally recommend it. Pull the trigger and we’ll see you there next year! Because we are totally going back again – if we’re able to get tickets before they sell out LOL!

Since this was our first time going, we made a list of things we found helpful and that we wanted to keep in mind the next time around.

#1 Stay at The Saguaro Hotel

We were on the waitlist and were contacted about open tickets pretty close to the convention. So when we decided to go to the conference the hotel rooms at The Saguaro Hotel were all taken. The conference takes place at The Saguaro, but we didn’t have a choice and booked a room down the road. Luckily (for us), someone in the Alt Summit Attendee Facebook Group needed to cancel their room and we jumped at the chance at taking over their reservation.

And holy moly, we’re so glad we did! It’s so convenient to stay at the hotel where the conference takes place. If you wear high heels and suddenly realize, “Nope! My feet are killing me!” You can pop-in to your room and put on more sensible shoes. Also, you get so much swag it starts to get uncomfortable carrying around all the stuff. Having a room makes it easy to stop by and unload all your freebies. That way you can shake hands comfortably without juggling a bunch of things in your hands.

#2 Bring Gorgeous Business Cards

There’s a ton of business cards flying around at Alt Summit. You’ll want yours to stand out. Bring around 200 business cards. It’s better to bring some back home than meeting a cool brand on the last day to find out that you ran out of business cards. Also, keep some business cards on you as you travel back home. We met more people at the airport waiting for the flight back home from the conference.

#3 Bring Media Kits

Brands with a booth are happy to receive a media kit. They are looking for bloggers, influencers, and content creators to collaborate with. Make it easy for them!

#4 Find The Biggest Swag Bag First

I’m not exaggerating when I’m telling you, “They give a TON of free stuff.” So find the sponsor giving away the largest swag bag so you can stuff all the smaller swag bags inside of it. We (lucky peeps that we are) stumbled upon the Sizzix booth early on the first day. They were giving away a massive pink shopping bag and I carried that bag the entire conference. It was great!

#5 Leave Room In Your Suitcase

You get so many freebies you’ll need room in your luggage to take it all back home. Just one of the gifts we received was a Tombow box with $200 worth of handlettering goodies. We each got one at the Mixbook booth! Can’t wait to show you how awesome they are for handlettering.

#6 Check The Palm Springs Weather Before Packing

It was unusually cool at Palm Springs this year. Some attendees were not prepared for the colder nights.

#7 Arrive A Day Early

Arrive in Palm Springs a day early to get situated and learn the lay of the land. It will also give you time to explore the city before the conference. Pro tip: You might meet sponsors while they are arriving and setting up their booths.

#8 Be Nice To Everyone

You never know who you are talking to. This tip applies to every aspect of your life really – not just Alt Summit 🙂

#9 Pre-Alt Summit Keep An Eye On Your Emails

Alt Summit will send you important information about the conference via emails leading up to the conference. The sponsor dinners and tours fill up in a matter of minutes. Respond as soon as you receive them.

#10 Ask Sponsors For Their Schedule

Each sponsor has their own scheduled special events that are outside of the Alt Summit schedule. Mixbook had several talented artists at different times and gave different swag throughout the conference. Joann’s had different crafting activities, Lowe’s was feeding us yummies between meals, etc.

#11 Plan Your Alt Summit Schedule But Stay Flexible

When you’re home, you’ll get excited and will plan every waking moment with a workshop, panel, etc. Once you’re at the conference, you’ll realize you should’ve planned some breaks in there. Also, it’s okay if you don’t see everything. There’s so much going on you might start experiencing FOMO. Be present, enjoy where you are, and you’ll make the most of Alt Summit.

#12 There’s A CVS Walking Distance From The Conference

It’s a convenient 5 minute walk or bike ride from the hotel. So don’t worry if you forgot to pack shampoo. We lucked out that La Croix was a sponsor giving out La Croix sparkling water around the clock. So we filled up our fridge with La Croix for the entire weekend. But you can buy some drinks at CVS too.

#13 Free Bikes Courtesy of Saguaro Hotel

The Saguaro Hotel offers free bikes in case you’d like to bike ride to CVS or plan a bike excursion.

#14 Things To Check Out in Palm Springs

Best Breakfast: Elmer’s

Elmer’s is a 5 minute drive from The Saguaro Hotel. They serve delicious pancakes and breakfast yummies. Pro tip: Cappuccino is served with whipped cream. Elmer’s is located at 1030 E Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92264.

Best Breakfast With A View: Mid Mod Cafe

This cafe has delicious OJ and a hidden courtyard with a view of the mountains.

Best Gift Shop: Just Fabulous

This quirky bookstore/gift shop has all kinds of cool stuff. It’s located at 515 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, CA 92262 right next to Mid Mod Cafe.

#15 Things We Want To Check Out Next Time

• Joshua Tree National Park
• Indian Canyon Hiking Trail
• Palm Springs Botanical Garden
• Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
• Tour of Colorful Doors

Have you attended Alt Summit before? Share any tips you’d like to share below. Never been to Alt Summit? Leave any questions below and we’ll let you know what we thought about it!