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The deadline for Type-A Parent Conference 2012 volunteer applications is January 30, so be sure to apply now. Volunteers can apply for either half-price tickets in exchange for four hours of volunteer time or free passes in exchange for eight hours of volunteer time.

The deadline has passed

Photo by Robin Dance.

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Photo of @sweetsadiemarie booth at Mom Market by Casey Mullins

Our 2012 conference might still be several months away, but we have quite a few timely applications and deadlines that I wanted to be sure to share.

• The deadline for speaker proposals is December 15, 2011. You can submit a proposal here.
• The deadline for early tier pricing for conference sponsorships is December 31, 2011. You can download the sponsorship information here.
• We have opened the call for volunteer applications. You can apply here.
• We have opened the call for Mom Market applications. You can apply here.
• Don’t forget to book your room! Our rooms have sold out each year, so book early. There is no deposit required.
• Although the deadline for early bird pricing for registration isn’t for some time, if the tickets run out earlier the cost will jump to full price. Be sure to register early.

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I have a very exciting announcement! Type-A Parent Conference 2012 will be moving.

The conference will be held in the Queen City, Charlotte, at the Hilton Charlotte Center City. The room rates will be a little cheaper ($139 per night, and you can book your room in about a week once they set up the discount in the system) and no deposit is required when you book. Flying to Charlotte will be much easier and cheaper, with non-stop flights from dozens of cities (you can see a list here).

I am, of course, sad to say goodbye to Asheville as the home of the conference. Unfortunately, an unexpected situation came up that made it impossible to return to last year’s venue. There are no other hotels in downtown Asheville with the capacity to host a conference of this size, so we had to relocate.

The good news is Charlotte is a great city with tons of things to do. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a few steps away from the conference (as is Charlotte Motor Speedway, and you can even take tours of real racing shops throughout the region), as is Epicentre, a cool dining, shopping, entertainment and nightlife hub just a block away. There are many museums and attractions for attendees or, if you bring the family, many attractions for kids such as Discovery Place.

Here is a map of the venue with some of the cool restaurants, shopping and attractions nearby:

View Type-A Parent Conference 2012 in a larger map

Here are some videos from Charlotte’s Got a Lot:

Photo courtesy of Visit Charlotte

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We had a big announcement during Type-A Parent Conference about a Type-A track at Blog World Expo Los Angeles. I am thrilled to be partnering with the world’s largest blogging conference to host great sessions geared specifically for parent bloggers.

The Type-A Parent track at Blog World Expo will feature two full days (Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5) with two sessions at a time for parent bloggers.

You can still submit a proposal to speak here. If you want to submit to the Type-A Parent track specifically, there is a place to indicate that. The final deadline for speaker proposals is July 15.

The best part? We have a special Type-A Parent deal! Use code TYPEA to get 20% off. If you register for the 2-Day Blogger and Podcaster Pass pass before July 21, that will bring the pass price down to $277! Register now!*

You can also promote Blog World Expo and the Type-A Parent track and earn a commission by joining the Blog World Expo affiliate program. You can book your hotel room here.

* Affiliate link

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Thank you so much for being a part of the Type-A Parent 2011 Conference. It was a great success that brought together about 350 of the brightest in the social media space.

We are already working on the 2012 conference, but first would love your input to help us narrow down the dates. Could you quickly take this poll with just two questions (whether you attended in 2011 or were not able to make it, but wanted to).

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Type-A Parent has some great learning, but at Type-A we know how to blog hard and play hard. Best of all, we like to make sure the parties are stress-free for everyone. You don’t need to RSVP. You don’t need a cab. Just bring your badge and go to the main lobby level at Asheville Renaissance. Just wander in this general vicinity and you will find the parties:

Type-A Parent Party Schedule

• Dodge Welcome Reception: Thursday, 8-10 p.m.
• MomTV Patio Party: Thursday, 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
• Bloganthropy Awards Reception Presented by Child’s Play PR: Friday, 8-10 p.m.
• Biltmore Patio Party: Friday, 10 p.m.-12 a.m.
• Ubisoft Closing Party: Saturday, 8-10 p.m.
• Patio Party Sponsored by Aiming Low and Wine Sisterhood: Saturday, 10 p.m.-12 a.m.

Photo of Bilmore Wine from 2010 conference by Robin Dance.

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UPDATE: Kid Con registration is now closed.

Each year, Type-A has (and will) offer high-quality and affordable childcare for attendees through Kid Con. Kid Con is a mini conference just for the children of attendees, featuring experienced caregivers, fun activities (OK, the agenda isn’t quite as rigid as the grown up one), meals and snacks, and their own gift bag. In the past, activities have included everything from Kindermusik and eco-friendly crafts to talent shows and drum lessons. Special thanks to Boy Scouts of America for being a Kid Con sponsor.

The pricing for this year’s Kid Con is $30 per day, per child for full-time (5-9 hours) and $15 per day, per child for part-time (4 hours or less). This cost is heavily subsidized by conference sponsors, and the number of spots is very limited.

You must already be a registered attendee to register your children for Kid Con. The hours are from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Evening childcare in-room is also available ($12 per hour first child, $7 per hour for siblings).

Childcare will be provided for the second year in a row by Elegant Event Sitters. You can follow the owner, Tish, on Twitter at @eventsitters. She will also be tweeting updates about Kid Con during the conference and can also DM parents updates about their children during Kid Con.

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I am very excited to announce the Type-A Parent Conference opening speaker, Patti Digh (@pattidigh). She is a longtime blogger, bestselling author of Life is a Verb and a mom, and her opening keynote is entitled, “Blog is a Verb: How to Find Your Voice and Write with Intention.”

“If the Buddha had two kids, a dog named Blue, a Southern accent, and a huge crush on Johnny Depp, his name would be Patti Digh,” wrote one reviewer after Digh’s grassroots bestseller, Life Is a Verb, was published. Digh (pronounced “dye”) is a Southern-born master storyteller whose stories are full of humor, poignancy, surprise, pain, and knowing. Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, was one of five finalists for the prestigious Books for a Better Life award and a nominee for a Book of the Year award from the Southern Independent Booksellers Association (SIBA).

Her award-winning blog on which it was based, 37days.com, brings together readers from ages 12 through 95 across the globe; readers of that blog created an unprecedented 43-city book tour for Patti when the book arrived. Patti has published three books since Life is a Verb, including Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives, What I Wish For You: simple wisdom for a happy life, and Creative Is a Verb: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative, which is also a nominee for a Book of the Year award from SIBA. Her smart, funny, and moving writing and speaking will touch your heart deeply. Audiences come away from her readings and speeches both laughing and crying, and with a clearer sense of what’s important in their own lives.

Here is a video that explains the amazing story behind her blog and her bestselling book, Life is a Verb.

Why 37 days? from Patti Digh on Vimeo.

To see the opening keynote, register for either Conference or Conference+Business pass to Type-A Parent Conference. The Early Bird conference+business passes just sold out, so I added more, but be sure to register soon!

Watch out tomorrow, when I will announce the first batch of speakers!

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I am trying something new for Type-A this year, and would like to announce Blogger to Sponsor Matchmaking. For many bloggers, attending a conference is a financial challenge. I totally get that. We do have to be sure we are fair to the official conference sponsors, which is why we have a personal sponsorship policy. With this new matchmaking program, however, we will try to match official sponsors with bloggers who want to attend. If you are a blogger and interested in seeking a sponsor, please complete the form below.

Companies please note: to participate in this program, you must do any available sponsorship. Official sponsors will get information on the program.

Photo by Casey Mullins

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A tentative schedule is now available for the 2011 Type-A Parent Conference. It has many details, and there are also several that will be released in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to subscribe to the conference newsletter to find out as we announce more details, sessions and speakers. At the top of the schedule, you will notice it can be searched, copied, downloaded as CSV, downloaded for Excel or printed. It also details which pass you need when registering to attend each activity in the programming.

See the schedule…

New this year, the schedule includes Intensives, which will be extended workshops for concentrated, comprehensive and in-depth learning on topics.

We also have added a Monetization Power Session, This will be a creative and interactive power session with the goal of providing practical tips and takeaways for bloggers on working with companies. Yes, for money. This won’t just be complaining about the issue, but finding real, tangible solutions.

The conference’s popular Company to Blogger Speed Dating will now be the debut of the expo, allowing attendees to not only network with companies but to also see what they have to offer. It will also make it easier for attendees who want to bring media kits or something larger to provide to companies during the speed dating. Any blogger attending can participate, but companies who wish to participate must sponsor at the Byte level at a minimum. here are details on sponsorships.

We also will have a Mentor Meetup. For those of you who came to the first Type-A, this will be similar in purpose to the speaker dinners that year. The dinners were well-received, but rather difficult to organize and required each participant pay for a dinner. In 2011, there will be no extra cost for the Mentor Meetup. Attendees will have a chance to sit with a thought leader in the parent blogging space. All of the mentors, beyond being leaders in social media and parent blogging, have attended Type-A before. For newbies and for alumni alike, it will be a chance to connect with a major influencer and ensure no one feels like an outsider.

Photo of Type-A 2010 Photowalk by Robin Dance.

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