3 Months to IFBC 2014

Calling all bloggers! It’s 3 months to the International Food Bloggers Conference 2014 in Seattle.

Have you all registered yet?

I certainly hope so, because I expect to have all of my peeps here.

This year, I will not go alone and be alone. So one of you sign-up, stat! Do not make me come over there and hit the ‘Register Here‘ button @ Zephyr Adventures for you…mmmmm, k? 🙂

If it’s your 1st time attending a Food Bloggers Conference, you will have fun, and I am here to help. You will learn so much. If you are new to blogging, you might want to check out somewhere similar to Site Beginner – sitebeginner.com. You don’t have to worry if you have a small viewership either as there are a lot of tools that could help you promote your blog! For example, I didn’t realize how useful Instagram could be for promoting your blog. It turned out that some bloggers buy Instagram followers with INSTANT delivery from Buzzoid! That would be so useful for anyone trying to make waves in the blogging world. There are a variety of resources available for new bloggers who want to expand their reach on social media. For instance, there are social media growth tools similar to nitreo that some bloggers use to expand their audience on social media sites like Instagram to increase their audience engagement and their online presence.

How do I know so much?

Well, last year, I had a LOT of anxiety about it, and I don’t want any of you to go through that. What an incredible waste of energy! It was a blast, and I’m so doing it again!

My Top 10 12 FAQ

1. Apparel

Wear comfortable clothes. This is not a dress rehearsal for you. Yes, jeans, shorts, dresses, slacker-wear, and completely casual is OK. IFBC is there for you to learn and grow your blog. No, I’m sorry….you are not there for them. So, wear your PJs and slippers if that makes you the most comfortable! (p.s. choosing this option probably will get you looks from the other bloggers. And, I will probably be one of them. 🙂 At least you know you’ll have a friend there.).

2. Freedom

You’re free to come and go as you please. Stay the entire day, retire to your hotel room, or don’t show up at all if you don’t want to. No one is taking attendance. 🙂

3. Food

No, you do not need to pack snacks or bring food stashed in your back-pack to eat throughout the day. You will be sampling a lot of new items and vendors will be throughout. Trust me, you won’t go hungry.

4. Luggage

Pack very lightly (or bring an empty suitcase), you will be taking bucket-loads of sample foods home, on the plane, with you.

Here is the IFBC SWAG I took home in 2013.

5. Socializing

Yes, there are a lot of bloggers there and you can meet a lot of people. Yes, if you are shy or an introvert, you will need to step outside your comfort zone if you want to meet other bloggers (I did not do this, and I regret it; I came home with LOTS of food and no new relationships).

Imagine…these bloggers may be as shy as you are – so they are waiting for you to talk to them, as much as you are waiting for them to talk to you! Don’t miss the opportunity! Sometimes you can learn invaluable information. A friend that wanted to grow their social media presence told me about using services similar to socialfollow to improve his reach and he seems happy with the results.

6. Networking

Yes, vendors will want to talk with you. It’s a great opportunity to not only try new brands, but to potentially develop partnerships for Reviews, Giveaways and Sponsorships on your site.

So, whatever you do – do not forget to bring a lot of business cards!

7. Technology – Camera

This is where I get all personal on you. I highly recommend you bring your good camera. I didn’t and that was a big mistake.

Here’s why:

• you’ll want to take good pictures so you can blog about it later, and the lighting isn’t great inside
• the camera phone is great, but likely won’t capture the details and essence of what you want to convey to your reader
• you are sitting a lot (through seminars and such), so it’s not like you’re packing the weight all day anyway
  

8. Technology – Phone

Yes, bring it to the conference, but keep it on silent.

That way, you can sync up with your new friends through text message while they are sitting in a different session than you are. Also, you may need a quick shot if your camera isn’t handy.

Besides, who knows? You might need to phone a friend. You can never be too prepared.

TIP: Use your cell phone to take a picture of the slides during the presentations so you don’t forget all the great stuff you are learning. 🙂

9. Technology – Laptop

Absolutely a must-have…bring your laptop! They will have live blogging sessions and down-time where you can blog the day and you’ll want to take notes. Remember the backpack I mentioned earlier? This is why you’ll need it. Oh, and also to store the SWAG they’ll give you. 🙂

If you aren’t a great typer, bring pen and paper – you will need to write things down.

10. Mobility

Bring what’s comfortable to carry throughout the day. This may mean a backpack, a cool looking purse that’s really a camera bag (like mine below) that will also hold your laptop. Or, bring a simple tote. Whatever will carry your laptop, camera, phone, purse, and lots and lots of other stuff!

11. Blogging

Yes, this is a working 2.5 days. You will be blogging. In fact, you will likely be blogging LIVE (yes! in the moment – it’s fun and intense!!!) No, you do not have to miss a post. But, if you are a recipe poster only, you most likely will not be cooking at IFBC 🙂 so plan to blog differently (try blogging about the conference!).

You’ll blog about products you’re trying. It’s a LOT of fun and fast!

12. Learning / Fun

Yes, you will learn a lot and have a lot of fun at the conference. The most important thing (other than learning) is getting to know others that have the same passion and love of food that you do.

Isn’t that what life is all about… LOVING . LEARNING . SHARING. ???

Now get on it! I need friends. So, go and register.

p.s. NO, I was not compensated for this post (dang it!).

I hope you’ll join me!