A week from today I will be networking with several hundred other food bloggers. Fresh from Oregon is heading south to Sacramento, California for the International Food Bloggers Conference. John and I will be flying into the Sacramento International Airport which will be celebrating its 50th birthday on October 21st. If you are flying into Sacramento or just passing through the airport you need to check out their renovations in their food concessions. Their food concessions for the new Terminal B mirrors the Sacramento food culture and its Farm-to-Fork movement. When we head back home I plan on arriving early at the airport to enjoy a great meal before flying back to Portland.
We do not have much time once we arrive and need to get a shuttle to the Marriot Residence Inn, host hotel for the conference. John and I will be heading on an excursion that will give us the full olive harvest experience and show us the journey from tree to table. Sponsored by Cobram Estate, the world’s most awarded olive oil, that just launched in America for the very first time last year and the Olive Oil Commission of California. Then we will have two full days of great topics, food tasting, meeting other food bloggers from across the USA and the sponsors. This will be the 5th year I have been attending the food bloggers conference and one of the most rewarding parts is meeting the sponsors, hearing their stories and learning about their products.
If you are a food blogger and new to the conference do not forget to bring plenty of business cards. You will want to give them to the sponsors at the conference and to other food bloggers. This is a perfect place to network with other food blogger so do not be afraid to ask questions. I try to sit down with different bloggers throughout the conference and see what they are blogging about and find anything new I can learn.
I will come home with a lot of business cards, lots of ideas and lots of new friends. During the conference I like to get the sponsors’ business cards and make some notes and then send them a quick email thank you once I get home. My goals this year for attending the conference is to bring my food blog Fresh from Oregon up to the next level. I have set three goals for my blog: Adding videos, Instagram and how to write a better blog to share my stories on what’s Fresh from Oregon.
Tips for NEW Food Bloggers attending the Conference:
- Bring plenty of business cards (200)
- Meet the sponsors and exchange business cards.
- Network with other Food Bloggers, don’t be shy!
- Walk the city and check out local restaurants ~ check out Visit Sacramento.
- Bring extra room in your suitcase for gift suite items or maybe bring an extra suitcase.
- Review and make notes on sponsors before you come.
- Bring a notebook and several pens there is a lot to learn.
- Use your phone’s camera to take pictures during the conference and maybe some selfies with the new friends you meet!
Check out my blog from last year’s conference on Lindsay Olives: Simply Natural ~ Lindsay Olives
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