I’m so excited because in a little over a week I’ll be attending the 2016 International Food Blogger Conference.
I live in Sacramento, so when I heard the conference would be in my hometown this year, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be there.
I came up with the idea for UnSipped about 6 months ago, so I am a complete newbie in the blogging world.
There is so much to learn, and between the presenters and attendees, I have a feeling I’ll come away with endless tips and inspiration.
Because my blog focuses on wellness, I’m particularly excited for the breakout called Lifestyle Food with presenter Chef Johnny Carino. He’ll be talking about the shift in food culture towards healthier options and how bloggers are influencing that movement.
I’m also excited about the Culinary Travel Writing session with Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy and Jessica Van Dop DeJesus of The Dining Traveler.
One of my favorite things since I started the blog is writing about where I eat while on trips. It’s a double win. Because I know I’m going to blog about it, I eat outside of my comfort zone.
I am totally willing to go to all sorts of restaurants and explore the local tastes of the cities I visit. I’ve found so much joy in trying different ethnic cuisines that I would have passed on before. I love trying a dish and falling in love with its flavor.
My taste buds have made some amazing advances in 2016, and I could not be happier!
On top of that, I’ve started experiencing food in a completely different way. I pay more attention to the smells, taste, and presentation. The whole experience has become so much more interesting and vivid- and I already loved to eat!
Beyond the presenters, I’m really excited to meet other bloggers and learn from their experiences. All of the attendees are listed on the IFBC website, along with links to their blogs. I’ve enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful sites. So many of them totally blow me away!
But more than anything, I’m glad I’m going because I’m so committed to making this blog as interesting as possible.
I’m going to completely embrace my newbie blogger status and soak up all the conference has to offer. The old me would have thought ‘I should get my blog right where I want it before I go’.
But now I understand it’s silly to limit yourself. Why not learn everything you can as early as possible and taste some amazing food along the way?!
