IFBC 2015 - Seattle in September!

It's almost time again for one of my favorite bloggery events of the year -  IFBC International Food Bloggers Conference! It's one of the few conferences that happens in my neck of the woods - usually I have to get on a plane and get a hotel room if I want to attend anything fun. I love that this event is not only close by, but also extremely relevant to me. It's not just a food expo. It's not just a general blogger conference. It's a food-filled event stuffed full of  blogger-friendly brands, and speakers and workshops with info and advice specific to food bloggers and food photography, writing about food and recipes, and how to help get our foodie voices heard!

[Disclaimer: I received a special discounted price in exchange for blogging about this event.]

Organized by Foodista.com and Zephyr Adventures, IFBC was the first-ever conference for food bloggers, back in May of 2009. They focus on three themes: Food, Writing, and Technology. This event will feature high-quality educational sessions, personal networking opportunities, and pretty much the best food and wine of any blogging conference! This will be their SEVENTH annual conference, in beautiful Seattle, Washington!
Last year was my first time going (it had sold out too fast the year before!) and boy, was it a treat! My hand was sore from taking notes, my phone so full of pictures from the presentations that I had to dump images of my kids to make more room, and my back was sore from lugging around all the goodies from the brands and sponsors each day! My sister watched the girls for me since Hubby was out of town that weekend, and she really enjoyed all the bonus gluten- and dairy-filled swag I passed her way!

These were just the take-home goodies from the FIRST night!
AFTER I culled all the stuff for my sister!

And I was so stuffed full of safe-for-me (GF/DF) options at the breakfasts, lunches, and receptions (included for all conference attendees) that I only had to venture out twice over the three days for supplemental meals!

Excited yet? Here’s a sneak peek at who’s speaking and leading hands-on workshops this time:

• Kim Severson (Keynote Speaker): Award-winning food journalist and author
• Renowned food photographers Christopher Testani and Todd Coleman
• Andie Mitchell: The New York Times best-selling author and blogger
• Award-winning blogger/photographer Aran Goyoaga, Cannelle et Vanille

Plus, exciting workshops such as:

• Intro to Blogging, a 3-hour pre-conference session focused on making the most out of Wordpress (i.e choosing and customizing a theme), demystifying search engine optimization (what is it and how does it work?), and a primer on content and marketing
• Basic and Advanced Photography Sessions
• Sparkling Wine and Food Pairing
• Working With and Pitching To Editors
• Editorial Calendars and Marketing Your Content and Blog
• Developing Your Personal Narrative
• And More! Check out the full agenda here.

And, as with every IFBC, attendees will enjoy two nights of amazing food, wine, cocktails and gifts from generous sponsors. How do fresh oysters on the half shell sound? You'll also enjoy gourmet food from some of the best restaurants in town, artisan salumi (from Mario Batali’s dad!), hand-crafted ice cream…and that’s just the beginning!

For anyone who's interested in finding out more for this year or maybe next, be sure to go to the website and register now and be sure to sign up for the mailing list! (On the right sidebar, scroll down a bit.)
IFBC 2015 When: September 18-20
Where: Seattle Sheraton
Registration: $195 for active bloggers/$495 non-blogger participants