The 2016 Food & Wine Conference will be a bit different. And I don’t just mean because it’s a new year.
The food, the wines, the faces, the experience. All of it is going to be different – better – more enriching.
This summer will mark this blog’s second anniversary, and while a second year as a flash in the pan food blogger is a drop in the vast internet bucket, the fact that I’ve stuck it out and become a better photographer, writer, cook, mixologist, and marketer is the real difference in this year’s conference.
It’s all going to be different because I am.
Last year, #FWCon was my second blogger conference (after Food Blog Forum.)
I had only begun participating in Sunday Suppers a couple of months earlier.
I knew next to no one, aside from putting faces to names.
And yet I strolled in there with my shiny new business cards, my freshly manicured nails (representing my blog and the brand I was reppin’ – Florida Strawberries, respectively,) my brand ambassador badge, and my awe firmly in check, ready for anything the conference was going to throw at me.
I didn’t truly know what to expect, but I happily got much more than I bargained for.
There are a few things that won’t change this year.
The setting is the same: The Rosen Single Creek Resort.
Isabel Laessig, founder of the conference, the movement, and her own blog ‘Family Foodie’, is BFFs with Harris Rosen, and together they find ways to spoil us via the opulent, sprawling venue, the generous amenities, and the varied and delectable food.
The education looks like it’s going to be up there with last year, too. Between fun events and dining experiences, we are on course to learn about videography (the hottest thing in food blogging right now,) working with brands, scoring a viral Instagram account, and how to grill the hottest ribeye in town.
That said, our guest speakers this year are also pretty amazing! Emily Ellyn, Kita Roberts, and Denise Vivaldo are some of my favorite foodie personalities, and they’ll all be sharing some space with us in a few weeks to teach us what they know about being successful at their craft.
Not to mention our incredible keynote speaker…who is currently a secret, unless you’ve guessed who it is via the Guess the Keynote Contest! (In which case, it’s totally chef Donatella Arpaia!)
As for our brands? Some familiar faces are returning as well as some new friends, but one thing remains the same – they all know how to throw one helluva shindig!
Cabot Cheese, CK Mondavi, Idaho Potatoes, Certified Angus Beef, and Duda Farm Fresh Foods are just a few of the well-rounded group of generous sponsors helping to bring this conference to life.
And the best part of all of this? Reuniting with some of the folks I’ve grown so close to in the last year.
These are my people. I’ve found my tribe, my blogging family, and they’re the wonderful folks that make it around the Sunday Supper table every week.
I can’t wait to see them all – and hopefully you – in a few weeks!
If I’ve convinced you to take a weekend away in sunny Central Florida to join us at the Rosen for this incredibly informative and fun weekend, I can get you in for a lil’ cheaper! Pop over to the website to register, and use my promo code to save yourself $50: TheCrumbyCupcake.
If you’re not quite ready to attend in person, but want to keep up with the exciting announcements about speakers, sponsors, recipe contests, and the growing schedule of events, follow the conference on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+, as well as on Snapchat (@FoodWineCon) the conference hashtag, #FWCon.
Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for the Food Wine Conference 2016, I received a discounted ticket, and will receive a commission if you use my discount code to purchase a ticket. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.
Betsy @ Desserts Required says
Great post! I can’t wait to see you again and I am thrilled you are a Brand Ambassador!
Cricket says
This will be my first year attending, I’m so excited! You make it sound like so much fun. I’m a bit scared not knowing anyone, but if you did it so can i!