This year’s International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle was the first major blogging conference I’ve attended. I’d gone to some smaller, local events, but when I saw the price (only $95 for active bloggers) and location (new home of my little brother) of this year’s IFBC, I decided it was time to give it a try. Events like this can be overwhelming, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on how to make the most of your experience:

1. Be friendly. I would not be particularly surprised if someone did a study that said that the majority or bloggers are introverts – I mean, we write things on the internet in our free time. But even if you’re super outgoing, walking into a room full of strangers can be daunting. Just remember, you and everyone else in this room have at least one thing in common, and it’s an easy conversation starter. Be friendly and introduce yourself to lots of different people. Ask about them, their blogs, the conference, or whatever hot food or blogging news is on your mind. But be genuine – don’t introduce yourself only to sell your blog for 5 minutes and walk away.
2. If you’re not naturally friendly, go to the wine events. Or really, go to the wine events whether or not you’re outgoing; they’re always the most fun. But seriously, there’s nothing like putting yourself in a smaller group full of people drinking wine to loosen you up. Case in point: on the bus ride to Ste Michelle Winery this year, I didn’t say a word for the whole 30 minutes and began to dread the upcoming weekend. On the way back, I chatted with almost everyone on the bus, and left with lunch plans for the following day.
3. Don’t be cliquey. Once you have all these great new friends, don’t decide that you’re done meeting people. There’s nothing worse than the groups of bloggers who meet three other people in the first hour and spend the rest of the weekend glued at the hip. Spend time with the people you know and like, but do yourself a favor and branch out.
4. Only do as much as you want to. You don’t have to do everything. Yes, you should try and get out of your comfort zone, and yes, you should get as much value as you can out of your hard-earned money, but if you’re going to be miserably tired in a session or just aren’t interested in any of the topics? Skip it. And don’t feel bad about it.
5. Be smart when you talk to brands. When you approach a brand representative, know what you want out of the conversation, and ask them why they are here and how they are hoping to work with bloggers. Surprisingly, I found some brands that weren’t really prepared to answer this question, while others had specific reasons for wanting to build relationships with food bloggers. If you can, segue into a real conversation for at least a few minutes, and don’t forget to follow-up a few days later so you’re more memorable.
6. Take time out. If you’re getting tired or not having fun, take a break. Go for a run. Explore the city. Head out to take photos on your own. Or just wash TV in bed for a while. You’ll come back to the sessions rejuvenated and actually wanting to talk to people again.
7. Don’t go swag crazy. Especially if you’re flying. It can be easy to get greedy when faced with a room full of goodies, but are you really going to be able to fit 8 bags of chia seeds into your luggage? And do you really want 8 bags of chia seeds, or are you just taking them because everyone else is? I let this situation get away from me a little bit and ended up leaving 90% of my swag with my little brother. Certainly, take what you’re interested in, but try not to be too aggressive about it, and leave enough for other bloggers.
8. Follow-up. Whether it’s with brands or with new-found blogger friends, send an email within a few weeks of the conference to follow-up. A twitter follow is nice in the moment, but distinctly forgettable. Especially if you’re hoping to work with someone, an email allows you to set up your future relationship, even if you won’t end up working together for a few years.

I enjoyed my time at IFBC this year, but I don’t think I’ll be returning next year. Between the flight, the hotel, and the conference itself, it ended up being a pretty expensive weekend. It’s always fun to meet and talk shop with other bloggers, and some of the sessions (particularly Andrew Scrivani’s session on food photography) were really educational, but overall, I wish I had learned more. That said, I may still try out some other conferences – I’ve heard great things about BlogHerFood – and seek out opportunities to make in-person connections with other bloggers.

Note: In order to received the discounted active blogger rate at IFBC, all participating bloggers were required to write three posts about their experience at the conference.

The post IFBC 2013: 8 Tips for Attending a Food Blog Conference appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I just got home from a whirlwind four days in Seattle, where I ate and drank my way through the city as part of the sixth IFBC. In addition to attending the conference sessions, I had plenty of time to explore the city, hang out with my little brother, and work off some of those calories in long runs on the waterfront. Although I’m by no means an expert on the city, I wanted to share some notes and tips about the food, wine, and activities that I most enjoyed during my four days there.

Eating and Drinking

RN74 – As part of the conference, UrbanSpoon arranged a series of small blogger dinners at some of the best restaurants in Seattle. My group was sent just a few blocks from the hotel to RN74, where we were served an amazing 10 course dinner. Highlights included the muhsroom tempura, dungeness crab spaghetti with lemon and poppy seed, 45-day dry-aged beef with duck fat fries, olive oil cake with lemon curd sherbet, and an Au Bon Climat chardonnay that was one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted.

Lecosho – Wanting to get out of the hotel for a little bit on such a beautiful weekend, I met new blog acquaintances Diana, Garrett, and Rachael (and Diana’s husband and adorable 8-month old baby) for lunch at Lecosho on Friday. It was the perfect lunch spot – right downtown, with delicious soups, salads, and sandwiches. I had a grilled ham and cheese with spicy mustard, and fresh cream of mushroom soup. Very reasonably priced, too.

Beecher’s – Initially curious about the long line of people waiting outside the small storefront, I did a little bit of research on Beecher’s, a handmade cheese store in Pike Place Market, and decided to give this landmark restaurant a try. The super creamy, perfectly cheesy mac’n’cheese is 100% worth the hype. Try it.

Blue C Sushi – I’m not sure it’s on their regular menu, but the baked potato sushi roll with caviar was my favorite small bite from the conference food expo on Friday night. Think nori, stuffed with baked potato, a crumble of bacon, sour cream, and a spoonful of caviar on top. So clever – and so good! Good enough that next time I think I’ll check out their full menu.

Luc – As we waddled out of the UrbanSpoon dinner at RN74, we were handed gift bags with even more goodies, including gift certificates to another charming restaurant, a french place called Luc. Since she was leaving the next day, my dinner buddy Karli was kind enough to give me her card, so Ryan and I headed there for a farewell dinner Sunday night. Since I was still a bit chilled from our damp hike earlier that afternoon, I ordered the hearty white bean cassoulet with duck confit. Um, yum. Ryan also devoured his moules marinieres, and we finished the meal off with the best chocolate pot de creme I’ve ever had – it was so silky and just chocolaty enough. A fabulous ending to my visit.

Cupcake Royale – Cupcake Royale was one of the hosts of the Fresh Bloggers party I went to on Thursday night. I didn’t eat much there since I was pretty full from the previous event, but I’m so glad I tried a granny smith and salted caramel cupcake before I left, because then I was able to immediately consume three more. These are really good cupcakes. And I’m pretty picky about cupcakes.

Chateau Ste Michelle – Touring the Chateau Ste Michelle winery in Woodinville was an optional excursion associated with IFBC, and I’m glad I opted in. It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny afternoon when our tour bus pulled up to the winery, which is about 30 minutes away from downtown Seattle, and we were immediately greeted with chilled glasses of a lovely sparkling rosé. A whilrwind tour of the bottling and fermenting facility followed (all the grapes are grown way out in Eastern Washington, so we didn’t see any of those), before we were ushered into a dining room where John Sarich led us through a quick wine tasting with several super tasty small bites to accompany it. I loved all the food (especially, surprisingly, the cured salmon), and the Eroica Riesling was a remarkable wine. I’d definitely head back out to Woodinville to taste more wines on my next trip.

Exploring

Pike Place Market – Although probably the most famous activity in Seattle (or at least tied with the Space Needle), wandering through Pike Place Market is a must. It’s full of vibrant colors, sounds and smells – fresh produce, beautiful flowers (and so cheap, if I lived in Seattle I’d have flowers all the time), buskers and barbershop quartets, and dozens of restaurants, selling everything from coffee to mac’n’cheese to Russian meat pies. And if you wander all the way down to the end, there’s a lovely little park with great views of the sound where you can sit and enjoy all your market goodies.

Running on the Elliott Bay Trail – One of my favorite ways to explore a new city is by going for a jog, and Seattle is a great place for this. If you’re staying downtown, head down to the waterfront and run North along the docks (Alaskan Way on the map) until you get to Myrtle Edwardrs Park, where the Elliott Bay Bike Trail winds through grassy lawns along the beach. It’s a great, mostly flat run – I managed to fit in 5 miles both Friday and Saturday (taking a lot of photo breaks as I ran).

Cougar Mountain Regional Park – Fitting in a hike with my brother was a must-do on my list, rain or shine. Although it had been sunny all weekend so far, when my brother arrived to pick me up, there was a heavy, blowy rain falling. Still, I suited up in a poncho and we started our walk through the Cougar Mountain park, starting at a trailhead only a few miles from his house (in Bellevue). After about 30 minutes, the rain stopped and the sun started to break through the clouds, leading to gorgeous, sun-streaked mist filling the rainforest. The hike we chose was an easy 4 mile loop with little elevation gain – more of a walk in the woods than a true hike – but it was great to be outside and exploring new terrain.

Since I’m sure I’ll be back to Seattle somewhat frequently to visit my brother, I’ve already started keeping a list of other things I’d like to do there – like ride up in the Space Needle, go on a whale watch, do some more serious hiking, and take a ferry to Victoria. Plus, there’s a lot more great restaurants to try. With the promise of all that, I’m sure I’ll be back soon!

Note: In order to received the discounted active blogger rate at IFBC, all participating bloggers were required to write three posts about their experience at the conference.

The post IFBC 2013: Eating, Drinking, and Exploring Seattle appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.

I’m writing this to you from way up over Canada, en route to Seattle for the 2013 International Food Blogger Conference, better known as IFBC. I’m pretty excited – four days of wining and dining, schmoozing with other bloggers and food professionals, and hopefully learning a ton from the speakers and break-out sessions. Not to mention, I’ll get to explore Seattle and hang out with my baby brother, who just moved here last month. It’s gonna be good.

I’ll be tweeting and instagramming from all the events (take that as an invitation or a warning, whichever you prefer), and when I get back I’ll be sure to write a few posts to share what we learned (and ate) at the conference. In the meantime, I want to direct your attention over to Cake Journal, where I’m sharing these sinful chocolate-toffee cookies with caramel centers. They’re a riff on my favorite double-chocolate cookie, amped up with toffee bits and homemade caramel. They’ll pretty much satisfy any chocolate craving. I may be contributing more original dessert recipes to Cake Journal in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Oh, and if any of you will be attending IFBC, shoot me a note! I’d love to say hi. Also, I’ll have some time to explore (and eat!) on my own – any recommendations for Seattle favorites would be welcome. And if you’re not going to be in Seattle, I hope you have a fantastic weekend. Talk to you soon!

Click here for the cookie recipe.

Note: In order to received the discounted active blogger rate at IFBC, all participating bloggers were required to write three posts about their experience at the conference.

The post IFBC, Cake Journal, Chocolate-Toffee Cookies with Caramel Centers appeared first on Katie at the Kitchen Door.