Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers

Food Blogger Camp and Free Trip Giveaway

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images-1Let’s hit the beach, bask in the sun and get to know each other. I’m delighted to announce the first annual Food Blogger Camp at Club Med Ixtapa Pacific in Ixtapa, Mexico, January 9-16, 2010.

Club Med is giving away accommodations for seven nights, coach airfare, and a scholarship for one sweepstakes winner. You’ll get to meet and hang out with me, plus some of the most talented food bloggers, authors, and food photographers in the business.

At the Boot Camp, we’ll have workshops on how to improve blogging, photography and multimedia skills. I’ll lead a workshop on writing with the senses, and I know FBcamp-200x196I’ll chime in when Jaden Hair and David Lebovitz share their stories on getting published, including drafting a proposal and working with or without an agent. We’ll also take a walking tour of the Zijuatanejo market, taste tacos and tequilas, visit a fisherman’s market and talk with local farmers about sustainable agriculture.

This event is open to all food bloggers. Please read the contest rules before entering. To enter, just leave a comment below, with a link to your blog in the URL. To increase your chances, add a comment on the participating blog sites of these instructors:

The contest begins now and ends on Sunday September 13, 2009 at 11:59 p.m EST (US). Club Med will draw a winner at random from comments on participating websites and Twitter followers on or around September 15, 2009. The winner may bring a guest for the discounted price of a double occupancy room. Guest airfare is not included. If you have already paid and win the sweepstakes, Club Med will refund your payment.

To book the trip:

1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “CLICK HERE TO BOOK.”

2. Use Login: blogger, Password: 160606 to get the Food Blog Camp discount price of $599 to $999 (US) based on double-occupancy and length of stay.

3. On the drop-down menu, choose “Ixtapa.” Type in the dates January 9-16, and 7 days. The booking page will open showing the discounted price just underneath the regular price. (It should say “Best Available Offer: Food Blogger Camp.”)

For questions, call 1-888-WebClub. See you there!

9/15/09: Congratulations to sweepstakes winner Casey Barber of Good. Food. Stories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Tessa says

    Oh my, I would love to attend.

    by the by, I food blog through the pollanesque journal on LJ, as well as through facebook note posts, my personal livejournal (which is locked to public access) and starting to move those over to my public journal: pixirae.blogspot.com. Not all of the entries showing how to enter, nor do the official rules on ClubMed’s site, require a link to your food blog to enter, so my other entries don’t have this description, but I wanted to make sure it was at least in one place. I’m just beginning and would love the opportunity to learn from who I consider the best.

  4. Stephanie says

    Yay, I’m the first one to comment here too. Officially throwing my hat in the ring by commenting everywhere and following the Twitter account. Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

  5. Garrett says

    As a grad student I could get a lot of great info and research done at this bootcamp. By research I mean, of course, eat tacos and learn to take better pictures of them.

  19. Rachel says

    What a terrific opportunity! I would love the chance to learn more from such great folks, or the chance to get to do it all for free. Dianne – I am in the Bay Area and have had people recommend your courses, and have been looking forward to taking one, but I never thought one would be offered in a Mexican resort!

  28. Libby says

    This looks like a terrific conference, a great lineup of writers in a wonderful location at the perfect time of year (when everyone needs a little sunshine). As a regional food blogger, covering restaurants in my little town, and hoping to expand and grow as the restaurants here get better and better (as the vineyards grow, so comes the cuisine), I’d love to win and learn. Which I obviously need from that huge run-on sentence wouldn’t you say? Give me a chance and I promise I won’t spend every single day sipping mai tais by the pool, but will actually GO to the conference, lol!

  31. dave says

    Dianne, if this camp is even half as helpful as “Will Write For Food” than I would love to be there and share in the ideas. Thanks for sharing this opportunity with all of us!

  32. Zahra Duffy says

    oh my goodness! Having just left student-dom and entered the real world of bills and non-leisure, I’d be ECSTATIC to go on any kind of vacation, much less one I would give my left pinky toe to be a part of!

  34. Nancy Horn says

    Hi Dianne!

    I would LOVE to attend this conference and would only be able to if I WON! I have my blog (dishingup.wordpress.com) my restaurant (dishcafecatering.com) and a potential visit from the Food Network in November! PLEASE choose me! I am qualified to attend!

    Tastefully yours, Nancy Horn
    775-762-3175

  41. Kamran Siddiqi says

    I would love to addend this! I would learn so much, and have so much fun. Not only this would be a great learning experience, this would make up for the vacations I didn’t have for the past 3 years.

  64. Jennie Schacht says

    With a book coming out in April, and currently working on my new web site (which will include a blog), blogging camp would be just the thing! ‘Specially at Club Med. Pick me! Pick me!

  65. Stasi says

    I wish that everybody could go, but alas, I do so hope my fairy godmother comes through for me on this one!

  67. Karen says

    I know it’s a random chance but I have been so looking forward to meeting you and taking a workshop. Zihuat? Even better. Will see you at Blog Her Food…looking forward to it.

  87. Lesley says

    This is an awesome idea. Also, I had no idea about BlogHer Food — wish I would have known about it sooner. Hopefully I’ll check it out for next year!

  89. Naomi says

    What a way to start a new year with favorite fod bloggers, fun in the sun, fabulous food and kitchen time! Count me in!

  90. Justopia says

    I’m not sure I could find a better vacation. It came up at the perfect time; just as I was looking for a winter vacation. I’m all booked and ready to go, winning would be the prize of a lifetime!

  107. Loren Leong says

    Looking forward to learning all the little things that make for a great blog. I see it takes hard work and a lot of fun is to be had.

  109. Amanda says

    I know I don’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell at winning, but I’m entering anyway! Man that would be so awesome to go. I wish the economy weren’t in the toilet, I would buy my ticket now! Thanks for having the contest, and I hope everyone has a blast!

  112. dana joy altman says

    first I want to say, I’d love to come to bootcamp with y’all. second, I am so glad to be introduced to your blog, never been before. I could really used some pithy snippets. looking forward to checking you out.

    thanks!!

    dana joy

  139. Joyce says

    Will comment for food, for photos, for travel, for meeting amazing bloggers… will do anything to win this contest! 🙂

  142. cheryl says

    I remember my first time at Club Med. Paradise Island, Bahamas. I was 14 years old and had a crush on a fellow vacationer named Adam, who was probably 15. When they picked teams for the doubles tennis tournament, they had all the women/girls put their rackets in one pile, and all the men/boys put their rackets in another. They then picked one racket from each pile to form each mixed doubles team.

    Guess whose rackets they picked?

    That’s right.

    Maybe this time I’ll get picked again!

  157. Renee Restivo says

    so happy to find your blog! i just ordered your book from amazon after i found it on the net a few days ago.

    what a fabulous idea! the food bloggers who are participating in this program are some of the BEST, and what could be better than meeting for such an exciting program at Club Med?

    i am launching a blog about cooking in Sicily and Italian regional foods soon, and know this would be a once in a lifetime op!

    un caro saluto,
    Renee
    http://www.youtube.com/reneerestivo

  187. Karen says

    Food, fun, good company, beautiful setting, what more could you ask for? If I could afford it, I’d just sign right up, but hey, maybe I’ll win anyway 🙂

  215. amy says

    That would be so wonderful! I love to cook and take photography. Plus the dates is on our wedding anniversary. A honeymoon that I never had.

  230. Arielle says

    this is amazingggg!! i’m a college student and am part of a club on campus called the culinary society. i love food and i love club med!! i hope i win!

  239. ThatsSoYummy says

    I think this is a GREAT opportunity to learn and meet some of the best out there in the Food Blogoshere… Beautiful Mexico, Fantastic Food, and Entertaining Blogging, can you really ask for more!!!! 🙂

  242. Marcella Tomlin says

    I sure hope you choose me :)! This would be a most awesome opportunity to learn from the great greats :)!!!

  243. Andrea says

    I’m being totally honest when I say I want to attend the camp for the sessions which I know will be amazing, but the mommy in me would also love a week with adults! And beach! And tropical drinks!

  249. Dawn in CA says

    Fledgling food blogger, so I’ll have to leave my URL at a later date… but I’ll be up and running by January! I so hope to win this trip.

  262. Tamar Adler says

    I should add a blog piece to this site. It has hundreds of users and they all love food. They use the site to buy whole animals directly from farms, and I imagine that documenting what I do with everything, nose to tail, would be encouraging.

  264. Lauren says

    Well I guess I’m just gonna have to, huh? Am developing a master’s thesis on food blogging…why not do it in mexico? 🙂

  269. Namita says

    Amazing how you’ve put together a conference on not simply blogging, but what is behind the food – the origins, the growth practices, the climate. Thanks for sharing!

  286. Donna Diegel says

    Pick Me, Pick Me! I promise I’ll be the best food blogger evah, and I love food, so it’s perfect! I’m free that week too, what a
    coincidence! YES, YES, YES! I’ll have what she’s having!

    Spatulas & Corkscrews

  296. Alicia says

    I’m a food blogger from IA with a focus on local foods and sustainability, and would love to see what comes out of me from Mexico, especially in such a vibrant community as Ixtapa! The education and enthusiasm from these participants would be just what the doctor ordered for my blog, and my life. Last year’s coverage made me crazy with jealousy. Please please 🙂

    Also, I’m off for all of January already. 🙂

  313. dorette s says

    frying bacon simultaneoulsy, the smoky scent carries me back to childhood summers on the boardwalk of ocean city. please visit planting cabbages, where i blog about writing the novel, city of ladies. a woman bread apprentice’s journey home in 16th century france. thanks for this ixtapa opportunity!

  328. Tess Cain says

    Hola to deep blue waters, margaritas on the beach and food fantasies fulfilled. Sounds like a perfect place to be in January.

  339. Mélanie says

    Is it only open to US residents? Oh, I wish it is not, I would so much like to go… Thank you anyway for the opportunity, this food blogger camp is a GREAT idea. I love the program, everything seems very interesting (and I would really need the advises!)…

  347. Vee Wong says

    Would love to start a food blog and what better opportunity this will be to learn from the best of them?

  349. Dave W. says

    Oooh, I hope you pick me. I know I’d love to go to learn more about food blogging, and to go have fun with all the pros.

  364. Cathy says

    I would love to be selected!! Looks like a fabulous time. I have admired Jaden Hair, Elise Bauer, and David Lebovitz for a long time now. Such inspiration!

  379. Katherine says

    Now *that* sounds like fun! Apparently a lot of other people think so too. 🙂 Thanks for the opportunity!