BlogHer Food in San Francisco was one long day of group hug. It started at the networking breakfast at 8 a.m. and ended at the after-party thrown by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen, Ree Drummond of The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes beginning at 8 p.m.
Here you can see just part of the crowd, everyone talking at once in deafening volume, in the hallway in front of the bookseller.
Read about the party… I mean conference, on these early posts from Carrots ‘N Cake and Kath Eats Real Food. Well, girls just want to have fun. And we did.
Sponsors, who subsidized the cost of the event, prevailed between the sessions. Hunky Chef Rocco DiSpirito hawked Bertolli frozen meals over a grou
p lunch while they actually served us the frozen pasta as entrees. (Hello?!) Celebrity chef and Citizen Cake owner Elizabeth Faulkner demoed with Scharffen-Berger during a break, and booth people plied us with cans of chicken stock and spray Pillsbury frosting for a cupcake challenge. A classy cocktail party on the rooftop sponsored by Campbell’s Soup Co. capped off the official part of the day. I was so excited about seeing bloggers in person after reading their work online and Twittering and Facebooking with them, I almost didn’t mind.
And oh yeah, we went to sessions on such topics as the blogger’s voice (where I was a panelist), best practices, and new opportunities. More on what I learned later. First I need to lie down.
Did you go or write a post about the day? Have a comment? Let me know.
P.S. Updates: More reports on the conference from Simply Recipes.
I’m exhausted and I have no voice!
So sad that it’s over.
It was indeed a super event. I enjoyed your panel discussion with favorite bloggers regarding our voice, meeting virtual friends in real life, and all the festivities – including the Napa event the night before with Rocco, St. Supery Vineyards and Bertolli. Will overlook the food disconnect; after all, who needed an appetite with Rocco at the table?
Sounds amazing, wish I’d gone! Am looking at the Blogger Conference in Mexico. You are speaking there too, correct?!
Yep, I’ll be there. Come join us, Alona!
It was nice to meet you in person, after reading (and enjoying) your work. After sitting in on your panel about finding my voice, I erased and re-wrote one of my most recent blog posts. You helped me to remember that my blog is an extension of myself – it won’t add value to my business if it doesn’t capture my passion and personality. Thanks for participating!
Hello Dianne – I was at BlogHer Food ’09 and heard you speak at the “Voice” panel … thanks so much for that. The discussion was terrific. I bought your book and can’t wait to read it. So glad to have found your blog here and your book … what a marvelous resource!!
Looks amazing and seems there is alot to learn. I hope I can go to one at some point!
It was a great day, but I skipped out on the lunch with 3 other folks when we saw the menu. Natanya wrote a great post about what a mistake BlogHer made with Bertolli http://bit.ly/2flmno
I too skipped out on lunch and more to make my way to the Ferry Plaza farmers’ market-much better food, alas. And why a trip to SF’s biggest foodie haven wasn’t even a part of the agenda is beyond me.
I guess I was a little less thrilled, but lie down at the end-yes, definitely needed. Here’s a link to my post: http://mynepenthebook.com/2009/09/my-day-at-blogher-sf/
At any rate-it was an interesting day and your panel discussion about voice was perhaps the most relevant and useful. As always, Dianne-you offer sage advice and encouragement to all us want-to-be food writers.
Nani
So wish I could have attended. I wish there was some way to access the talks-video like google does or whatever..
Next time I WILL go!
Dianne, you’re so smart to create a hub of links about the conference. Thanks for inviting me to leave mine. For my take on BlogHer Food and photos from the cocktail reception, see http://5secondrule.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/blogher-food-2009-recap.html
Thanks so much for being a part of the inaugural BlogHer Food Conference and for lending your own expert voice to the “Voice” panel. I heard nothing but raves! (And the Barnes & Noble guy told me your book was a hot seller!)
Thanks also for the constructive feedback. We’ll be sending out our usual post-conference survey link to every attendee in the next couple of days. In addition to this post, I hope you will take 15 minutes to help us quantify your responses..which can be anonymous btw 🙂Â
We’ll send you the survey link in our final BlogHer Food ’09 attendee newsletter. We’re excited to read your suggestions to make BlogHer Food ’10 even better! (Which, yes, means there will be a next year!)
Thanks again,
Elisa, for the BlogHer Team
Thanks so much for the link to the transcript.