My (Belated) BlogHer Food 2013 Recap

I have over 100 pictures of food.  It was CRAZY!

Remember when I was talking about BlogHer Food 2013 all.of.the.time?  I cannot believe it was over six months ago!  Right after I got back (in June!) my computer crashed and I temporarily lost all of my pics.  Then, I kind of forgot that I didn't share them yet.

In some ways, maybe it's better that I'm sharing my input now since some people are starting to consider the trip to Miami in May for BlogHer 2014.  My advice: if you can, DO IT.  I had an amazing time, met fun people and connected with awesome brands.  As part of my "Countdown to 30" mentality, I found a roommate through the volunteer board (Hi, Singrit!) and headed to Austin, Texas alone without knowing anyone.  Of course, I was super nervous at first, but once I got of the plane I was excited!

For all of you non-bloggers out there, you may wonder "Why do bloggers need conferences?".  Before I started this site, I had no clue there were such conferences.  The biggest reason I try to go to at least one conference a year? The connections.  It's a great way to get your name out there!!

There are different BlogHer conferences each year.  The main event is regular BlogHer, which was in Chicago last July.  Although I would love to maybe go someday, it is HUGE.  People everywhere and I've heard it's crazy.  Not quite my cup of tea.  I had an opportunity to volunteer for BlogHer Food in Austin and I jumped at the chance (and free ticket!).  The food conference is MUCH smaller and intimate.  Yes, there are still over 500 people, but it's small potatoes compared to the THOUSANDS at the larger conference.  I felt like I had many opportunities to actually get to know some brands and since the conference I've had many great offers come my way.  Plus the chances of winning prizes is much better...I walked away with quite a few goodies, including an iPad Mini!

One of my favorite stops: Gourdoughs. I don't even LIKE doughnuts and I was drooling!

One thing you need to prepare for if you're attending BlogHer Food: the amount of food you are given.  From samples from brands, jaw dropping displays for lunches and off-site events, you are ALWAYS eating.  I felt like I got to fall in love with Austin while I was there too!  Since it was super hot while we were there, I didn't feel so bad stuffing my face with every little morsel that was handed to me.  (True story: I was doing Weight Watchers and my weigh-in the next week I actually lost 3 pounds!  It had to be all of the walking and sweating!)

Bring an extra bag for swag.  A lot of companies offered to ship larger swag, which was so generous.  I still had to try to fly home with a hotel bed worth of goodies. While my bag was being scanned at the airport, the guy just kinda looked at me like "She must really like to eat!".

The parties are crazy.  The first night we had a rooftop event at the most beautiful Whole Foods I've ever seen.  They had music and at least 20 tables of local samples for us...plus a swag bag.  BlogHer knows how to make you feel special, that's for sure!  The next night we had excursions around Austin to check out the town.  Each group had 4 stops.  I picked the taco & tequila one, go figure.  The final night we had a huge closing party at the famous Franklin's BBQ.  So basically you eat, learn and meet great people.  The 3 days seem like a week!  I love how they made sure we got out of the conference rooms.

I am going to do whatever I can do make it to Miami this May for the 2014 conference. (Email me if you would like to sponsor me!) I still talk to many of the people I met and I have great connections with brands still to this day.  I felt like it was worth every penny I spent!  I am kind of in the middle...I wouldn't call myself a food blogger, but I post mostly food.  I'm a food & family blogger, I would say.  If you are considering going to the conference, but aren't sure you aren't foodie enough, I wouldn't worry.  Yes, there are some hardcore foodies (hello, Pioneer Woman), but there are regular people like me there also. It's a learning experience for everyone!

Have you been to a BlogHer?