FBC2013: Speakers and panel sessions

FBC2013 - it's just over a month away and we're so excited to see the buzz around Canada's first dedicated food blogging conference!

We're just tweaking the final schedule which we will release next week but for now we wanted to let you know what our fabulous lineup of speakers will be talking about in their presentations and panels*. There are a handful of tickets remaining, get them while you can!

FBC2013 Sessions

Keynote

David Leite

Respected by all, David will welcome, delight and prepare Food Bloggers of Canada attendees for a weekend of learning, fun and great memories to be had during Canada's first ever food blogger conference!

Bookkeeping for Canadian Bloggers

Brian Kent-Baas

So, you’re been blogging for a little while and you’re getting some freebies. Or you’re being compensated for sponsored posts. Did you know that your friendly neighbourhood CRA will want to know about that? In this session, Brian will explain what constitutes “revenue” and what’s not. What's the exemption limit? What expenses can you write off? And, the million dollar question - what do you need to declare on your tax return? Learn all the rules here.

The Changing Face of Food Writing - From The Joy of Cooking to Food52

Lucy Waverman

In this session, Lucy will discuss the changing landscape of food writing, from recipe-based cookbooks to the rise of the food blog and their relevancy. Lucy will cover a variety of topics related to this ever-changing profession including respecting the printed word (and copyright) in the digital age and the journalistic approach to writing a blog. There will be a Q&A at the end of the session so come prepared with questions.

Food Photography and Styling for Your Blog

Robin Sharp, Adele Hagan and Julie van Rosendaal

Join food photographer Robin Sharp and food stylist Adele Hagan and photographer Julie van Rosendaal, for this hands-on workshop. You’ll learn how to style food from your own kitchen with simple but attractive setups, work with natural and artificial light, and learn some tricks of the trade to make the most of what you have to work with in your home or even in a restaurant! We will be working in two groups to make sure that you get lots of hands-on time with the instructors and have plenty of room to set up your shots. Please bring your tripods and cameras and be prepared to move around, as this is an interactive session.

Future Trends in Canadian Food Blogging

Dana McCauley

In the late 1990’s the first food blog emerged on the internet like a tiny, directionless, tadpole. Since then the genre has mutated into an octopus with constantly thrashing and growing tentacles. What does the future hold for food blogs? Will Canadians be using them in unique ways or will our path follow a global trajectory? In this summative presentation, former food writer and blogger, Dana McCauley will present her observations and hopes for the future of food blogs in Canada.

Hey, Is Anybody Out There?

Dianne Jacob

Do you find that hardly anyone leaves a comment on your blog, yet other food blogs have lots of discussion? Even worse for you, when readers see no comments, they're less likely to leave one. In this session, learn how draw readers in and generate comments that show people are reading and thinking about your post.

Tech For Your Blog - Getting Visitors and Keeping Them

Dave Zille and Melissa Hartfiel

Is your blog mobile or tablet friendly? Does Google indexing confound you? Do you make it easy for people to find the content they’re looking for and then share it with their friends? During this session web developer Dave Zille and web designer Melissa Hartfiel will bring you up to speed with some of the latest advances in making your blog a place visitors will find and then return to. They’ll be covering mobile design, blog usability and accessibility and SEO - including tips on Google authorship, recipe plug-ins and social sharing. Be ready to leave with simple suggestions you can implement as soon as you get home!

FBC2013 Panels

Bloggers and Brands/PR - Best Practices for a Happy Partnership

Brittany Stager, Heather Travis, Mary Luz Mejia, and Mardi Michels. Moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store

In the fast paced world of social media and blogging, the roles and responsibilities of a blogger are quickly changing. Brands/PR are starting to recognize the power of bloggers - they hold a dedicated following, unique writing style & voice, and reach & frequency that is unlike traditional media. The opportunity for custom programs is appealing to both bloggers and brands, but how do you work together to form a happy, co-beneficial relationship? This panel session will address some of the "do's and don'ts" of working with brands, from both a blogger and brand perspective.

The Chef & The Critic - 2 Perspectives on Restaurants and Blogging

Alexa Clark and Jason Bangerter. Moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store

In this panel Chef Jason Bangerter of Oliver & Bonacini's Luma Restaurant and Alexa Clark of CheapEats and unsweetened.ca, moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store, will discuss and debate the pros and cons of bloggers and restaurants working together, the effects of social media on the restaurant scene and the evolution of food critiquing.

Making Dough - Earning a Living With Your Words

Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, Jan Scott and Dan Clapson. Moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store

Whether it's writing, editing, appearing on cooking shows or creating not-for-profit programs, the possibilities are endless for you to do what you love! There are 1001 different ways to make a living with your words ad this panel will share their varied backgrounds and how they have blazed their own path in and outside of the kitchen.

Publishing - The Many Chapters of Writing a Book

Dianne Jacob, Julie van Rosendaal, Charmian Christie, Corey Mintz, Emily Richards. Moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store

There is no one route to take to get published and the panel will talk about connecting with editors, finding agents, pitching ideas, writing proposals, writing and then editing the book itself, hustling once it's finally on the shelf and the various ways books are published nowadays.

Recipe Development 101

Adell Shneer, Stephanie Eddy, and Mairlyn Smith. Moderated by Alison Fryer of The Cookbook Store

This panel session will present three points of view towards the recipe development process and how it relates to developing recipes for cookbooks, newspapers and magazines, and, of course, online media

*all sessions subject to change