The 2021 International Food Blogger Conference, October 1-2 in El Paso, Texas, will take place as scheduled. We are confident in saying this based on a predicted improvement in the pandemic, the outdoor location we have secured, and a policy of requiring all attendees to have a negative COVID test or vaccination.
We are still in the midst of the pandemic and, in fact, things could get even worse if the new virus variants take hold in the US. We urge everyone to stay home and stay safe during this dark time. And if we still happen to be in too risky a situation in October or if the Texas governor has not opened up the state sufficiently to allow us to proceed, we naturally will not.
However, we are confident by October that with an improved situation and our safety policies we will be able to hold the conference in person.
- The conference will take place outside, including sessions and tastings, with spacing in between tables.
- We will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from all attendees.
- We have an array of safety procedures in place.
- It is possible everyone in the United States will have access to a vaccine before the conference, which should dramatically decrease the spread of the disease.
- Airline travel has proven to be quite safe already thanks to airline practices and will get safer with continued testing and the onset of vaccinations.
- Testing has improved dramatically, including at-home testing, which we can potentially employ at our conference.
Our capacity at this conference is limited to 141 people, which is lower than in recent years. However, this is the number we can safely handle and we think it will make for a small, intimate, and awesome conference. Please join us for what should be a momentous event as we thrive in the food scene of El Paso, rejoice in seeing old friends again, and look to the future with an excellent array of content and speakers.
