First off, thank you to everyone who sponsored, spoke at, or attended the 2022 International Food Blogger Conference in El Paso. We especially want to thank Destination El Paso, which was a stellar partner over the last years during the pandemic in helping us run the conference. If you have not seen the short summary video, it is worth your time.
So where does the conference go from here?
We have no plans at this point to bring back the International Food Blogger Conference. Obviously, the pandemic has been bad for conferences. Even conferences that have run have tended to have fewer participants and sponsors than in pre-pandemic years. And while we think conferences will return, we at Zephyr Conferences also faced the reality of losing 1/2 our four-person staff due to the pandemic.
In 2021 we experienced a surge in (mostly domestic) travel and this surge has only increased in 2022, as people are hungry to again travel around the world. This means the tour side of our Zephyr United business has been booming and requiring much of our time and attention. Which we are not complaining about!
In the end, we have decided to not plan a 2023 International Food Blogger Conference unless something changes. We are open to any suggestions from key food industry players or influencer groups regarding the future of the IFBC.