I have a few things to share with you today, first of all – who wants to see me make a right tit of myself on stage?

Alright, an exaggeration, but I am both very proud and flattered to have been invited by my favourite Brighton foodie Beth to speak at her event – the inagural Food Bloggers Connect. This event is basically a big party for food bloggers everywhere AND also anyone who has a vested interest in Food Blogging to network, share ideas and generally to have a good meal (yup food is obviously involved).

The event will take place this Saturday 28th Nov 2009 at Levant Restaurant in London. I have been asked to do two presentations and I just want to give you a little sneak sneak of what I intend to say… also keep reading for the competition regarding the tickets to Amsterdam.

Oh, I feel so bloody nervous.

So speech number 1 will be titled “Photographs in the Dark”. It will be short and schweet at no more than 7 minutes. I’ll be running through a couple of slides and I will show you a slice of what goes through my mind when I take pictures of food. The objective is for you to walk away with some ideas of how to nail that shot in a lowly lit room. I have a few surprise items that I’m going to whip out on the spot which I hope will help liven things up abit, so if you’re going, do look out for something shiny.

Speech number two is titled “Social media & me” and it will be abit more epic. I’ll keep it succinct at no more than 12 minutes and I just would like to give you a perspective of what Social Media means to me, and what I think my role is within Social Media. If I am articulate enough to get my ideas across, then you should come away with some practical ideas on how to make blogging even more fun than it already is and for the benefit of my non-blogging readership, a snippet of my thought process behind this very blog.

I should also mention that I am probably the pleb in the speakers line-up as there will be some truly fantastic food bloggers who will be presenting their ideas as well:

1. Jeanne from Cook Sister!
2. Jamie from Life’s A Feast
3. Meeta from What’s For Lunch Honey

The presentations will allow for alot of Q&A time, so it’s going to be totally interactive, giving you the chance to comment and for us to respond, just like a blogpost I suppose. Of course, I’ll try to make faces at you and will try to keep things as relaxed as possible, we’re all suppose to have a blast at this thing.

I think it’s gonna be a smasher of an event – there are people flying in from all over the place (as far as Singapore, yikes!) and I am going to give it my all to help pimp the status of the food blogging nation.

As you can tell I’m excited. Hoorah.

So as I understand it, there are already about 70 attendees now, and there are a few more tickets flying about. If you are free from 1pm onwards on Saturday and you feel like giving me a cheer (or jeer) then do come along.

Here’s a quick summary of the deets of the event and how to get your tickets:

What Food Blogger Connect
When November 28th, 2009, 1pm to 5pm
Where Levant Restaurant, Wigmore Street W1U 1BQ
Who Everyone who is or wants to be part of the Food Blogosphere. Food Blogger connect is open to all, and you don’t have to be a long-time blogger to attend. Are you thinking of starting a food blog? This is the perfect time to come and learn how. This event is open to Non-UK Food Bloggers as well.
How much £30 for food and 1 glass of wine. This is the only fee and it covers the meal.
WHERE CAN I RSVP Go to www.rsvpit.com. The event code is 2009.

I just want to also highlight the masterminds behind this too:

Beth of Dirty Kitchen Secrets, Jamie of Life’s a Feast, Hilda of Saffron & Blueberry and Mowie of Mowielicious.

See on Saturday Tweepers!!

OK and now on to the two running competitions from my sponsors Douwe Egberts.

First up is Video 2 of 3 which is part of an ongoing competition to win a coffee hamper. (You can see video 1 here)

Love Coffee? Love that first cup steaming from your cafetiere? Then this film is for you! Douwe Egberts have been growing, roasting and supplying the finest coffees for over 250 years and have learnt a thing or two about the world’s most popular drink along the way. This is the second in a series of 3 short films that charts the fascinating story of coffee and the breakthrough that truly made coffee instant and global – the filter. We also meet Etienne, the passionate tasting master behind the last 3 decades of Douwe Egberts blends. Narrated by James Nesbitt, we really hope you’ll enjoy this and the other films in the series!

Secondly here are the details regarding the competition to win a free holiday to Amsterdam.

The Netherlands is where it all started for Douwe Egberts, some 250 years ago, and we’ve been following the fascinating stories behind coffee ever since. We love hearing about your ideal endings to the coffee story – the kind of special coffee moments that you look forward to enjoying, week after week. In return for sharing, we’re inviting one lucky winner and their friend to experience where it all began. You’ll enjoy 3 nights of 4* accommodation, flights and transfers, £100 spending money and a whole host of Amsterdam’s cultural and culinary delights.

*The winner will be selected as the most original and humorous entry. Closing date is midnight, December 31st 2009.

To enter this competition visit the following : http://behindeverycup.douwe-egberts.co.uk/

Did you enjoy reading this post? Why not subscribe to my feed updates for free. Alternatively, You can subscribe via email.