This post was contributed by Shana and Thea, two bloggers attending WBC09. We LOVE community contributions, thanks so much!!!
If anyone else has advice feel free to add to the comments section!
About a week to go till the Wine Blogging Conference takes over the Flamingo Hotel for the second year in a row and inspired by popular demand, Shana Ray (aka @Sharayray) and Thea Dwelle (aka @winebratsf) decided to create a guide to the Wine Blogging Conference for newbies and anyone who wants to know any insider tips. So, here we go:
Make sure to add #WBC09 to all your tweets!
Bring your cellphone or laptop charger! There will be a lot of tweeting/facebooking/live blogging going around and we all know how quickly iphone batteries die.
Tweet at your own pace, don’t feel pressured to tweet… Even if us Twitter-holics harass you.
Remember that your tweets are for everyone to see. Keep your drunken tweets classy!
Follow people who will be at the conference (Twitter Names) and don’t be afraid to say hello.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Last year, I was so nervous because I thought that everyone’s wine knowledge was so much more extensive than mine. Even though that may have been true, the people I met were so humble that they did not make me feel stupid when asked what a Sangiovese was. – Shana
Don’t be afraid to jump in conversations. Don’t wait for someone to talk to you. This is your chance to network and meet new people so don’t be shy!
Come with an open mind, everyone likes different things.
Don’t come between a wine blogger and their bacon. Yes, for a second year in a row, bacon will be a topic that will come up almost as much as wine.
Don’t just drink what you know. Branch out and taste new varietals and brands.
Get enough sleep – Don’t party too much on Friday night, you will wear yourself out!
If you sit near Thea, Megan, Ashley and Shana, please do not shush us…. We will attempt to be on our best behavior, but we will not make any promises.
Wear comfortable shoes, especially during the winery tours.
Make sure to keep hydrated and eat up!
You are allowed to use a spit cup. Shana just learned about this new concept of swirl, sip and spit. It is a necessity to make sure you try all the delicious wines that will be made available.
Ask the winemakers and keynote speakers questions! They are there to teach you about wine, so soak up the experience.
Make sure to bring a bottle of your favorite wine to show off!
Please make sure you come say hello to Thea and Shana. We will most likely be some of the loudest people around, so it shouldn’t be hard to find us! Also, make sure to thank Joel and Allen for creating such an amazing event for the wine industry.
Lastly, bring your sense of humor and don’t take yourself so seriously! We are a funny and sarcastic bunch of people and you will be sure to have an amazing and memorable time! Wine bloggers have been known to imitate the 3 stooges or break into spontaneous rubber chicken dance-offs on occasion.
Please comment if you have any more advice for newbies or any questions for us or other second timers! We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
I love the swirl. sip. spit concept. At my last wine tasting event i had to have my husband com pick me up as i had tried about 7 different wines in an hour, and they were proportional sizes, and I am not a big women. I know at somepoint through out that night I was smoking a Cuban Cigar but I do now know where that came in, and I am not a smoker so it was that much more suprising. needless to say my husband had a good laugh at me.
Sadly, I'll miss Friday (flying in from co. meeting) – look forward to tasting / tweeting with ya'll next Sat! #wbc09
Yes, of course. Just wanted to point out that #WBC09 can still be used in these tweets.
There are lots of tools for tweeting notes. Using #WBC09 will be the most important to show the power of the community!!
If you are looking for a tool to help you blog during #WBC09 you might try @idrankthis.
The format is simple: tweet your tasting notes and wine photo to @idrankthis and your tasting notes will be saved at http://idrankthis.com/%5Byour twitter id]
Learn more at http://idrankthis.com
This of course went without saying, but I'm looking forward to the 2.0 version!
can you take video of you jumping please? hehe ok ok i'll wait til next week. J ust a GREAT imgae.
I commented on Luscious Lushes and Thea asked me to add it here as well.
New this year, or at least I think new, is a service dog amongst us. She is very cute and very sweet but she is doing a job. Please do not interact with her without asking first.
You might see her interacting with others. It is a long weekend and she will go “off the clock” for brief breaks. But she won’t do it until her handler is seated and safe and she hears the special command to do so.
Interacting with Ebony, service dog, when I am trying to get wine can have disastrous results such as me AND my precious wine on the floor!
Literally jumping up and down in my seat. Thx for the primer ladies!
I agree with one exception – the Live Wine Blogging event! We're going to get the Wireless LAN as beefy as possible so the lucky wineries that are pouring at the event ( eh-hem) can be see the wine tastings in near-realtime at #WBC09!
We're also cooking up a little extra something so that the information sorting is extra easy to review.
Speed-dating for wine producers version 2.0!
On tweeting and blogging – it's fun to do and you should tweet and blog whilst at WBC09, but remember this is your chance to spend time in meatspace with old friends you are meeting for probably the first time. When in doubt, turn off the laptop and mute the iPhone and enjoy!
Thanks Shana and Thea for a great list! – j
All right then – thank you! I am the noobiest of noobs. A noob in need of a clue. So, I appreciate the head start and I look forward to meeting you.
Lynnette (VinoCulture)
And on Sunday come to C. Donatiello Winery ( @cdonatiello ) for wine, tours, and live music!
THANK YOU! I needed a gist! @sharayray and @winebratsf #WBC09
See you soon.