Founding a food blogging conference, getting brands involved with a conference, and building community around events with Abbey Rodriguez, founder of Tastemaker Conference. ----- Welcome to episode 331 of The Food Blogger Pro Podcast! This week on the podcast, Bjork interviews Abbey Rodriguez about how she founded and grew Tastemaker Conference. Building Community From developing recipes to writing posts to creating content for social media, we can find ourselves spending a lot of time alone as food creators. So how can we foster community and build relationships with others in this industry? Enter: Tastemaker Conference! It’s one of the most popular food blogger conferences, and it’s a great place to connect with fellow food creators and brands and learn from industry experts. In this episode, you’ll hear why Abbey Rodriguez founded Tastemaker Conference, as well as what to expect at the 2022 Tastemaker Conference in Chicago. Plus, she even shares a limited-time offer on tickets for podcast listeners that you won’t want to miss, so be sure to check out the episode! In this episode, you’ll learn: Why Abbey founded Tastemaker Conference How she has shifted her focus from blogging to event planning How she funded the conference when launching How the pandemic has affected her business Why brands like to get involved with Tastemaker Conference How the revenue streams for the conference change from year to year Her advice for those who want to start hosting events What tools she recommends using when planning events What the marketing strategy looks like for Tastemaker Conference Why they focus so much on retention rate How they started hosting masterminds and workshops What to expect at the 2022 Tastemaker Conference Resources: Tastemaker Conference Tastemaker Conference 2022 Chicago tickets – use code FOODBLOGGERPRO50 for $50 off (valid for seven days after the episode airs) The Butter Half Big Magic Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook for Women’s Wellness 328: Hosting Events – How Liz Della Croce Plans and Runs Successful Food Blogger Retreats Pilot Pinch of Yum Asana Eventbrite Attendify The Minne Stuga Zillow SNL Skit The Inspired Home Show Follow Tastemaker Conference on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter Check out the Food Blogger Pro YouTube channel (and subscribe while you’re there!) If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for interviews, be sure to email them to podcast@foodbloggerpro.com. Learn more about joining the Food Blogger Pro community at foodbloggerpro.com/membership