Sacramento IFBC 2016

This post is part 1 of a three-part series for the International Food Blogger Conference I attended in Sacramento, CA. In exchange for a discounted ticket, I agreed to share my own personal experience about my time spent at IFBC on Spanglish Spoon.

Whenever I mention an upcoming trip that involves attending a blogging conference, my friends and family usually look at me with a slightly confused look on their faces and ask, “What do you do at these conferences?” To help them understand the importance of conferences to bloggers I say, “It’s a two or three-day event where people can learn about the business side of blogging through educational sessions that help people with online careers grow professionally.” Then I proceed to give them examples of some of the sessions offered at that particular conference I am attending.

In case you are wondering what IFBC is all about, it’s a food bloggers conference and it is music to my ears! I’ve been anxious to attend a food blogging conference for years now (for a detailed agenda of what this event is all about click here).

This weekend I will be attending my first one: The International Food Blogger Conference in Sacramento, California (presented by Foodista and Zephyr Adventures). It will be my first time attending a conference that is tailored specifically for food bloggers, so I have been looking forward to this weekend for months, and I can’t wait to share my experience with you all.

If you are headed out to Sacramento this weekend and are attending IFBC, I’ve gathered a list of important information that might be helpful if you are staying local.

So, for all the foodies attending this event, this post is for you. 😉

Wherever I go, Waze is my favorite app to use for directions because it’s always in real-time. You’ll get a heads-up on the surrounding traffic times, delays, as well as alternate routes to avoid those delays. Other Waze users will sometimes share information they’ve experienced about the road. For example, one time we were coming back home from Reno, and someone on Waze going in the same direction as us commented on how to get around a back-up on the freeway. That tip saved us 15 minutes! Download the app and start testing it out. Once you get used to it, you’ll love it.

For those who are looking to take a drive around town, the nearest major shopping center I found is Southport Town Center. It’s about an 11-15 minute drive from the hotel. I’m sure there are closer stores, but this shopping center has EVERYTHING you need – including a FedEx store. The address there is:

Some of the stores include…

• Target (pharmacy phone: 916-384-0977)
• Nugget Market
• Starbucks
• Wells Fargo Bank
• Bank of America
• FedEx/Kinkos (there’s a closer one on J Street though)
• T-Mobile
• Subway
• Jamba Juice

If you are looking for a closer place to shop for basic necessities there’s also another Target on Riverside Boulevard which is about 2 miles from the hotel. This one does not have a pharmacy. That address is 2505 Riverside Blvd, Sacramento, CA 95818. The hotel does have a small but well stocked mini market, so you don’t even have to leave the hotel if you don’t want to.

The nearest hospital is Sutter Medical Center and is about 2 miles away. It is located at 2825 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA 95816. Their phone number is 916-887-0000. Urgent care is located at 1201 Alhambra Blvd., Suite 230, Sacramento, CA 95816. Their phone number is 916-731-7728.

Hopefully no one will be needing to call those numbers, but at least you know where you can find them in case you do need them.

That’s all I can think of in terms of necessities for now. If you are looking for a list of local restaurants and a few things to do while you’re in Sacramento, here are a few posts about that:

• Late Night Happy Hour in Sacramento for IFBC Attendees (from MK Library)

• Sacramento Hot List for July (from Munchie Musings)

• Welcome to Sacramento, IFBC (from Munchie Musings)

• International Food Bloggers Conference — Food for Vegans (from Sacramento Vegan)
• Looking forward to Sacramento (from My Mug of Beer)

I’ll try to add more links to posts like this as they come in. If you are a Sacramento local, and know of a few other cool spots in the area, feel free to share them in the comments below!

For now, I wish everyone safe travels to Sacramento IFBC 2016!

See you soon IFBC peeps!