Gluten-Free Living Conference: Ready for a GREAT Time!

The Gluten-Free Living Conference is just days away.  This event is put on by Gluten-Free Living magazine and will bring the pages of the magazine to life in its first-ever conference.  The event kicks off with Blogger U on Friday and then leads into the full-on conference Saturday and Sunday.

I will be there speaking at Blogger U on the ways to add news value to your blog. Then, Sunday I will talk about the Dos and Don’ts of raising a Gluten-Free Child, plus in the panel discussion I will talk about being gluten free when your family is not.

So many fantastic experts will be available, including Alessio Fasano, M.D. from the Center for Celiac Research. He will deliver the Keynote address on Saturday.

I am looking forward to bringing Emma, my 15-year-old celiac daughter, to experience this wealth of  gluten-free knowledge first hand. I also want to meet so many people.  Between my fellow bloggers and folks who live the gluten free lifestyle the event will be amazing.  I wondered if other speakers are feeling this way?  So I decided to ask…

What are some of the presenters most looking forward to about the conference:

Michael Savett, of the Gluten Free Philly website and app, will be part of Sunday’s panel discussion when attendees can hear from the Gluten-Free Experts.  Savett says, “I’m looking forward to meeting fellow bloggers and hearing Dr. Fasano speak, since I just finished his new book. It’ll also be fun to try some new products at the vendor fair. Most importantly, I can’t wait to be in a warmer climate after the horrendous winter we’ve had on the East Coast.”   I hear you on the weather, Michael.  In fact, while we are gone, there’s supposed to be a snow storm in Minnesota that could bring several inches of snow!  

Jules Shepard, Founder of Jules Gluten Free (2008-2014) and of the new gfJules (2014), will present on Friday during Blogger U and again Sunday during the expert panel.  “I’m really excited to be a part of this inaugural conference for GFLiving. There are going to be some phenomenal personalities in the GF world there, so I’m certain we’ll all come away having learned a lot,” Shepard says.  “On a personal note, several of my GF blogger friends are coming in and I can’t wait to all be in the same room together. It’s one thing to get to know people on-line, but quite another to interact face-to-face, and for some, this will be our first time meeting in person; I’m quite looking forward to that!”  <–Agreed!  Me too! 

Aubrey Everett, Managing Editor for The Writer, presents during Blogger U about creating the Perfect Pitch to help you become a freelance writer.  She and I chatted over email this week and I asked her that question, what is she most looking forward to? “I am really excited to meet the Orlando gluten-free community,” Everett said.  “I have attended GF shows in San Francisco, Dallas and Philadelphia, but I think Florida is a unique market and I am interested to see what kind of questions the attendees have for this expert group of GF speakers.”

Amy Ratner, Editor of Gluten-Free Living Magazine, will be very involved in this event.  She presents with Everett at Blogger U, and again on Saturday when she Dispells Myths with the Gluten-Free Diet.   Ratner told me, “I am most looking forward to that crackle of energy that comes when people passionate about being gluten free in the best possible way, the most informed way, get together face to face. Usually the connection is immediate and you come away full of enthusiasm for doing your best in all your gluten-free endeavors, whether it’s blogging, creating recipes, working on cookbook, feeding your family, raising your child, or writing for a magazine.”  She is right about that…there is an instant connection with people you may be meeting for the first time!

Amie Valpone of The Healthy Apple helps kick off Blogger U. on Friday when she discusses “Recipes: Start to Finish with Flair”.  “I’m delighted to soak up the Orlando sunshine with the Gluten-Free Living staff and can’t wait for to see fellow gluten-free blogging friends and meet new gluten-free bloggers too! It’s going to be an amazing weekend!”

This conference will be a great educational experience for anyone living the gluten-free lifestyle.  For more conference details, click here. If you are in the area and have not signed up yet, you will be able to get tickets at the door, since preregistration has closed.  There will be a slight up-charge from the pre-registration price. There will also be exhibitors there so you can see the latest and greatest in the gluten-free world!

If you can’t make it, watch Twitter and Facebook for updates using #GFLC14!  I’ll be writing and Tweeting about it too!

I look forward to seeing everyone in just a few days!

Tags: #GFLC14, celiac, conference, diet, gluten, gluten-free, lifestyle, living, Orlando, sensitivity