#FutureFoodies What is a social media food fair?

 Last night I attended #FutureFoodies the first social media food and drink fair in Birmingham.

Guinness Baileys & Candied Bacon Cupcakes
From Cupkakery

What is a social media food and drink fair?
I was wondering that myself as I made my way to Hotel La Tour in the centre of Birmingham for the event. It was a showcase of food local producers, shops and restaurants attended by food bloggers and those active on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Yelp. 

Steak tartare by with beef from the Lake district
Canapes from Le Truc

 How does a social media food and drink fair differ from a regular food and drink fair?
In the lead up to the event there was a a lot of chatter via social media about the event, using a hashtag in the name of the event #FutureFoodies made the online buzz easy to follow.
The event itself was similar to other food and drink fairs, although perhaps there were more attendees snapping pictures of the food before devouring a single morsel.

Handmade breads from Ubuntu

The stands were manned by social media savvy producers. There were free doughnuts if you downloaded a foodie app, Spencer Cater photography ran a photo competition for pictures of the event tweeted with the #FutureFoodies and Miss Apple's Sweets had pretty rows of Brigaderios that were photographing purposes only.


Mutton Madrasi Taco
From Wrapchic The Indian Burrito Company

It was very hot and crowded in the hotel lobby where #FutureFoodies was held, the jostling crowds made still food photographs and in-depth conversation a bit tricky. There were queues to get in and registered and queues to get to each stall, a little more room to manoeuvre and some seating space was needed. But the producers were well prepared with tables heaving with tasty samples and a wealth of information about the sourcing their food and the production process.  There did seem to be a prevalence of sweet foods and alcohol (am I really complaining about this?) I would have liked to see a little more balance.
The highlight for me (after the amazing food) was the passion for food that everyone shared, I loved meeting the proud producers at #FutureFoodies and I'm looking forward to developing real relationships with all the connections I made. There are new places that I want to go and check out properly and I'll certainly be back at the next #FutureFoodies to discover more local talent.

Sweet treats from Aalto restaurant at Hotel La Tour