At the Grand Tasting, Eight Reserve By 818 hosted a simple yet elegant, all-white bar with an oversized version of 818's signature, eight-shaped bottle at the forefront.Photo: World Red Eye
“The entire food world is down here for the festival, whether Michelin star chefs or TV personalities or home cooks or influencers—this is like the Super Bowl to chefs, and if you’re a brand with a new product, it’s the right place to be if you want to rub shoulders with the industry,” shared festival director Lee Schrager.
And no matter who you were or who you represented, the social media thematic was more present than ever. Sure, the festival itself has utilized handles and hashtags on official signage for years, but chefs, vendors, partners, and brands took full advantage of promoting their growth and boosting their reach on-site while starting and joining various social conversations throughout the four-day fest.
The Debut of FoodieCon
Following the NYCWFF in October 2022, Schrager had a lightbulb idea sparked off the heels of BravoCon, which was unfolding the same weekend in the Big Apple. “Like a lot of things I do, I have an idea but don’t know how successful the talent or programming will be,” explained Schrager. He had the vision to produce an event with food-driven influencers and didn’t want to wait for someone else to snag the name or concept. So he trademarked FoodieCon, purchased the domain, and claimed the social handles. He then consulted with a team of influencers and within four months conceptualized the entire launch of a new conference within the festival.
“Everyone likes to be part of something new and different that brings the community together,” noted Schrager, who rounded up more than 15 macro food influencers to execute seven full hours of programming on Saturday afternoon at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Participant Jamie Milne, who goes by @everything_delish and has more than 3 million followers across three social media platforms, left her job as a teacher to pursue her food-influencing passion full-time seven years ago. She’s been attending the festival for the past five years with a media badge and never dreamed of this type of opportunity. “FoodieCon allows for new audiences to be introduced to Everything Delish, which increases my brand’s visibility—and that really helps with growth and engagement,” she says. Milne was able to partner with other content creators for cooking demos, as well as join panels on the Instagram Stage.
According to CJ Hernandez, strategic partner manager, lifestyle creators at Meta, Instagram was excited to receive the call to support the first installment of FoodieCon. “We work every day to build a platform that allows creators to turn their passion into a living,” he said, “and are thrilled to have an event at this year’s festival that highlights and celebrates the creators who share their love of food—and how that unites us—on Instagram every day.”
And while the official host hotel receives an organic spike in engagement with posts due to the amount of social activity and various events that take place on-site throughout the festival, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel team couldn’t miss the opportunity to partner with food influencer and content creator Justin Schuble (@justinmschuble) who oversaw the @loewsmiami Instagram takeover Saturday at FoodieCon to provide real-time coverage of the event.
“Because what better way to showcase a food influencer event than by having a member of this community, who knows many of the FoodieCon creators himself, capture the entire experience?” posed Mutluhan Kucuk, complex managing director for Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
How the Host Hotel Mastered Multitasking
As the festival’s longest partner and host hotel, Kucuk and his team wholeheartedly believe in Schrager’s vision. “When he called about this new FoodieCon event, we immediately got excited and wanted to be part of it," Kucuk said. "We believe it’s an excellent addition and is certainly a great way to showcase the many content creators helping to evolve the culinary world as we know it.”
Loews Miami Beach Hotel hosted events across the property each day. On Saturday alone, there were three events underway and in prep simultaneously—including FoodieCon, which took over the spacious Americana Lawn; the Family Ice Cream Social, which unfolded on the St. Moritz Lawn; and the annual, 700-seat Tribute Dinner inside the Americana Ballroom. “It’s a fantastic time to see our hotel fully activated and alive with event activity,” shared Kucuk.
How does his team handle the juggling act? “Strategic planning is critical in making these simultaneous events a success,” he said. “Luckily, we have strong leadership and tenured team members who help us not only with the planning but also with the flawless execution of each activation.”
A Local Influencer’s Take on Teaching
Influencers also had a strong programming presence outside of FoodieCon. In addition to famed YouTuber Kalen Allen hosting the Sunday ABSOLUT Vodka Tea Dance and Drag Show at Miami Beach Bandshell, local names like Sef Gonzalez (aka Burger Beast), Alessandra Garcia-Lorida, and Gio Gutierrez made various appearances at events.
Gutierrez, who started covering the festival 10 years ago for his Chat Chow TV platform (@chatchowTV), has since become a festival event judge, host, curator, and educator. “Part of the festival’s mission statement is to educate, which is something near and dear to my heart because I love academia,” he said.
Gutierrez prides himself on teaching—especially when it comes to tips and tricks behind his favorite Cuban cocktails. This year, he was tapped to co-host Make It Miami: A Tapas & Craft Cocktail Party on Saturday night at the National Hotel and Sunday’s Daiquiri-Making Master Class, part of the Eater Event Series at SGWS Wynwood, alongside cantinero Julio Cabrera of Café La Trova. Together, the team shared their journey to the town of Daiquiri in Cuba. “Our goal was to educate students on our learnings and of our beautiful culture,” Gutierrez shared. “We had an incredible time sharing our knowledge while sipping some Cuban classics.”
Keep scrolling to check out the festival’s highlights, from the best brand activations to the most enticing eats—and everything in between...
Inside, bartenders served three cocktails in branded Food Network tumbler keepsakes with purple, green, and blue logos. In order to collect all three tumblers, guests had to request the entire trio of craft cocktails: Miami Detox, Mango Tango, and Tamarind Mojito.
