The start to 2012 has proven to be full of unexpected opportunities. In February, I spoke on the “What’s Eating Paris?” food panel for Social Media Week alongside locals David Lebovitz, Ann Mah and Elodie Fagan of Yelp! Paris which marked my first time speaking in public since college. It was a fantastic experience and I think the topic really engaged the audience (that and David’s wit). For a replay of the talk, click here.

Shortly after, I was invited to speak in May at The Hive, Europe’s first blog conference which will be hosted in Berlin. Over the course of two days, some 22 bloggers from all over Europe will meet to speak on a variety of topics ranging from food photography to blog etiquette and dealing with negative feedback (Anne’s topic!). The conference is open to all – readers, writers, photographers – and will hopefully set the stage for future gatherings in Europe.

This is certainly new territory for me and I’m honored to share my experiences for burgeoning bloggers. I’ll be discussing ways to balance work + blogging (and a social life) which, I ought to add as a caveat, is a personal work in progress. I have by no means solved the time conundrum but I will offer some of the steps I’ve taken to maintain a somewhat sustainable rhythm. Maybe talking it all out will help me improve my tactics! Speaking on a panel definitely offers a comfortable cushion but I intend to rise to the solo challenge.

I’m looking forward to meeting potential readers in addition to discovering Berlin for the first time! I welcome any restaurant or activity recommendations you might have and hope to see you there.

{Conference timetable}
{Conference tickets}
{The Hive on Twitter + Facebook}