Speaking Engagements

Kit loves to contribute to the blogging and foodie communities by speaking at conferences and hosting talks.

“Kit has extensive and detailed knowledge of the food industry, as well as the local Chicago food scene. Her writing, commentary, and photography of delicious dishes, restaurants, food trends, and more, is not only impressive, but also a delight to read and follow. She was a wonderful Speaker at our BLEND Speaker Series event, and I look forward to seeing her career and online presence continue to be successful.”

– Nicole Vasquez, Creative Director at BLEND

Past Speaking Engagements 

WITSx Chicago (October 2018)
Kit gave a presentation on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) called How I Doubled My Website Traffic.

Ragan Now & Next Conference (July 2017)
Kit is speaking on the Brave the Media Pitch Tank: 10 Seconds to Succeed or Die panel along with journalists from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago ABC7 News, and B96 Radio.

Social Media & Blogger Bees Meet Public Relations Pros (July 2017)
Kit is joining a panel discussing the relationship between bloggers, social media influencers, and public relations professionals.

 

Lymphoma Research Foundation Ambassadors Meeting (October 2016)
Kit joined Ava Kelly of Good Done Well and Amber Lawson of Good Amplified on a panel about Building a Social Following to Promote a Cause.

Chicago Foodpreneurs: Big Brands (February 2016)
Kit and her WCBC co-founder are moderating a panel of Chicago’s top food entrepreneurs and brands as they share their journeys, entrepreneurial struggles – including growing pains, trends, and the Chicago landscape – and what it really takes to grow and run a successful food and beverage business in Chicago.

She Did It Her Way (December 2015)
Kit did a follow-up interview on the podcast focusing on female entrepreneurs. You can listen here.

SheSays Mentoring Night (November 2015)
Kit and her WCBC co-founder, Erin Bassett, were the Blogging Mentors at a mentoring event hosted by SheSays Chicago.

Stylemax (June 2015)
Kit gave a presentation on how to utilize social media to grow your business and reach new customers at the fashion buyers’ event.

Digital Media Session at Christian Brothers of the Midwest Conference (June 2015)
This conference was attended by marketing representatives from Christian Colleges from the Midwest. Kit and Nicole Regan presented on how to effectively use social media.

Social Media: Discovering Your Brand’s Voice and Crafting Your Content Strategy presented by Fashion Group International (June 2015)
Kit and WCBC co-founder, Erin Bassett, spoke about creating a consistent brand voice through social media at an event hosted by the Fashion Group International.

She Did It Her Way (June 2015)
Kit was interviewed on the weekly podcast about female entrepreneurs. You can listen here.

SheSays at Basecamp Chicago (May 2015)
SheSays hosted a panel discussion with female entrepreneurs focused on how to turn a passion into a business. Kit spoke about blogging, self publishing, and founding the Windy City Blogger Collective.

Panel on Food Trends at mcgarrybowen (April 2015)
Kit joined a panel of food experts in a discussion of food trends in Chicago and beyond. The discussion covered specific food trends, and trends at restaurants.

 

Presentation to Benedictine College’s Philanthropy and Non-Profit Communications in a Digital World class (April 2015)
Kit and WCBC co-founder, Erin Bassett, presented to Benedictine Colleges’s “Communications in a Digital World” class where they spoke about how brands and bloggers and work together, and how blogs fit in to today’s media landscape.

Interview on WGN Radio at 12:45 Business Lunch (April 2015)
Kit and WCBC co-founder, Erin Bassett, were interviewed on WGN Radio’s Business Lunch where they talked about the business of blogging – how to get started, how bloggers make money, and why brands want to work with them.

 

 

Culinaria Query: Can We Re-Set the Family Table (August 2014)
Presented by Foodseum Chicago and the SoFAB Institute, Kit spoke on a panel with restaurateur Jimmy Bannos, Sr., food historian Bruce Kraig, and NPR reporter Monica Eng and discussed the nature of food and family.

 

BLEND Monthly Speaker Series: Chicago 2014 – What’s Happened? What’s Ahead? (July 2014)
Kit represented foodies on a panel discussing current and upcoming Chicago trends.

 

United Fresh Convention: Grower-Shipper Session (June 2014)
Kit spoke on a panel with representatives from Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. and Nielsen Perishables Group about produce trends and understanding new ways to reach today’s produce customers.

Go Blog Social: Becoming a Brand and Self Publishing (April 2014) 
Kit presented at Go Blog Social, a two-day blogging conference in Kansas City, Missouri. Her session covered how to launch a KickStarter campaign, an overview of self-publishing services, what print-on-demand is, a description of the costs involved in self-publishing, and tips for building a brand – from creating a logo to reasons why you need a media kit.

Chicago Bar Association Creative Arts Committee: Legally Creative (January 2014)      
Kit discussed an overview of legal concerns that individuals in the creative arts face, including starting a small business, creating basic privacy policies and terms for websites, registering copyrights, and how the FTC disclosures apply to bloggers.

Break Thru Radio Biology of the Blog interview (October 2013)
Kit was a guest on the weekly online radio show where she talked about how she started blogging, the Chicago blogging community, and her love of food. You can listen to the full interview here.

 

 

Windy City Blogger Collective Workshops
Kit runs the Windy City Blogger Collective, and which hosts periodic talks about blogging. For more information, or to read recaps of the events, visit windycitybloggers.com.

 

Past WCBC Workshops

Photography for Bloggers (Nov 2013)
Blogging 101 (January 2014)
Anatomy of a Blog (February 2014)
Mastering Social Media (March 2014)
Becoming a Brand and Self-Publishing (April 2014)

 

 

  

Interested in having Kit speak at an event?  Email thekittchen@gmail.com