Gobble Up! Seattle, 2024
Disclaimer:
Everything below is a mix of what I observed and heard during the event. The goal isn’t to pinpoint "who exactly said what," but to share (usually) an outsider's view and overall perspective on these industries. I’m not here to act as a definitive firsthand source—readers should do their own research. I hope this inspires you to attend events, explore new industries, and hear what leaders are presenting. These notes combine my observations with thoughts on how things could run smoother and how ideas connect (IMO). I’m not an expert, you know? Just hanging out in the room with them. Enjoy!Topics Covered: Food and Drinks, Gourmet Cuisine, Customer Service, Food Trucks, Local Artisans, Small Businesses, Customer Experience
Conference Overall Ratings: Venue (2.5/5) - Food (5/5) - Speaker Content (4/5) - Networking Opportunity (2/5) - Likeliness to Return (5/5)
Initial Conference Overview: There were three events going on, that I was interested in attending. I really had no clue which one I’d attend up until the last minute. This one I attended with my daughter. She is 2.5 years old. It’s part of what made me pick this one. I thought it’d be a fun event to attend with her and experience together. I was right! All I knew of this event was that there would be free samples and it was in a venue that I’d always heard of and meant to go to… just it’s a bit “out of the way”. It takes multiple steps to get there from my house - however, today was the right day to go, so we went for it. We were excited to try lots of foods and learn more about businesses.
Photo Collage & Commentary
(I took way fewer pics than usual at this event.)
Notes from the Event:
Since I attended this with my daughter, I didn’t write down any notes as I usually do. I had her stroller, a bag, her, it was so crowded... Writing down things would not have been convenient and made things stressful. I didn’t want to take this event as “seriously” per se. Instead, I wanted mostly my focus to be on the two of us having a nice time and observe what was great, staying as long as we wanted (in a good mood). If she snapped into a bad mood it’d be tough. It was better to be present together. That being said, we had a blast! When I stay tuned into her (and myself), we can have a good time. That was extra important since we traveled 100% by public transit - and it really takes like 3 steps… a bus, a train, and then walking a mile or a bus. This is not a big deal (actually, I enjoy traveling on foot/adventure-style and the surprises that come with it), but it’s only not a big deal if you are prepared. With a 2.5 year old, to me, that means:
enough pull ups/wipes
snacks (I brought two apples, walnuts, and bunny cinnamon crackers)
extra warmth (I ended up buying her a hat on the route there… I realized it was colder than expected, and I was not about to have a cold baby! Hats are amazingly efficient - she loved a knitted llama hat I found at Whole Foods (we had 15 minutes to spend while waiting for the next bus and it was right next store - so we had fun sampling food, getting the hat. I had a strong feeling they’d have a perfect hat or scarf for her.. correct! Whole Foods has a good “winter accessories” section - and even toy/book section for kids). She loved the hat so much and hugged it and played with it on our journey to downtown. So it was a good investment ($25).)
a rain jacket (brought from home)
water (I brought a bottle for myself and her… I dont like getting thirsty while traveling with her! sometimes “time” gets really precious and the last thing you want is to be thirsty!)
Our journey there-and-back was really alright - but 2.5 hours there and back - all public transit. She slept the entire way back which made the route home pretty easy.
I enjoyed letting her try all of the foods, smell the different candles and coffees, the crazy drinks! All of the drinks were alcohol-free there, but they were pretty wild. Mocktails, local sodas, apple cider vinegar drinks, drinkable chocolate, teas… it was really fun. After a while she didn’t even want to try any new drinks because she’d had enough she wasn’t a fan of, hahaha. But she had a good sense of humor about it. The foods were fun too, but she also didn’t like everything. Even so, it was fun letting her socialize with the staff and be a little brave talking to them saying if she liked things or not. I enjoy taking her to events like this from time to time.
In total, we traveled about 2.5 hours there and back to get there. We had a lot of fun and I was lucky she slept the whole way home, so I didn’t have to spend that extra energy entertaining her. I was able to take it easy a bit, myself. And as I said, it was a multi-step process to get home. So it was nice to relax a bit, while still also having to stay tuned into my surroundings. That was enough to pay attention to on its own.
Below I’ll write a few more bullet points of things that stood out
One of the vendors was asking for Google Reviews in exchange for his samples. I found this to be very very clever and resourceful. It balanced the transaction as well. The thing is… this event was advertised as “free samples” however, I felt a sense of disappointment from the vendors each time you walked away without buying anything.
VENDOR EXPECATIONS. For me, I wanted to go through the whole event, try everything… then on the second round through, buy the things that really stood out and I was still craving/thinking about. I didn’t want to buy things my first time around. It would be too impulsive and you’d probably end up regretting buying things. Even like the first tea store I saw, I first thought I wanted to buy from, but then a second tea store was even more memorable.
The first tea store had teas with SO many complicated names and ingredients (actually almost all of the tea sellers did). I really like simple tea sometimes. Along with crazy tea… but, it’s (for example) very hard to find rose tea here in the USA. It was one of my favorites while living in Shanghai and I ended up taking all of the tea stores for granted. Its was like how we have candy stores here, with scoops - thats how you can get tea.
So when I see tea shops at events like this, I am happy to see simple teas. OR teas that are easy to understand. Like my favorite “sangria inspired” - so easy to understand. “coconut white tea”, that one I bought cause I like white tea and coconut is a great addition… then the labels were great too. But i’ll be clear… these teas I bought at a DIFFERENT event. The tea I bought today, I realize now, follow this same pattern…
The tea I bought today was Himalayan buckwheat. It was funny in two ways because (1) the lady suggested it to me when I told her I didnt know where to start. I thought that was a risky drink move, cause if it was the flavor I thought it was —- that’s not a common flavor people like, I’d assume. The first time I’d ever had that flavor (in china) I was shocked. It was SOOO good and so strange and plain/pure/great. I loved it completely. and I haven’t been able to find it really since. So… (2) after I had a sip and it WAS that one, I was like “haha wow!”.
Of course later I returned and got some of that tea. Now, not “of course” cause I almost left the event not buying anything. But I realized that it would bring me so much joy to, over the next few months, have a few of these items in my house that I could enjoy over and over - while also remembering this nice event… adding these things to my life I truly enjoy - and are pretty healthy! So, I went for it. Then I went back and found all the things that most stood out. Three drinks and a nice smelling incense. But usually I don’t like to do a FULL incense - that can be really too much.
I am curious if this is a flavor that more people like, more than I realize… or if it was just random/lucky.
I saw a few other tea places that really had complicated names for their teas. Or the font was hard to read, and then it was just so many combinations. Then no samples! I think this is a little difficult to navigate as the customer. Or, at least when you have less time cause you have a child with you hahaha.
I wonder if a simple tea seller would do well here. Truly simple teas with nice packaging. Or a mix of some tea mixes.. but also just simple teas. Because no one has simple teas.
So back to my comment 100 years ago… a lot of people seemed to feel disappointed/rejected when I didnt instantly buy their stuff. However, it was intentional. I wanted to see everything…
That’s why I liked this guy asking for reviews so much. I feel like it balanced the playing field. He gave away so many samples, which was fun and delicious. You could try all of his products. And he was nice and friendly and genuine.
Then at the end, he asked for a Google Review. It was a good balance. His stuff is also available online. It was kinda a way to give back - especially cause he was so giving with his samples.
Some places had zero samples! This must have been an interesting expereicen for them.
I felt like him asking for the review was your way to give back, without having to buy something right there.
In addition, it was so smart to ask for google reviews. Google reviews are very hard to get when you’re a small business without a storefront. With so many customers right there to ask, at least 5% will do it - and that matters. I think he was so clever for doing this and everyone would have been smart to do this too.
They would have felt happier about giving away free samples for “nothing in return”. But instead they could ask for this and true fans would be happy to. Especially right there. Especially if you even offered more food hahah. Or drinks.
Also, I think the fact this event was advertised as $2 per person, free for kids, and lots of free samples… people didn’t really come here expecting to spend money. If they did, that’s part of the clientelle (but for sure many people came here only for free samples). Know that going in.
Work with those people.
Also, lots of people probably only spent money on their meal there. For me, I bought SCALLOPS! I love scallops and so rarely eat them. It was the same price as everything else, so I went for it. That was a fun surprise and treat. But it was about $23 too. So, I think some people probably only wanted to spend money on a meal, have samples, then head out.
Conference “Overall Rating” Further Elaboration:
VENUE - 2.5/5
Room for Improvement: This place is cold, hard to get to, and not particularly cute. At the same time, it doesn’t necessarily need to be for something like this (though outside of it is nice art painted on brick buildings). I think the entrance needs some art or some more TLC. It’s a little unwelcoming, messy/dirty feeling. Then, inside, it was pretty crowded (especially with a stroller). We found it to be less crowded towards the back rows… but they may want to consider making the first aisle(s) just a few inches wider to make more space, since lots of people enter and go right to the first stops - few move to the second, third, fourth row to begin. It congested the front. I’ve seen many events advertised at this place over the years and would have hoped for the inside to be a bit more “iconic”. However, maybe in warmer seasons or different events, it’s cuter. Or, maybe it is what it is, and people don’t really care/mind, and it’s getting lots of use all the time.
FOOD - 5/5
Allow me to Elaborate: There was amazing variety and lots of samples. I thought this was so enjoyable and a flavor haven!
SPEAKER CONTENT - 4/5
Room for Improvement: Again, it was extremely enjoyable and great, but I didn’t like feeling a little guilty/causing disappointment when we dint buy things instantly. I think that needs to be addressed better by the people hosting the event - the promoting of the event, or the cleverness of the vendors. I think this is a problem that can be solved and everyone can win - it all depends on perspective, framing, and goals. It takes creativity. But the subtle pressure to buy because you made eye contact feels tough.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES - 2/5
Room for Improvement: This venue was crowded, it was raining (so the outdoor areas were not too appealing), and there wasn’t much intentional conversation going on. You could easily talk to the vendors though.
LIKELINESS TO RETURN - 5/5
Allow me to Elaborate: This was really fun and delicious and rewarding, as an event. It does take a long time to get here, but “food” is a good reason to travel. Especially free food. At the same time, I really love supporting local businesses, eating/drinking healthy/intentionally, and getting out of the house. So I think this event would be fun to come to once a year (which is what they do! so… see you next year, probably!)
Until next time, I wish you the motivation and success to search for opportunities around your area. Search and explore: Who is out there giving talks? There are new things happening all of the time
Find relatable or interesting topics you like and check them out! Maybe even something hosted at a cool venue, if there’s no other reason to go. Let’s see what you can learn and discover not too far from home. 😊
