Well The Opinioness is off to another conference this weekend. That’s my third this year! Road trip!! This time I’m headed to Portland, Oregon for the 1st ever Vida Vegan Con. Co-founded by fab vegan bloggers Janessa Philemon-Kerp, Michele Truty and Jess Scone, the conference is described as:

Uniting vegan bloggers from across the globe!…Workshops, discussion panels, speakers, special events, vegan food, and more. This conference will celebrate, explore, and fine-tune the practice—and ever-growing community—of vegan bloggers.

Over 250 vegan bloggers will converge in Portland (images of Portlandia dance through my head!). Panels and workshops will be held on food blogging as storytelling, nutrition, marketing, cruelty-free fashion, vegan parenting, dating as a vegan, photography, travel and activism. And food…did I mention all the vegan food?! I’ll be able to gorge till my heart’s b(or rather my stomach’s) content!

This marks my first vegan conference so I’m uber excited. I’m eager to hear inspiring speakers like vegan goddesses Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero and Colleen Patrick-Goodreau, taste samples of scrumptious vegan treats and connect with other vegan bloggers. Plus, I’ll get to check out Portland, a vegan wonderland with numerous restaurants, cafes, bars and the first vegan mall!

I’ll be live-blogging the panels I attend on Saturday and Sunday so check them out! Follow my tweets and those of my fellow attendees on Twitter at #VidaVeganCon.

Some of the sponsors include:

• Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss
• VegNews
• More Than Salad: Vegetarian and Vegan Meals Worldwide
• Earth Balance
• The Vegan Voice
• So Delicious Dairy-Free
• The Vegan Vine

Speakers & Contributers:

• Amey Mathews, Vegan Eats and Treats
• Anika Lehde, Veganscore & Lion’s Share Industries
• Ben, Suicide Food
• Bianca Phillips, Vegan Crunk
• Bryanna Clark Grogan, Notes from a Vegan Feast Kitchen/21st Century Table and self-titled website, Chef and Author
• Carolyn Scott-Hamilton, The Healthy Voyager
• Chelsea Lincoln, Flavor Vegan
• Christa of Veggin’ Out with Christa
• Colleen Holland, VegNews
• Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Compassionate Cooks, Author of Joy of Vegan Baking, The Vegan Table, Color  Me Vegan,  Vegan’s Daily Companion, & The 30-Day Vegan Challenge
• Dawn M. Quinn, Vegan Moxie
• Dynise Balcavage, Urban Vegan, Author of The Urban Vegan and the upcoming Celebrate Vegan!
• Elizabeth Castoria, VegNews
• Erika Larson, The Cosmopolitan Hour, Soyfucker
• Fran Costigan, More Great Good Dairy Free Desserts Naturally
• Gabrielle Pope, Vegans on the Move
• Gena Hamshaw, Choosing Raw
• Ginny Messina, The Vegan R.D.
• Hannah Kaminsky, BitterSweet, My Sweet Vegan, Blondies and Brownies, Author
• Isa Chandra Moskowitz, The Post Punk Kitchen, Vegan Brunch, Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance, Author
• Jason Das, SuperVegan.com
• Janessa Philemon-Kerp, Epicurious Vegan, Modified Style (VVC founder)
• Jasmin Singer,Our Hen House, Activist and Writer
• Jess Scone, Get Sconed! & StumptownVegans.com (VVC founder)
• Joanna Vaught, Yellow Rose Recipes, Author
• John McDevitt, The Laziest Vegans & Vegan Omaha
• Joni Marie Newman, Just the Food, 500 Vegan Recipes, Cozy Inside, Author
• Jordan Pattern, The Cosmopolitan Hour, Vegansaurus.com
• Julie Hasson, Everyday Dish TV, Native Bowl, Vegan Diner (coming soon), Author
• Kelly Peloza, The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur, Seitan Beats Your Meat, Author
• Kittee Berns, Paku Paku, Cake Maker to the Stars, Papa Tofu, Author
• Kyle Domer, Vegan Vagrant
• Laura Beck, Vegansaurus.com
• Lauren Marie, Whoa, Wren
• Leigh-Chantelle, Viva La Vegan!
• Lidiana, The Spicy Vegan
• Maeve, Heartichoke Supper Club
• Meave Gallagher, Vegansaurus.com
• Melisser Elliot, The Urban Housewife, Cruelty Free Face, The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life, Author
• MeShell Gudz, Prairie Vegan
• Michele Truty, Vegtastic Voyage (VVC founder)
• Mo, Mo Betta Vegan
• Ryan Patey, T.O.F.U. magazine
• Samantha Cohen, SuperVegan.com
• Sarah Matheny, Peas and Thank You
• Sayward Rebhal, Bonzai Aphrodite
• Sherri Montgomery, Vegan Nosh, Like Words Together
• Stephanie Redcross, Veganmainstream.com, Founder
• Sunny Subramanian, PETA 2, Vegan Beauty Review
• Susan Voisin, Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, Fat Free Vegan
• Terry Hope Romero, The Post Punk Kitchen, Viva Vegan!, Veganomicon, VegNews columnist, Author
• Webly Bowles, Fueled by Popcorn, Stumptown Vegans
• Wendy Gabbe Day, Veg Food & Fit, Scatter Vegan Sweets, Author

Exhibitor Tables:

• Almost Vegan
• Coconut Bliss
• Daily Gourmet
• Daiya Foods
• Earth Balance
• Food for Lovers
• Lulu’s
• More Than Salad
• Panda with Cookie
• Pure Luscious Lifestyle
• So Delicious
• T.O.F.U. Magazine
• Upton’s Naturals
• Vegan Corner
• VegFund
• VegListings.com (website coming)
• Vegan Mainstream
• VegNews
• Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary