Digital Dessert Goals Gave Us A Sweet (Virtual) Escape This Past Weekend

How do you hold a convention centered around dessert online? I had the same exact question, when I found out that #OmgDessertGoals was going digital. What once was a two-weekend celebration centered around various dessert vendors is now an online conference where attendees can interact with speakers and receive discounts to different dessert companies. 

From making ice cream in a bag to creating the sweetest DIY nails, the Digital Dessert Goals event had multiple how-to tutorials for all ages. One of the best aspects of the event was the introduction of a Slack channel, where attendees were able to interact with each other, as well as with the founder, Miraya Berke! Receiving a welcome message from Miraya herself was definitely an exciting and memorable moment to me. In the digital era, it is becoming increasingly difficult to establish a lasting connection between people behind a phone screen. I appreciated how Miraya introduced herself and explained how the event was laid out. The Slack channel allowed for everyone to connect and network with one another. Various attendees shared their DIY nails, boozy cocktails and ice cream they made from the event tutorials.  

The event had two panels: How to be a Food Influencer & How to Run a Food Business. The panels were held on Zoom, accompanied with cute Dessert Goals backgrounds. Each panel was incredibly informative and detailed, covering everything from blogging about food to how to educate and research about starting a food business. The biggest takeaway from each panel was to take risks if you have a genuine passion and love for pursuing a career in food!

In addition to panelists and how-to videos, there was also an exciting baking demo on Ruby Chocolate Coconut Macaroons hosted by Red Velvet NYC. It was an easy-to-follow tutorial and also provided attendees with another quarantine baking recipe to create in the safety of their homes! Additionally, there were fun interactive tutorials on how to take food photos with just your phone, crafting your own cake stand and baking rice krispie ice creams. 

Even though we could not walk around the festival like usual and eye all the delicious desserts, the event still made sure that we would be able to purchase yummy desserts (with a discount!). 

The event closed off with a keynote on bakers against racism with Willa Pelini and Melanie Lino. It was a poignant conversation that showed that though the event was a bright and delicious experience, it still remained cognizant of the current political climate. I appreciated the conversations that were had and how even in the baking and foodie community, there were calls to action from attendees and vendors alike. 

While last year was a completely different experience, this weekend showed how we could still enjoy the events we had pre-COVID. If you are still interested, you’re in luck! Tickets will be available on DessertGoals.com through August 8th for any recaps or coverage of the event. Thank you to #OMGDessertGoals for allowing us to experience your digital festival!

• Dessert Goals
• desserts
• food