Travel conferences in the travel and tourism space are commonly considered “must-attend” events that can help with securing brand deals, building warm leads for future opportunities, and receiving opportunities on the spot.
However, if you’re new to attending travel conferences, you may find yourself wondering where you fit in within the bigger picture of the event, if it’s worth the costs and expenses associated with attending, and what you actually even do when attending one.
In this blog post, I’ll share my experience attending two travel conferences-one as a freelance travel writer and one as a travel creator—how I prepare for a conference, and some tips for meeting with brand representatives so you can hopefully feel more confident and prepared going into a travel conference as a creator.
Image Credit: Arabian Travel Market
Disclaimer: This blog post will cover my experiences as a freelance writer and creator that has been to two travel conferences. I have always shared my experiences in the travel space from the lens of a beginner and the lessons I learn along the way. Some of it may be applicable to where you are in your journey, but I encourage you to take what you can from this post and leave behind what isn’t for you!
All views are my own.
Other Blog Posts You May Enjoy:
- How to Become A Freelance Travel Writer
- How to Get Brand Collaborations As A Creator
- 12 Lessons Learned From My Blogging Journey
What Are Travel Conferences?
Travel conferences are event gatherings where people from the travel industry in various roles—such as travel agents, tour operators, destination marketers, hotel representatives, travel writers, and influencers—gather to network, share insights, discuss travel trends, and/or promote services or destinations.
These conferences are typically held in large spaces in various cities and contain several booths and exhibitions for countries and tourism companies.
There are usually opportunities for speed networking and/or one-on-one meetings, and key themes are almost always discussed through seminars and press briefings.
How Do I Register for A Conference?
Every travel conference has a website that outlines the requirements and information needed to register for attendance.
The two conferences I attended required me to fill out an application.
Later, I received notice that I had been accepted as an attendee under the categories I applied for.
Registration and application processes are usually straightforward.
Once you are accepted, some travel conferences have online portals. You will receive an online login for these portals, where you can set up a profile about yourself and view the information of other attendees and brand representatives.
This is typically where you can send requests for meetings and start to build your schedule to meet with representatives and get an idea of what your day at the conference will look like.
I don’t believe all travel conferences provide the opportunity for one-on-one meetings, so it’s important to research to see which ones do if that is your priority.
Are Travel Conferences Free to Attend?
Some travel conferences require payment, but a number are free of charge.
Why Should You Attend As A Creator?
As a travel creator, it can sometimes be difficult to get face time with brands and find the right contacts as you try to pitch in hopes of landing collaborations and partnerships.
Travel conferences provide a great opportunity for you as a creator to directly introduce yourself to representatives of the tourism boards, PR and marketing team members of hotels, tour companies, etc., which may improve your chances of hopefully working with certain brands in the future.
You get to have conversations, short and long, explain what you do as a creator, and essentially pitch yourself in person.
It is also a great chance to meet other fellow creators that you have been in contact with online for years.
Image Credit: Black Travel Summit
Travel Conferences to Know About
There are several travel conferences held annually that you can attend as a travel creator.
I recommend researching to decide which ones are the best fit for your goals and are realistic for you to attend.
You’ll also have to determine if the travel expenses are worth it, or you can start with the one closest to you.
Some conferences last only one day, while others last multiple days, so there may be something else to consider.
Here is a list of travel conferences that you can keep on your radar and look into attending:
- World Travel Market
- ITB Berlin
- International Luxury Travel Market
- TravelCon
- Arabian Travel Market
- Traverse Events
- Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX)
- TravMedia IMM
- Africa Travel Indaba
- Adventure Travel World Summit
- IMEX Frankfurt
- Wanderfest
- WITS Travel Creator Summit
- Black Travel Summit
My IMM Experience
Leading Up to IMM
The first travel conference I attended was TravMedia’s IMM North America in New York City in January 2024.
One of the event organizers actually emailed me, and that is how I learned about it.
I had never heard of IMM before this. As a freelance writer, I registered to attend for free.
IMM was only one day long. I was living in Washington, D.C., at the time. NYC is only about four hours away by train or bus, and my best friend lives in NYC, so for me, the travel expenses to attend were low, making attending the event sensible.
Once I was accepted, I set up my profile and began requesting meetings with the representatives I wanted to meet.
The Day of IMM
IMM is held in the Javits Center in NYC and was fairly easy to find. On the day of the event, I took the subway into the city and arrived about an hour before the event started.
There was no mass crowding, and the layout of IMM was very easy to follow, with a color-coded map provided.
Meetings run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and you can have up to 24 meetings in one day, each lasting 15 minutes max. Lunch is provided in the afternoon.
As a freelance writer, I met with tourism boards and hotel representatives to discuss possibly visiting in hopes of landing an article about that destination/property in a digital or printed publication.
I also took the opportunity to plug myself in as a creator who could do blog posts and short video reels, but it was not that successful, as many brands are typically focused on getting featured in publications.
Results of Attending
I met with over 20 representatives and was pleasantly surprised to be offered a spot on two group brand trips at IMM, although the dates did not work for me.
Nonetheless, I thought it was impressive that representatives prioritized journalists and creators at the event, who obviously took the time to come and connect.
On the flip side, many representatives sounded excited about continuing the conversation after the event, but I did not hear from them after, even when following up.
This gave me the reality check I needed about not getting too invested or excited until things were finalized.
Overall, I enjoyed IMM, but I don’t know if I would go out of my way to attend again if it is not near where I am based.
Arabian Travel Market Experience
Why I Decided to Go
The Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is held in Dubai at the World Trade Centre.
It mainly focuses on the Middle East’s inbound and outbound travel industry but attracts visitors and brands from all over the world.
I am currently based in Qatar, so I thought it would be a great fit to attend.
While I visited IMM mainly as a freelance writer, I was only representing my travel brand, Being Christina Jane, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity to see what opportunities could potentially arise.
I applied to attend as a media attendee and was notified that my application was accepted two days later.
I was then granted access to the ATM Dashboard, where I could build my profile, see what representatives and brands would be present, and, most importantly, request up to 30 meetings with different representatives.
The Days of the Conference
The Arabian Travel Market is four days long, Monday through Thursday, and runs from 10 am to 5 pm or 6 pm.
I took the metro to the World Trade Center, which was very convenient.
The traffic in the area was massive, and it helped me avoid any additional delays.
ATM was definitely about three times the size of IMM, so if I’m being honest, I was a bit overwhelmed the first day.
I did not expect the lines to get inside the building to be so long, there to be as many people as there were, and the halls to be so spread out and far from each other at times.
Every day, I made my way to the scheduled meetings and spoke to representatives.
Some conversations were very short, and some were very hopeful, and I felt good about what could come out of following up and continuing to build on those leads.
The Meetings
There was a lot happening at ATM.
I’d be in mid-conversation with a representative when a full-blown cultural performance would bust out, interrupting the conversation or making it hard to hear, which was difficult.
Many representatives, in general, also seemed to be overwhelmed and distracted by everything going on.
Many conversations ended with a request for my media kit and portfolio anyway, so sometimes it felt like I could have cold-pitched myself.
However, I reminded myself that it was still great to have direct contact with brands as a starting point.
I had 2 to 3 representatives who accepted meetings but in person told me they were not the best contacts. However, they were willing to connect me to the “right person,” so I plan on following up to see if that works.
Overall, I think I had a lot of mixed feelings, but I am happy that I attended for the experience and insights I received from brands.
Many brands were there to promote and gain visibility, but there were also representatives who were open to learning about the possibilities of connecting.
I was offered a free hotel stay on the spot in exchange for a blog review, received an immediate follow-up via email from a brand I spoke to that same day, and had a few reps mention that I could be invited for FAM trips.
I will return to this blog post in a few months and provide an update on the results of my attendance.
What to Bring to Travel Conferences
You may be wondering what to bring to a travel conference since you will likely be in meetings the entire day and chatting with others.
This is a brief list of the items I usually bring with me and why:
Business cards
If you don’t already have business cards made solely for you as a travel creator, I highly recommend ordering some before you attend a travel conference.
You will be exchanging business cards with people you meet throughout the event. Your business card tells people what you do quickly and is a great way to make a quick impression.
Small notebook
I like to bring a small notebook to take notes while speaking to representatives if necessary.
I usually prepare my page before going to the conference, making small notes to myself on talking points based on my research beforehand in case I need them.
During the meeting, I write key points of what the representative is saying and how I felt about the meeting overall to reflect upon later.
Copy of Your media kit
I usually never have time to show my media kit anyway, but it is good to have it on hand, as I have been asked a few times.
I usually always have a copy of my media kit printed to physically show a representative if needed.
If you have an iPad, bringing it along and showing the media kit and portfolio can be a great way to engage the rep.
However, I recommend reading the room and assessing the vibe before doing so.
If it feels right, go for it, but remember that representatives are also meeting with a lot of people and likely don’t want to have to digest a lot of information then and there, so be prepared to never show it, but mention it in case they want to see it on the spot.
Light snacks and water
You may be going to back-to-back meetings with little to no breaks, so it’s always a great idea to have easy-to-eat snacks and water in your bag.
Breath mints
You will be near many people talking, so it’s great to keep your breath refreshed throughout the day!
Ways to Prepare for Travel Conferences
Determine your personal goals for the conference
Decide your goals for attending beforehand so that you can be strategic about who you decide to speak to and seek out.
Do you want to gain awareness of travel brands and companies in your country/city? Are you traveling to a specific region soon and want to connect with people there? Do you have a service you want to pitch and discuss with tour companies?
Knowing your goals will allow you to set meetings based on brands you want to work with and be more intentional about getting a lot out of attending.
Be intentional about scheduling meetings in advance
Meeting slots can fill up fast, so one of the first things I would do is send invites to your top brands before they run out of spots.
Once you can access the conference’s dashboard/appointment setting system, prioritize setting up your profile and scheduling your meetings.
Inform yourself about the schedule and flow of the event
Be sure that you are aware of the conference schedule, including its opening times, lunch times (if applicable), and so on.
You should know how long meetings can be and, overall, understand the event you are attending to the best of your ability beforehand.
Print anything you have to in advance and download any apps
You may receive emails informing you that you must print your badge or entry ticket and suggesting that you download the conference app if there is one.
Follow these instructions to avoid any issues with entrance to the conference and to make navigating the conference easier.
Update your media kit
Take a good look through your media kit and update the information to reflect your most current following counts, statistics, blog data, etc.
Research the brands you are meeting with
Once your schedule is finalized, research each of the brands you are meeting with.
What gaps in their content can you fill? What services can you provide that you think will benefit them? Are there any new features/openings they are highlighting at the moment?
I find it helpful to write a few talking points in my notebook while researching in case they come in handy during the meeting.
Finalize your travel arrangements
Think ahead and figure out how you will get to the travel conference on the day of. If you are traveling, I recommend arriving at least one day before the conference to avoid delays.
Depending on how you choose to arrive once you are in the area, plan so you are on time.
Map out your route and know how far your accommodation is from the event center so that you are prepared.
Day of the Conference
On the day of your travel conference, try to arrive an hour early before your first meeting, so you have time to understand the layout in person and learn how the event is being run.
Many travel conferences provide maps of the venue ahead of time, but as a visual learner, I know that it helps me to physically see the setups and layouts.
It’s perfectly normal to be nervous, especially if you’re new to traveling conferences like me. But remember to keep your head up, walk with confidence, smile, and don’t be afraid to approach others outside of your meeting times.
Navigating Meetings with Brand Representatives
In my experience with 1-1 meetings at travel conferences, brand reps usually let me lead the meeting.
I began by introducing myself, telling a bit about what I do (mainly focusing on my blog and content), and ending with a line about why I wanted to meet with them.
This could be that I am planning to write a travel guide, want to collaborate with their marketing team to produce content, etc. but I try to be very specific with my vision and keep my introduction short but informative.
This usually leads to them sharing more about their brand and what they are working on/looking for.
Questions You Can Ask:
- What aspects of the hotel/destination/company are you looking to highlight at the moment?
- What places would you like to see an increase in visitors?
- Have you worked with bloggers/creators before?
- Do you host FAM trips, if so when was the last one?
You can ask anything you want to to open up the conversation.
Be sure to exchange business cards before leaving.
Remember that reps will be meeting with 30+ of “you” in one day, so try not to bombard them with too much information all at once. You’ll likely be sending a follow-up email anyway.
Again, this is how I approach meetings, and I am still learning and testing what works and what doesn’t, so feel free to comment with any other suggestions if you are a more seasoned travel conference attendee!
How to Dress
When it comes to choosing your outfit(s) for travel conferences for women I would recommend leaning toward business casual, a nice blouse with slacks, or a jumpsuit or dress that is nicer than casual wear.
For men I usually see a collared shirt with slacks.
Travel conferences involve a lot of walking, so I would not recommend wearing heels or uncomfortable shoes.
Ultimately, you want to feel comfortable and confident in whatever you wear. When you look good, you feel good!
What to Do After the Conference
So the conference is over, now what?
After the conference, you’ll want to follow up with the individuals you met via email with your media kit and any other things they asked for during your meeting.
Be sure to follow up with those who mentioned they could connect you with their marketing/PR colleagues.
Whenever I have a really good conversation with a representative, I will also email them a project proposal to give them a better idea of what I had in mind.
Conclusion
Attending travel conferences as a travel creator is a huge privilege for me, as they cost money and time and may not be accessible to everyone.
However, if you have the opportunity to attend one you should, as it can be a great way to make headway with brands and learn more about the travel and tourism industry.
Attending travel conferences has pros and cons that you will have to weigh to decide if it makes sense for you as a creator.
I’ll be back probably toward the end of the year to update this post and share if any collaborations resulted from attending.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, and if you are a fellow creator, be sure to share your tips for attending travel conferences!
