27 Jan 2023
New York City – (Thursday, January 26, 2023) - The TravMedia Summit North America 2023, presented in partnership with Visit California, brought together over 500 North American travel writers, editors, influencers, broadcast journalists, and international travel and tourism brands for an amazing day of networking, learning, and development.
The Summit is part of TravMedia's International Media Marketplace (IMM), North America's leading media networking event for the travel industry.
The stellar line-up of media personalities and industry thought leaders included Keynote Speaker Richard Quest, CNN's foremost international correspondent and anchor. Quest shared anecdotes about a lifetime of travel, weaving informed observations into his entertaining stories — about babies, traveling first class, and the profound differences between travelers and tourists.
"We were honored for Richard Quest to regale us with his personal travel stories and escapades. The room was filled with seasoned road warriors, who collectively hold billions of air miles, and he knocked it out of the park," said Nick Wayland, CEO and Founder of TravMedia.
The Summit presenters dove into top-of-mind issues: sustainability, indigenous tourism, crisis management, and the ever-changing freelance media landscape.
As the industry continues to rebound after an arduous three years, The TravMedia Summit brought travel professionals together to discuss the industry's trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Mike Paul, The Reputation Doctor®, jumpstarted the morning. Mike has more than 30 years of experience as a global strategic public relations, reputation, and crisis management specialist. Mike helps build, maintain, and repair the reputations and brands of international and national corporations, governments, NGOs, famous people, and public leaders. He is among the world's top crisis PR experts and has been dubbed "the Master of Disaster" by Business Week and "Mr. Fixit" by Sports Illustrated. He was also named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior in the U.S. by Trust Across America™ two years in a row.
The Destination Marketing Panel highlighted best-in-class marketing campaigns. Brent Hill, CEO of Tourism Fiji; Camila Clark, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Visit Lauderdale; and Chris Allison, Vice President of North America for Tourism Australia, discussed forecasts, how the consumer is rebounding post-pandemic, and actions DMOs are taking to compete for tourism dollars.
The Broadcast Media: Cracking the Code Panel examined earned media coverage and how to place your destination and travel products in front of millions. BBC's Rajan Datar moderated the panel, which included Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News; Jennifer Weatherhead Harrington, On-Air Travel Expert and Host; Ernest White II, Founder and CEO of Presidio Pictures; and James Wilkinson, TV Host and On-Air Expert of Wayfarer Travel and Lifestyle TV show and Seven News Australia.
After lunch, Ryan Becker, Vice President of Communications for Visit California, moderated the Sustainability panel. Panelists included Claudia Vecchio, CEO of Sonoma Country Tourism; Eusi Skeete, Director of USA Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc; and Rob Holmes, Founder and Chief Strategist of GLP Films.
The Slam with Travel Editors panel spotlighted Aaron Saunders, Senior Editor, News and Features for Cruise Critic; Amanda Finnegan, Editor of By The Way for The Washington Post; Caroline Trefler, Commissioning Editor for Lonely Planet; and Nikki Vargas, Senior Editor for Fodor's Travel. The panel shared advice about pitching, pay rates, and their focus on diversifying their stables of contributors.
The final panel of the day focused on Indigenous Tourism. Moderated by Paige Shepherd, Director of Tourism for Chickasaw Country, the panel included Sherry L. Rupert, AIANTA CEO; Ryan Rogers, Communications Mana, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada; Matthew Cameron-Smith, CEO, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia; and Tom Babin, Marketing Director, Indigenous Tourism Alberta. The panel had an honest conversation about sensitive issues like the difference between appreciation versus appropriation and speaking about indigenous issues in the past tense versus the present.
"We are beyond happy that the continued partnership between TravMedia and the Society of American Travel Writers Editors Council has resulted in outstanding professional development and networking opportunities at The TravMedia Summit. We look forward to this day every year and recognize it as one of the premier events in the travel industry,” said Melissa McGibbon, Editors Council Chair.
The day concluded with celebratory beverages from presenting partner, Visit California. They showcased the Wine Institute's California Wines to all networking delegates.
The TravMedia Summit is the forum for the travel industry to connect and learn from our most influential leaders. The one-day conference brings together travel and tourism PR Professionals, editors, and travel writers to inspire ideas, share insights, and discuss the trends, opportunities, and challenges affecting our industry. Presented the day before IMM, The TravMedia Summit attracts A-list media from North America's top publications, including CNN Travel, BBC Travel, and Travel + Leisure.
For more information about The TravMedia Summit and speakers, visit travmedia.com/immnorthamerica
Media Contacts for The TravMedia Summit:
Nick Wayland
CEO and Founder
+ 1 (347) 884 2237
Dominika Dryjski
Chief Operating Officer
dominika.dryjski@travmedia.com
Lauren Michôd
Chief Communications Officer
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About TravMedia
TravMedia is the travel industry's only global media network. Founded in 1999 by Nick Wayland, a former travel editor seeking an easier way to research and report travel news, TravMedia is the one-stop solution trusted by travel PR Professionals and media to network and share press releases, stories, and ideas. The platform hosts thriving online communities and is an essential daily tool for collaborating and developing long-lasting relationships.
TravMedia provides global travel newsfeeds and connects more than 25,000 travel media and more than 20,000 travel brand PRs worldwide via an online newsroom, press release distribution, events, Journalist Alerts, and daily industry updates. To learn more and register for TravMedia, visit www.travmedia.com.
About IMM
TravMedia's IMM is the leading travel industry event for travel brands and destinations to connect with the media. In its 11th year in 2023, IMM hosts more than 2,500 media and international travel brands annually in six countries worldwide. International Media Marketplace events in 2023 include IMM North America in New York City on January 25-26; IMM Australia in Sydney on February 23-24; IMM Germany in Berlin on March 6; IMM U.K. in London on March 13 and 14; IMM France in Paris on March 15; and IMM Asia in Singapore on October 23-24.
For more information and registration for IMM 2023 events, visit www.travmedia.com/imm or email imm@travmedia.com.
About The SATW
Founded in 1955, SATW has more than 1,000 members. Our members are content creators contributing to some of the most influential print, digital, and broadcast platforms. Our members are also travel and hospitality brands and the public relations agencies representing them. SATW is the premier networking organization bringing all of those professions together. Since all applicants must agree to the organization's Code of Ethics policies, SATW is able to maintain the highest level of professional excellence among its members.
