Travel and Words provides plenty of opportunities for professional development and networking, so attendees can make valuable new contacts, rekindle old connections, gain fresh insights about the travel media industry and come away inspired to tell new stories. The full program is posted below.
Speakers and Workshop Presenters:
- Caysey Welton
- Adam Sawyer
- Kim Cooper Findling
- McKenzie Tobeck
- Allen Cox
- Ron Engeldinger
- Corey Dembeck
Check back for more.
Panel Discussions:
- Editors Panel: Get the inside scoop on the travel media industry from the perspectives of four professional travel editors.
- Destination Marketing Panel: Destination marketers are a crucial resource for travel writers, bloggers and influencers. Learn about this important segment of the tourism industry and how to build productive relationships with them.
Experienced Track Workshops: Experienced writers will attend three workshops at the conference and may also opt to attend Beginning Track workshops.
Beginning Track Workshops: Beginning writers will attend six Beginning Track workshops, giving the tools to be successful as a freelance travel & lifestyle writer.
Networking Opportunities:
- Opening Reception: An informal ice-breaker evening with appetizers and beverages, hosted by Explorer Media and Marketing.
- Networking Mixer: A dazzling evening where conference attendees can mix and mingle over food, beverages and entertainment, hosted by Vancouver USA.
- Destination Marketer-Writer Sessions: Writers attending Travel & Words are looking for story ideas and possibly press trips. These “speed dating” sessions connect destination marketers with freelance writers and bloggers on the “Experienced” track.
- Visit Destination Marketer and Corporate Exhibitor Booths: Meet the exhibitors who are your story sources and learn about their destinations (for both Beginning and Experienced Tracks).
| Date | Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00-3:00 pm | Adjourn, Exhibitor Move-out | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| Sunday March 31 | 4:30 – 8:00 pm | Registration Check-in Tote bags sponsored by: Amtrak Cascades Notebooks sponsored by: Ketchikan Visitors Bureau | Fort Vancouver Foyer |
| Exhibitor Set-up Exhibits are not open for viewing | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | ||
| 6:00 – 8:00 pm | Opening Reception Sponsored by: Heathman Lodge, Explorer Media & Marketing | Lewis & Clark Ballroom | |
| Monday April 1 | 7:30 – 8:00 am | Registration Check-in Tote bags sponsored by: Amtrak Cascades Notebooks sponsored by: Ketchikan Visitors Bureau | Fort Vancouver Foyer |
| 8:00 – 8:30 am | Welcome to Travel & Words 2019 | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 8:30 – 9:30 am | Presentation “Be a 5-Tool Freelancer” Presenter: Adam Sawyer | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 9:30 – 10:00 am | Break/Visit Exhibitor Tables Break sponsored by: Aramark – Leisure, Olympia Peninsula Properties | Fort Vancouver Ballroom and Foyer | |
| 10:00 – 11:00 am | Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) Panel Panelists: Andi Day, Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau Michelle Peters, Visit Lewis-Clark Valley Patti Mackey, Ketchikan Visitors Bureau Dawn Smith, Cowlitz County Tourism Sylke Neal-Finnegan, Tualatin Valley, OR (WCVA) Facilitator: Dave Peterson, President, Explorer Media & Marketing | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 11:00 – 12:00 pm | Keynote Presentation Caysey Welton, Folio: “Thriving as a Writer and Editor in the Digital Age” | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 12:00 – 1:00 pm | Lunch Sponsored by: Washington County Visitors Association Presentation: “Politics and Tourism: A Conversation with Gig Harbor Mayor Kit Kuhn” Facilitator: Dave Peterson | Lewis & Clark Ballroom | |
| 1:00 – 2:00 pm | Editors Panel Panelists: Ramona DeNies, Portland Monthly Brooke Jackson-Glidden, Portland Eater Erin James, SIP Northwest & Cidercraft Julie Winsel, Eugene Magazine Facilitator: Allen Cox, Editor, Northwest Travel & Life | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Experienced Track Workshop: “Navigating the World of Book Publishing” Presenter: Kim Cooper Findling | Sacajawea | |
| Beginning Track Workshop: “Travel Writer’s Road Map” Presenter: Allen Cox | Chief Comcomly | ||
| DMO Track Workshop: “Research and Data: What do you need? Where do you get it? How do you use it?” Facilitators: Dave Peterson, Caysey Welton | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | ||
| 3:00 – 3:30 pm | Break/Visit Exhibitor Tables | Fort Vancouver Ballroom and Foyer | |
| 3:30 – 4:30 pm | Experienced Track Exhibitor-Writer Meetup Session 1 | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| Beginning Track Workshop: “The Art of Pitching” Presenter: Kim Cooper Findling | Chief Comcomly | ||
| 4:30 – 5:00 pm | Wrap Up and Door Prizes Sponsor Presentation: Washington County Visitors Association | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| 6:00 – 8:00 pm | Networking Mixer Hosted by: Visit Vancouver USA | Downtown Vancouver Transportation provided |
|
| Tuesday April 2 | 8:00 – 8:30 am | Welcome Day 2 Sponsor Presentation: Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau | Fort Vancouver Ballroom |
| 8:30 – 9:15 am | Combined Track Workshop: "Expand Your Repertoire – Consider Business-to-Business Publications" Presenter: Ron Engeldinger | Sacajawea | |
| Combined Track Workshop: “Photography Tips for Travel Writers” Presenter: Corey Dembeck | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | ||
| 9:15 – 10:15 am | Experienced Track Workshop: “How to Become a Social Media Influencer” Presenter: McKenzie Tobeck | Sacajawea | |
| Beginning Track Workshop: “The Craft of Travel Writing” Presenter: Adam Sawyer | Chief Comcomly | ||
| DMO Track Open Discussion: “Current Best Practices in Destination Marketing” Facilitators: DMO Panelists | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | ||
| 10:15 – 10:45 am | Break/Visit Exhibitor Tables Sponsored by: Visit Lewis Clark Valley | Fort Vancouver Ballroom and Foyer | |
| 10:45 – 11:45 am | Experienced Track Exhibitor-Writer Meetup Session 2 | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| Beginning Track Workshop: “Social Media for Travel Writers” Presenter: McKenzie Tobeck | Chief Comcomly | ||
| 11:45 – 12:45 pm | Lunch Sponsored by: Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau Presentation: “What’s New with the Washington Tourism Alliance” Presenter: Christina Pivarnik, WTA Board of Directors | Lewis & Clark Ballroom | |
| 12:45 – 1:45 pm | Experienced Track Exhibitor-Writer Meetup Session 3 | Fort Vancouver Ballroom | |
| Beginning Track Workshop: “Landing Fams and Other Pro Tips” Presenter: Adam Sawyer | Chief Comcomly | ||
| 1:45 – 2:00 pm | Wrap Up, Door Prizes, Evaluations | Fort Vancouver Ballroom |