TBEX10 Conference Recap
29 June 2010
By: 
Most of you reading this know that TBEX10 was held this past weekend, in New York City.
Some of you also know that I was there, because we finally got to meet in person (yaay!).
No doubt you’ll be reading many “wrap-up” posts from any of the several hundred bloggers who also attended, as well as view their photos and video, so if you didn’t get a chance to make it, you’ll at least get a good feel for what it was like, and what you missed (and why you might want to go next year).
If you’re not familiar with what TBEX is, you can read more about it here, and check out this year’s schedule of presentations and speakers here.
Be sure to follow TBEX10 on Twitter for more details on TBEX11 (to be held in Vancouver on June 15 – 15, 2011) as they’re announced.
I’m not going to rehash the whole thing, since so many of you were already there, instead all I’m going to serve up is a small peek based on my personal highlights.
My TBEX10 Experience
- Best Presentation: Gary Arndt’s lively and humorous talk on the subject of Travel Porn, succinctly defined as “looking at photos of other people doing things you’ll never do in places you’ll never go”. The point? Images are what attracts and sells…..write all the lovely stories you want, but don’t forget to include compelling images. Also, a crappy photo that you took yourself is better than a great photo you got elsewhere – it tells your story.
- Best Schwag: The fabulous Bootsnall branded moleskin notebooks! Like many writers do, I go through pocket-sized notebooks like candy when I’m traveling, so getting a free one was a real treat.
- Best Reason (for me) to be at TBEX10: Getting to meet so many of the terrific travel bloggers whom I follow on twitter, connect with on Facebook, and whose blogs I read, such as the always-enthusiastic Dave & Deb (aka ThePlanetD), Andy Hayes, Pam Mandel, Sean Keener, Donna Hull, Lola Akinmade, Candice Walsh, Cailin O’Neil, Jennifer Miner, Shannon O’Donnell, Mariellen Ward, Margo Millure, Nancy Harder, and Kim-Marie Evans, and also to have a chance to spend even a little bit of time chatting with those I’ve met before, like JoAnna Haugen, Gary Arndt, Chris Christensen, Jim Benning, Jessica Spiegel, Doug Anweiler and his wonderful wife Margit, and Wendy Perrin. (P.S. If you would like me to change how I linked to you, or if we met and I forgot to list you, drop me a quick email so I can update this post.)
- Funniest Moment: Mike Barish accepting the award for best-dressed attendee in a powder-blue tuxedo reminiscent of the prom-wear we’d all like to forget.
- Best NYC Tourist Moment: Riding the Staten Island Ferry with my good friends Nancy (aka “Suzy” from our Case Study) and JoAnna, and seeing the Statue of Liberty semi-up close and personal – beautiful!
- Most Important Lesson Learned: to make sure to arrange at least a day (two is better) on both ends of the conference to get together with others – and more time for sightseeing. I would have LOVED to have had more time to hang out and get to know some of the people I met, and to experience more of what NYC has to offer.
- Biggest Disappointment: That I did not get to meet everyone, not even all the people I know online and really wanted to meet.
- What I Was Most Grateful For: to paraphrase Blanche DuBois, “the kindness of strangers” – after a fun night exploring NYC with Nancy, we would likely have not made it home had it not been for all the great NYC natives looking out for us to make sure we stood on the right subway track, didn’t miss our train, and got off at the right stop. Thank you, anonymous New Yorkers.
And last, but not least, a big ‘thank you’ to all the great sponsors for their generosity (there were some terrific giveaways!), in particular the folks at CitySights for providing me with a complimentary tour on their Hop On/Hop Off bus tour, CityPass for giving us their awesome sight-seeing coupon booklet, Weber Shandwick Travel & Lifestyle for hosting a great kick-off party at the Omni Berkshire, Australia’s Outback Northern Territory for hosting lunch on Saturday, TripAdvisor for a fun Happy Hour (even though I didn’t win one of the iPads they gave away), BootsnAll and Eurocheapo for an entertaining after-party Saturday night, and the fabulous ladies from DiamondPR for sponsoring the popular Taco Truck on Sunday after the conference ended, a great idea and great tacos!
I want to thank everyone who came up to me and introduced themselves – thank you! There were so many people there and so little time that I’m really glad you did that…..I hope I’ll get to spend more time with you next year and get to know you a bit.
If you were there and I didn’t get to meet you and give you a hug, I’m sincerely sorry – but there’s always next year, right?
So that’s my take on TBEX10. I would love to hear what you thought of it in the comments below!
~Trisha
P.S. If you’d like to watch a short video featuring several attendees offering their favorite highlight of NYC, check out Nancy D. Brown’s YouTube video.
Did you attend TBEX10? Share your personal highlights too!
Did you like this post? Tell your friends about it!
This entry was written by Trisha Miller, and posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010.
Categories: General News & Info, Opportunities, Reviews, Writer's Education
Tags: Events Recap,Networking,Travel Blogging
Read a Full Author Bio and More Posts By: Trisha Miller
Learn more about Trisha at http://www.travel-writers-exchange.com/
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Twitter: themaidenvoyage
says:
I also really enjoyed TBEX! Was so fun to meet so many of the bloggers I have tweeted with and interacted with. Gary’s Travel Porn session was fantastic; really motivated me to incorporate more photos in my blog. I also enjoyed learning more about video blogging and the session on upping your travel writing game. I was disappointed that the SEO/monetization session was so short–there was too much to cover with too many people in too little time. Next year, I hope they have separate panels for the two topics, as I think those are two of the most important subjects to many of us and I would have loved to spend more time on that. I could tell Nomadic Matt had so much more to say and was frustrated he was cut off so quickly.
Emily´s last blog post: Guest Post- Why I Wish I Traveled Long-Term in My 20s and 9 Reasons You Should
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
I agree – TBEX is still in its infancy, so I’m sure it will continue to improve in both depth and quality, as well as scheduling. Perhaps you’ll get much more out of next year’s conference.
Twitter: theroadforks
says:
Fantastic recap! We were sorry to have missed TBEX this year because we were in Korea, but we are going to do our darndest to make it to TBEX 2011.
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Well as of now I’m planning to go to TBEX11 in Vancouver, so maybe we’ll meet then!
Twitter: breathedreamgo
says:
Thanks for including me Trish. It was great to meet you in person. Now, let’s start thinking of a topic for another post I can do for TWE!
Cheers, Mariellen
Mariellen Ward´s last blog post: Meeting the Mahatma in New York City
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Great to meet you too, Mariellen – I just emailed you an idea – hope you like it!
Twitter: JenniferMiner
says:
Great recap, Trish! I’ve got to say, having the opportunity to hang out with you, Nancy and Donna was a highlight for me. Let’s try to meet up again soon.
Jennifer´s last blog post: Reflections on TBEX ‘10 and Travel Blogging
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thanks! And I would love to get together with you gals anytime, anywhere – I had a great time too!
Twitter: SoloFriendly
says:
Ooh, I agree about the moleskine notebook! That tied for first place with those beautiful glass water bottles from Rock Resorts as my favorite swag. Actually, I did arrange a day before and after the conference, and I still didn’t have enough time to see and do everything I wanted to, nor meet everyone I wanted to (like you!).
Gray´s last blog post: Travel Takeaways from My NYC Trip
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thanks Gray – so next year we’ll have to plan TWO days before and after!
Twitter: thetraveltart
says:
TBEX looks great! I’m keen to go to Vancouver next year for the next one! It looks like so many people gain so much from a great networking event. And Vancouver is only a 15 hour flight away from me!
Anthony The Travel Tart´s last blog post: Airline Commercials and Advertising – Taking Advantage of Political Events
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Oh Anthony I DO wish you could have been there, but I’m really happy to hear that you might be at TBEX11!
Trisha´s last blog post: Know How To Do Something Enter This Contest-
Twitter: mbarish
says:
Thanks for the love!
Mike Barish´s last blog post: Mediocre Moments in Travel Media- The Voyage of the Mimi
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
You’re most welcome – and you certainly deserved that award!
Twitter: nerdseyeview
says:
Trisha — I’m glad we got to meet, even briefly, but I feel like a chump because in the blur of all that (I get fuzzy around the edges at large events) I did not say this: THANK YOU! You’ve been so helpful on bloggy stuff, and I really appreciate that. Thanks for sharing your skills with me and for making time to do so.
There. That’s fixed now.
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thank you Pam! Perhaps at this fall’s BlogWorld Expo I’ll get to listen to you play some ukulele?
Twitter: candicewalsh
says:
I am SO UPSET I didn’t get to talk with you more! Not even a picture! Boooo. But it was so great meeting you. I share a lot of the same sentiments regarding the conference, planning on doing my own post later.
Candice´s last blog post: Dancing My Face Off in an English Street
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
I KNOW!! I can’t believe I didn’t get even a single photo of us!! Sigh….well that seals it, you’ll just HAVE to go to TBEX11 now so we can do some shots and get pictures of us bar dancing or something equally outlandish. I’m looking forward to reading your post!
Twitter: joanna_haugen
says:
I don’t even think of you as a fellow travel blogger anymore Trisha. I’d say you’re a bonafide friend now. I had so much fun catching up over lunch and dinner … and seeing Time Square lit up at night! Thanks for the good memories. Hopefully our paths cross again pre-Vancouver.
JoAnna´s last blog post: Images- Shoes in a Tree Mojave Desert- California
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thanks JoAnna – I certainly think of you as a friend too! I really enjoyed exploring NYC with you too – Times Square at night was totally worth seeing and riding the subway was fun!
I’ll be in your hometown later this year for BlogWorld Expo, so we can catch up again then
Twitter: ShannonRTW
says:
Was so wonderful to meet you Trisha and I agree on pretty much all of the points that you made about the conference – it essentially came to the networking this time around (and the nifty moleskin swag!)
Cheers and hope to meet you again, perhaps TBEX 2011!
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
OMG Shannon it was a thrill for me to meet you too! And I can’t believe I forgot to list you above so I just fixed that!
As of now I am planning to go to TBEX11 so I’m sure I’ll see you there, and I’m also planning to go to BlogWorld Expo in October of this year (in Las Vegas).
{{hugs!}}
Twitter: ShannonRTW
says:
No worries!! ::hugs:: and thanks as well!
Twitter: authenticcoast
says:
Great TBEX round-up, Trisha. I’m glad we were able to connect again at this travel event. Your advice of showing up early is excellent as it did allow us to spend some time with folks like you before the conference started. We would highly recommend that to folks coming to Canada next year. Doug
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thanks Doug! I really am glad I had the time to visit with you and Margit, and I definitely plan to tack on a couple of extra days when I go to TBEX11, as well as BWE.
Twitter: cailinoneil
says:
Great wrap up Trisha! You pretty much said everything I wanted to say and more!!
Stay tuned for my crazy NYC related videos too! 
Cailin´s last blog post: New York gives me the spins
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Thank you Cailin! And I LOVE your videos, so I can’t wait to see the one you’ll do on NYC! I hope I run into you at some future conference so we can spend more time chatting – I’d love to hear more about your adventures
Twitter: karasw
says:
Sorry I didn’t get to sit down and chat with you, Trisha! Agree that you really need to “make dates” with people with whom you’d like to chat over a meal, etc. Here’s to Vancouver in 2011!
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Okay so we’ll have to be sure to schedule a meal together next year, Kara – I will look forward to it!
Twitter: motherofalltrip
says:
Trisha – I really wish we had more time to chat and hang out – you have so much knowledge and I know I would have learned a lot. As I said, maybe next time I’m in Phoenix we can have lunch. And certainly, next year in Vancouver, let’s make one of those dates to do something fun (I’m definitely going to add days for that one, since it’s so far away for me).
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
That’s a good plan Mara – we’ll make sure to get together in Vancouver, and be sure to let me know when you come to Phoenix!
Trisha´s last blog post: Endless Vacation vs Responsibility to Readers
Twitter: travelbelles
says:
Trisha, so loved meeting you – every minute was a blast!Here’s to many more subway adventures and mega blocks of high heeled walking in the future!(and thanks for pointing out the rat) love, Margo
Margo´s last blog post: Belle Views- Girls Trip to a Fairytale Villa in Southern Italy
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
LOL – it was kind of a cute rat, wasn’t it? Hoping I’ll see you again next year at TBEX11
Twitter: theplanetd
says:
Thanks Trisha. It was a highlight meeting you as well. I only wish we had more time to chat. Next time I guess or when we make it to Phoenix. Thank you for all you continued support!
Dave and Deb´s last blog post: Mt McKinley from Denali National Park- Snapshot Sunday
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
How sweet – and I was so excited to meet you two! Definitely let me know if you make it to Phoenix, and I’m sure we’ll meet up at next year’s TBEX11 as well
Twitter: Travlersbarista
says:
I didn’t make it to TBEX 10, but super excited I just pre-registered for 2011 in Vancouver! I’m from Olympia, WA, so just a short drive up North. See you all next year!
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
Looking forward to it – be sure to introduce yourself if I don’t meet you first!
Twitter: nancyharder
says:
Great recap, Trisha. Thanks for the shoutout.
It was so wonderful to finally meet you. Thanks again for putting out such a great resource for travel writers. Ditto to your most important lesson learned.
Nancy´s last blog post: San Jose vs San Francisco
Twitter: Nancydbrown
says:
Great recap Trisha. You are an awesome travel buddy and a fantastic Travel Writers Exchange teacher – so patient!
Bloggers looking to monetize your travel blog – Trisha is the man – you know what I mean!
Everyone – let’s get Trisha on a montetize your blog panel in 2011!
I’m registered for TBEX 2011!
Nancy D. Brown´s last blog post: Stable Scoop Radio Horseback Riding Vacation
Twitter: TravelWriting
says:
*blush* …. Thanks so much for your kind words and support, Nancy – I’m flattered!
Twitter: ComplaintMan
says:
Trisha, I’m a first-time visitor to your site. I was reading Candice’s post about this event and clicked through to check out your site.
I work full time and have made a hobby out of blogging, but wow, I think I need to be at this event next year. And I’m glad to have found your blog.