Oh, the wonderful world of travel conventions… I had my first chance to experience such a thing this past Sunday at the Travel & Adventure Show in D.C. and it was an eye-opening experience in the most educational way.
As you may recall, I made a to-do list for 2015 in January and one item on that list was to book 3-4 trips in the U.S. this year. So far… 2 trips are completely booked, 1 trip has a deposit down (hello Caribbean cruise!) and as for the 4th trip? Wellll, it looks like Charles and I will be traveling to Mexico for a destination wedding this year! I know, I know. This totally goes against our domestic travel agreement. But considering the fact that Charles and I have traveled to St. John, USVI and France to witness our friends tie the knot, I think it’s safe to say that we might have a weakness for destination weddings. Love & Travel? I can’t think of a more complimentary partnership.
Anyways, I digress. Travel & Adventure Show. D.C. This past weekend.. Focus Setarra.
I feel like there was a point I was trying to make with the paragraph I wrote above but I can’t remember now. Hmmmm. (takes a break, makes dinner and then returns to the laptop.) The point I wanted to make was that since I’ve made travel a priority this year, I was really excited to see what this Travel & Adventure Show was all about. Cherry on top? Receiving complimentary tickets to attend this show from CapFABB in partnership with Jessica from The Dining Traveler. Thanks again Jessica & CapFABB!
Phew! Now that I’ve finally regained my memory, grab your tea or coffee and get comfortable because today’s post is a long one. Let’s get on with the show!
Charles and I arrived at the Convention Center around 1:00pm. We followed the signs and made our way down the escalator through the corridors until we found the registration area to pick up our tickets.
Tickets in hand, we took in the view from the balcony overlooking the show area and were surprised by 1) how big the venue was and 2) how many people were present! After picking up our jaws, we made our way down the escalator into the bubbling pit of excitement and energy.
Our first stop was at the Global Beats stage where we watched a few cultural dance performances before heading over to sit in on a bit of the cooking show where the chef was teaching everyone how to make plantains like they do in the Dominican Republic. My step-mom is Dominican and I can confirm that the chef’s cooking instructions were spot on ;)
Located right next to the Travel Channel stage where Rick was presenting, we eventually made it to the DC City Segway Tours exhibition where I signed up for an introductory lesson on how to ride a segway. But first, a helmet. Because safety first.
^^ Oh yea, we look good in London. One day this will be a reality. One day hopefully sooner than later :)
Sales 101: Create a sense of urgency so the prospective buyer will feel like if they don’t buy now, they will miss out on the opportunity (ultimately influencing them to buy right then and there). The Travel & Adventure Show nailed it on that point. I think it’s a great platform that brings different travel related vendors together in one place.. Almost like a 1-stop for anyone suffering a major case of wanderlust and looking to ease the pain. There was so much going on, so many travel options to choose from, and so little time to truly process the multi-sensory experience.
The only fault I found with the Travel & Adventure Show would be the fact that there was a Sea World exhibit booth at the event which I purposely did not stop at because I am not their biggest fan. Blackfish <– If you haven’t seen this documentary, watch it now.
Have you ever attended a travel convention before?
Linking Up with Travel Tuesday & Random Wednesday.
** Please note: I received complimentary tickets to attend this show but all thoughts and opinions are and will always be my own.
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