Originally Published: November 9, 2011 on the former American Airlines' BlackAtlas.com
So I hopped on the Eurostar earlyyyy this morning to get back to Paris from London to finish making arrangements for tomorrow’s guests. Playing concierge to a small group of American women that want to experience the City of Light is just one of my travel gigs, and I confess that it’s a little difficile to focus on picking up Paris apartment keys and coordinating check-in times when I’m still reeling from having spent two mind-blowing days at World Travel Market London. But a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do, n’est-ce pas?
Day One of World Travel Market London knocked my proverbial socks off. Touted as the leading global event for the travel industry (it really is), by the end of the first day I was smiling like a Cheshire cat and rubbing the burning balls of my feet at the same time, having walked around the entire conference center for 7 hours straight without a break. (Can you say adrenaline?) You can read about my Day One experience here. So when Day Two rolled around, I took my sweet time getting to the ExCel conference center. Not because I had lost interest. Oh no! But because this time I actually had an agenda…and it began at exactly midday.
Noon: I went to the USA area of @WTM_London and headed straight for the Homeland Security booth. You see, US Customs and Border Protection Program Manager Larry Panetta said that he would do his best to finish expediting my Global Entry certification because in my excitement, I previously applied for NEXUS certification which covers only the Canada/US borders. Intended for frequent international travelers, Global Entry is “a program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States.” True to his word, Larry got my application transferred from Canada to the US system, took my fingerprints and my photo, verified my personal information and gave me the schpeil on Global Entry. With a glint in my eye and a smile on my face, I am pleased to say that I am now Global Entry certified (with renewal in five years). I not only get to skip the queue by scanning my passport in designated Global Entry kiosks worldwide, but I am also a part of TSA’s Expedited Screening Pilot Program. Yes, yes, yes! I might even be able to keep my clothes on during screening! And no, the irony isn’t lost on me that I had to come all the way to London to get cleared. *Grin*
12:45pm – 2:40pm: For the next few hours, I made it a point to go back and roam the Caribbean and Central American areas of ExCel and snap photos of traditional costumes from Ecuador, Colombia and Panama and carnival costumes from the pretty girls of Trinidad & Tobago. The highlight of these few hours, however, were pointed conversations with representatives from Mongolia, Ethiopia, Hong Kong and Tanzania; and with a representative from India asking me if I wanted to go on a fam trip. Uh. Yeah.
I learned – among other things - about the many differences between northern and southern Ethiopia and was reminded that to appreciate Ethiopia, I must learn its history. I learned how to say “happy” in Mongolian and was called “sister” by my new “brother” from Tanzania (and he meant it). I learned about the Meet the People program in Hong Kong and chatted briefly about Marrakech and Morocco. Sure, some travel reps were open and willing to chat while others eyeballed me and didn’t give me the time of day, but this of course is the truth of life. Either way, where I was welcomed, it was fantastic.
2:40pm-5:30pm: 10 minutes late for a meeting with Monique of Mo Travels (an American expat living in The Netherlands) and Oneika of Oneika the Traveller (a Canadian expat who just made a move from Hong Kong to London), I scurried through the conference center searching for our meeting place at the Just a Drop booth. We hugged, we walked, we talked, we ate, we sat, we stood, we shared, we laughed and we opined. Like Oneika said in a later tweet “@OneikaTraveller Had an inspiring & informative powwow 2day w/ @OneBrownGirl & @Monique_Rubin at @WTM_London! #WTM2011.” Ditto on that Oneika. Ditto.
At 3:30pm, we made our way to North Gallery Room 8 for the first social media session of the conference called "How Working with Travel Bloggers Can Increase Sales and Brand Visibility" hosted by Travel Bloggers Unite, a community for travel bloggers & new media creators based in the UK. Monique, Oneika and I made our way to the session area, stood in a longggg line waiting to get in and ended up being turned away due to the popularity of the session and the lack of space. Mildly disappointed yet undaunted, we made our way back to the main floor for more travel girl chatter and before we knew it, it was 5:30pm and time to part ways. Luckily for Monique and Oneika, Day 3 of World Travel Market London (hashtag #WTM2011) has a full day of social media sessions in store (hashtag #STM2011). And while there is clearly no guarantee that the girls will get a seat, it is clear that getting there early is key.
Well fellow travel fiends, that wraps up my personal summary of World Travel Market London. After a memorable Day 2, I decided to behave like a tourist and took the Underground to the West End of London, namely Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Covent Garden for a fine meal and a play (Driving Miss Daisy starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave) with my husband. I'll be sure to write about it on MyBlogalicious where I serve as Travel Editorialista (a cute name for travel blogger).
Overall, I saw a lot and yes, I conquered a lot too (and in only 2 days out of 4!). Next year, however, from November 5 – 8, 2012, I will work my own little World Travel Market strategy so that I can return with stories from around the world and not just stories of my own.
If you are a travel writer, a travel blogger, a travel agent, or in the travel trade and have never been to World Travel Market London, go. There’s nothing like it. See you next year! And thanks for sharing my journey...
For photos from Day 2 (in random order), click here.
To read my first post – “Okay. Who’s the Brown Girl?” - on Travel Bloggers Unite, click here.
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