We’re grateful that the announcement of our first, second, and third round of speakers for TBEX North America 2024 has created such a buzz in the travel content creator community, and we feel that’s a true attestation to the quality of the speakers that we’re so fortunate to have on board. It also doesn’t hurt, of course, that our next event is taking place in beautiful San Juan, and in just a few weeks’ time!

If you haven’t been to San Juan, it’s a one-of-a-kind destination that is a traveler’s dream come true, especially if you have a penchant for photography and video content. If you’re able to make it, know that you’ll be welcomed with open arms by the TBEX community, which showed up in full force at TBEX Europe 2024 in San Sebastián which, by all accounts, had rave reviews!

Our goal is to have a diverse, talented group of speakers that can help you take things to the next level, and the following speakers certainly fit that bill!

Alright, let’s get to which speakers we have the honour of welcoming for this event!

Luis Peña, also known as @backpackingluis, is a passionate backpacker and content creator showing the world through a more local lens. He previously worked as an engineer in the NASA Orion program, creating space tools for the astronauts for their missions to the Moon and Mars. However, he quit his job to focus on his other passions which includes filming, editing, and journalism. He’s been traveling since 2021 consistently, while visiting more than 75 countries.

His mission in life is to explain to his audience, in quick-hitting stories, all about history, culture, mindfulness, and tips on how to travel the world for less.

Luis will share his strategies for the power of short form videos in storytelling and connecting with your audience.

Diana Otero has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in public relations. She worked for several years in different advertising agencies and, in 2014, started her Instagram page (@soydianaotero) just for fun and she gained followers, little by little.

Together with a journalist friend she had a travel magazine called ABORDAR, but when the pandemic started, they had to stop it because travel regulations were constantly changing. At that moment, brands began to hire her as an influencer and from that moment on it became her full-time job. Diana has worked with brands such as Armani, Kellogg’s, L’Oreal, Aperol, Marriott, and Hyundai, being an ambassador for some of them. She has combined her travels with brands, making it more a lifestyle digital content.

Diana will share how she’s made it as a full-time influencer, has successfully worked with brands, and more.

Arnaldo Santiago Rivera founded the educational travel digital platform, Diary of Trips in 2012 after working in the digital marketing industry for 13 years. The Digital Platform grew and became a non-traditional travel agency, organizing group trips and offering tourism consulting. Arnaldo hosts several weekly travel media segments on one of the most listened to radio shows in Puerto Rico, and on Telemundo’s morning show. In 2024 will start hosting travel segments in several shows in Dominican Republic as well.

In 2019 he opened a travel themed brunch restaurant in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico that recreates an Airport Gate. The concept has been very successful and now he is working to open two more locations, another in Puerto Rico and one in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Arnaldo has advertising contracts with several brands and have produced several educational traveling events. He traveled to more than 85 countries and designed tourism experiences in more than 30.

At TBEX North America 2024, Arnaldo will share how he’s let his passions guide him to his next successes and has leveraged originality and his unique perspectives to fuel his career.

Astrid N. Emmanuelli Ruiz has 10 years of expertise in social media marketing, and a master’s degree in TV Journalism from the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, Spain.

Upon completing her education, she embarked on her professional journey as the Social Media Manager for the critically acclaimed and ratings powerhouse TV show “Encarcelados” in Spain. Prior to joining Discover Puerto Rico, Astrid honed her skills at La Concha Resort for four years, where she played a pivotal role in enhancing the resort’s social media footprint through groundbreaking campaigns, content, and initiatives. During this role, she was the recipient of medals from the worldwide hospitality brand, Marriott International.

In 2021, Astrid ascended from the position of Social Media Coordinator to Social Media Manager at Discover Puerto Rico. Her contributions to the industry were recognized in 2022, when she was named one of the 2022 Emerging Tourism Stars at the eTourism Summit. Astrid’s skill set encompasses brand voice development, content creation, community management, copywriting, the conceptualization and execution of activations, and live streaming.

Astrid will help guide the panel of incredible local creators from Puerto Rico, while sharing her immense expertise from her extensive and award-winning career in social media and content creation.

Keryn Means is a digital publisher, freelance writer and travel expert living in Long Beach, CA. She founded Walking On Media, LLC in 2011, which has launched such websites and publications as TwistTravelMag.com, Twist Travel Magazine, DCTravelMag.com and PCHTravelMag.com.

She has also self-published the Washington DC for Families travel guide, as well as the Ultimate Travel Planner’s Workbook on Amazon.com, with a digital version being sold on her website through SendOwl. She uses her design background to create mobile itinerary templates that are sold on Etsy, tracking what works and what doesn’t to create even more products to sell that aren’t affected by algorithm changes.

Keryn loves to speak and share her knowledge of the influencer marketing and publishing worlds, digging into how to work with both the publishing/influencer side of the aisle, as well as the marketing agency side of things. In recent years, she has begun creating physical and digital products to sell to an audience eager for what she has to offer, using content she has already created, as well as products her audience is begging for that she is able to supply.

Keryn will talk about how to create products for your brand and use them to generate both attention and revenue.

Kate Ahl owns and founded Simple Pin Media, a Pinterest marketing agency. Their goal is to help business owners leverage Pinterest marketing to help grow their businesses. Over the 10 years their agency has been open they have served over 1000 Pinterest accounts, shared their knowledge with millions via the Simple Pin Podcast, and worked to provide data-driven information to their community.

Kate will highlight what everyone needs to know about Pinterest in 2024, and help you envision what your strategy should look like right now.

Kash Miah is the VP of Marketing at CrowdRiff. He leads a team focused on positioning CrowdRiff as the leading content sourcing and creation solution for destination marketers. He has previously led marketing teams at growth businesses in fintech and consumer marketplaces.

Kash will walk through data that demonstrates that DMOs believe in the power of creators.

Juliana Broste, aka “TravelingJules,” is a 12x Heartland Emmy award winning Travel Video Journalist–a producer, shooter, writer, editor and host. Whether you spot her in front of the camera or behind the lens, you’ll recognize this fierce female filmmaker sporting pink lipstick and an armful of camera gear! She showcases adventures around the world with signature style, creating content for travel brands, media outlets and her vlog.

Juliana will be leading an insightful keynote on how to harness the power of your unique voice and talents when building your brand.

We could not be more excited for this upcoming TBEX, and if you’re keen to be a part of TBEX North America 2024 in beautiful San Juan, then the time to act is now, as we’re getting closer and closer to the festivities by the day. Suffice to say, it’s going to be a legendary event!