Impressions from their first TBEX, to event advice, and corresponding successes – by Learners and Makers
I filed the contract, shook my head, and grinned at my wife.
“Ten projects total,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “Ten?”
“Well, technically eleven,” I added. “One project is a repeat client we worked with last summer.”
Holed up in Hua Hin, Thailand for a month, our family of four was halfway through our first year of traveling the world full time. While we enjoyed the nearby beach and the even closer (and delicious) night markets, our main focus in Hua Hin wasn’t getting out and about. It was about knuckling down.
In less than 60 days, we’d be going back to the USA for a few months. While in Thailand, we had been on a big push to set up travel content projects with tourism boards (or as they’re more technically known, destination marketing organizations, or DMOs).
The contracts we were signing did not come out of thin air. Each one came from someone we had met during networking meetings or other events during TBEX North America, held in Tri-Cities, Washington, in 2022.
During the summer of 2022, before we left the USA for Mexico and Southeast Asia, we worked on 4 paid projects in Washington State and Texas, all from contacts we had met at TBEX. Over spring and summer 2023 in the US, Jodie and I would create and publish content based on our travels in 6 destinations.
Our blog and socials are growing, but no, we don’t have a massive audience
This is not an anecdote about how we wowed partners with our giant audience and eye-popping page views. We are Anthony and Jodie St. Clair, content creators, homeschoolers, RVers, and globetrotters. As Learners and Makers, we highlight how families and people with mobility impairments can travel more. Our blog and social media channels are growing, but no one is mistaking us for bigwigs in the numbers game (yet).
TBEX had been on our radar for years. The Tri-Cities event in 2022 was a few hours’ drive from our home in Eugene, Oregon. It was an opportunity that Jodie and I knew we could not pass up.
5 tips from our first TBEX and how to make this global content creator conference a solid investment in your business
Attending our first TBEX brought us face to face with decision makers from tourism boards and other organizations from all over the country. Here are some tips that have helped us get so much out of our first TBEX:
Attend sessions that help you grow your skill set.
TBEX offers a broad spectrum of presentations and workshops. Think through the pain points you feel in your business: What workshops can give you insights, new skills, and solutions?
Attend speed networking, but don’t stress. It’s the first step in a longer process.
First-time TBEXers sometimes sweat too much about speed networking. These 10-minute sessions are amazing for establishing connections, but they are not where a contract happens. Instead, you get to know each other and see if the opportunity for a project is there. The post-TBEX follow-up is where you’ll make the deal.
The entire conference is a networking opportunity.
For me and Jodie, informal chats on a bus ride, and later while eating tacos, were the first steps toward two paid projects. (One of those contacts later set us up on projects with two other DMOs, in tandem with her own project with us.)
Create content about the host destination—especially if you plan to approach them for a project.
After our first TBEX in Tri-Cities, we put together a family travel blog article on must-visit destinations with kids in the area. Along with telling our audience about this wonderful region, we shared that post with contacts at Visit Tri-Cities. Later, we worked on a paid content project with them.
Ask the DMO about content they wish they had more of, and see how you can be the one to make that happen.
During our speed networking, email follow-ups, and meetings, we always ask about places or activities they wish they had more content around. One DMO told us two places they had in mind—which turned into not only a fun blog article and social media, but a chance to go razor clamming and fly a kite on the beach.
The conference is just the beginning
Many of the projects we have completed took a year of discussion and coordination to bring to fruition. TBEX itself is a powerful opportunity to learn and to network, but it’s the follow-up afterward that has made all the difference for our business.
As I write this, the four of us are halfway through RVing the USA, driving a Class C motorhome from Washington State to Florida. I’m also in the middle of email follow ups and scheduling meetings. After attending our second TBEX North America, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, we are starting to line up projects for 2024.
We’ll see you at TBEX North America 2024, in Puerto Rico!
The TBEX team is honored to share in the successes of our attendees and travel brands. Whether you have business-changing story to tell about your first TBEX or your tenth, we would love to share it!
If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines deciding when your first TBEX will be, we hope this story from Anthony and Jodie will inspire you to take the leap.
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