09/07/2018
The Corning Museum of Glass and Finger Lakes Wine Country to Host North American Travel Blogging Conference, September 11-13
Finger Lakes Wine Country and The Corning Museum of Glass are playing host to 700 travel influencers and brands from across the globe during the 2018 North American TBEX (Travel Blog Exchange) conference, September 11-13, 2018. TBEX is the largest international conference for the most influential travel writers and content creators in the travel industry, covering topics ranging from luxury experiences and arts and culture to budget-friendly and green travel. Each year, a TBEX conference is held in North America, Europe, and typically one other part of the world.
“We cannot wait to get to the Finger Lakes for TBEX North America,” said Rick Calvert, CEO of TBEX. “Finger Lakes Wine Country and The Corning Museum of Glass have been longtime supporters of TBEX and travel influencers. They understand our community better than anyone. We are looking forward to an amazing sold-out event and to exploring all the incredible sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences the Finger Lakes has to offer.”
The Finger Lakes region has been a sponsor of TBEX conferences since 2013, and is now ready to show travel bloggers, photographers, podcasters, etc., what makes the region so special. In addition to two days of conference sessions held at The Corning Museum of Glass on September 12 and 13, there will be two days of “Pre-BEX tours,” during which time bloggers will experience the region. Beyond that, TBEXers spend, on average, 10 days in the host destination.
“Finger Lakes Wine Country is thrilled to welcome the TBEX attendees to discover, explore, and fall in love with our region. Through passion-driven branding and marketing, along with the generous support of our conference sponsors, we have the opportunity to host this elite group of travel influencers,” explains Laury Ward, President of Finger Lakes Wine Country. “Our story will be told to millions of people around the world and will have a lasting impact on the region.”
And TBEX couldn’t come at a more perfect time, as the Finger Lakes just received a major accolade.
“This conference is happening on the heels of the Finger Lakes Region being recognized as the Best Wine Region by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2018. This honorable award and reader recognition are a testament to our beloved region,” Ward continued, “We look forward to hosting the TBEX attendees in our corner of the world and to confirm why we were given this prestigious award.”
Hosting TBEX is the opportunity for a destination to hold the largest and most cost-effective social media marketing campaign and press trip imaginable. TBEX influencers create hundreds of millions, if not billions, of social media impressions, posts, and images for the host destination. The conversation can be monitored via #myFLXtbex.
“I’ve always felt it’s very important for the Finger Lakes to work with travel influencers,” said Kim Thompson, Media & PR Manager for The Corning Museum of Glass. “Travelers trust bloggers implicitly, and want to emulate their experiences. Smaller, under-the-radar destinations like the Finger Lakes have the most to gain from this type of exposure. The heightened awareness that will come out of TBEX will add Finger Lakes Wine Country and The Corning Museum of Glass to countless bucket lists.
“We look forward to seeing all of the coverage produced and shared by visiting influencers,” she continued, “and to hosting any and all of their followers who decide to visit our region as a result.” Kim has attended five TBEX conferences since 2013, and will speak at the conference this year.
A complete conference schedule can be found at: http://tbexcon.com/2018-north-america/conference-schedule/
