Last year I attended TBEX North America for the first time. It was a great opportunity to network with other travel bloggers, meet industry sponsors, and learn how to improve the blog. This year, TBEX will be in Huntsville in early May 2017. And the opening night networking event will be at AM Booth’s Lumberyard.
In This Post
TBEX North America 2016
Last year’s event was held at the Radisson Blu Mall of America in Minneapolis. It was a great venue and the staff was wonderful. I loved how the hotel was attached to the Mall of America so you could easily explore the shops during breaks. And there were plenty of cool events, including a private party at the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park where we sampled tasty food and drinks and were able to ride all of the rides without waiting in line!
During the “speed dating” with sponsors, I met representatives of so many great local and faraway destinations. We were also able to meet the hosts of TBEX North America 2017 from Huntsville, Alabama. After such a great time and finding real value from this conference, I knew I wanted to attend in 2017.
TBEX North America 2017
This year’s TBEX North America will be held in Huntsville, Alabama at The Von Braun Center, adjacent to the Embassy Suites by Hilton Hotel & Spa. I’m using 30,000 Hilton Honors points a night for my stay, but the conference hotel rate is pretty affordable as well.
I know, you may be thinking “why Huntsville?” Alabama may not be on the top of your list of places to visit, but you should reconsider that thinking. There are many exciting tours available when you visit Huntsville, especially the uber-popular NASA Space Camp experience. I’m getting to Huntsville too late to do the Space Camp, but I’m looking forward to the Hops, Helix, & Huntsville beer tasting tour I’ll be going on. Mmmmm, beer. =)
Opening Night at AM Booth’s Lumberyard
This year, the TBEX North America 2017 Opening Night will be held at A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard. The Lumberyard describes itself as “Downtown Huntsville’s destination for fresh food, live music, and celebration housed in a refurbished, 100-year-old lumberyard.”
I love exploring unique locations while traveling, and The Lumberyard certainly fits that description.
I’m really excited to sample the delicious food and local beers. I visited the picture page on The Lumberyard’s website and there are some tasty dishes! If you’re in Huntsville, you don’t want to miss out on this deliciousness.
Join me at TBEX 2017 North America
If you’re a travel blogger, consider joining me at TBEX 2017 North America. It is going to be a blast, especially now that a few more travel blogger friends will be joining me in Huntsville – Charlie from BaldThoughts.com, John from JohnTheWanderer.com, Adam from TheSterlingTraveler.com, Paul from IslandTraveler.com, and Eric from PersonalProfitability.com (who will be presenting this year).
Although the price has increased since I bought my ticket in the early bird pre-sale, tickets for TBEX 2017 North America are still available. As of today, the price for travel bloggers to attend is $257 through April 7, 2017. This price includes all sessions, keynotes, official parties, pre & post attractions, access to company profiles, and appointment setting with sponsors and vendors.
The Bald Thoughts
Although we all lead busy lives between work, family, and travel, it pays to attend industry conferences that will further your career through education and networking. You never know what amazing connections you’ll make that could be the catalyst to your next step in your career or earnings growth. The best thing to do is Google “(your industry) conferences” to see what’s available. Your boss may even pay for it… or you can use miles and points to help further your career by making traveling to that conference affordable. Also note that many conferences will subsidize (some or all of) your conference fees and travel costs if you volunteer or present during the conference.
