Six editors searching for freelance writers were among the featured speakers at the eighth annual NATJA conference.
The event, held May 11-14 at the Atlantis Resort Casino & Spa in Reno, gave writers, editors, and travel suppliers a chance to network in both professional development seminars and
evening social events, as well as local sightseeing tours each afternoon. A media marketplace on the final day capped the conference.
Editors from American Way, Canadian Geographic, Ensemble Vacations, HCP/Aboard, Ink Publishing, and United Hemispheres told attentive journalists how to pitch their publications, what their lead times were, and how much they could be paid for published work.
Workshops were directed to both media and organization members. There were panels on increasing revenue through packages photos and videos and others on e-pubs, apps, and web video as potential new moneymakers.
CVB/DMO workshops featured Karyl Leigh Barnes of Development Counselors International, a New York PR firm, on the proper use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Johna Burke of Burrelles Luce focused on message mapping and metrics for improved ROI.
Keynoters at the conference were Peter Yesawich, CEO of the Orlando-based Y Partnership, and Lee Foster, who explained how travel writers can use their material to develop smart phone apps, a huge and profitable new market for material produced by travel journalists and photographers.
Yesawich wowed attendees by reviewing developments within the travel industry and predicted changes that will effect both media members and suppliers, including CVB and state tourism representatives, destination marketing organizations, and publicists. He painted a picture that he said suggested a “partly cloudy” future for travel journalists. Foster told how he harnessed changing outlets to market to billions of readers, explaining that his profit on each download is smaller than a book sale but offers compensation because of the enormous volume.
Peter Rose, a Smith College professor who has written several books on travel, regaled a morning crowd with his published travel vignettes, while Christopher Baker, told his audience how he developed new markets and outlets and took them on a power-point presentation through Cuba based upon a recent visit. Baker spoke at the Nevada Art Museum prior to a unique dinearound in which notable Reno restaurants gathered under the same roof to showcase their culinary expertise.
The four-day, three-night event also included a historic steam train ride in nearby Virginia City, a Triple-A Reno Aces ballgame, and tours of Lake Tahoe, Carson City, and the host Reno/Sparks community. The host Atlantis Resort invited early arrivals to sample special fare provided by the executive chef and sommelier. The Atlantis also invited NATJA attendees to experience its newly-minted spa.
Previous NATJA conferences were held in Newport, RI; Chicago; Santa Fe; Stowe, VT; Little Rock; Oklahoma City; and Cleveland.
For more information on the 2010 NATJA conference, see www.natja.org or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueRtfTKMs0.
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