More Unsolicited Comments on TBEX 2010

By any measure, TBEX 2010 (the Travel Blog Exchange) in New York City last weekend was a successful event. As I mentioned earlier, TBEX’s glass is more than half full when it comes to drawing influential travel bloggers and major corporate sponsors.

The content was generally good and it was a fun atmosphere. In fact, the Art of Backpacking blogger and TBEX attendee Teresa Gotay managed to find 20 things she loved besides the core elements of the conference (here and here).

But there’s always room for improvement for both TBEX  and the travel blogging community. Here are a few things to work on for next year:

1. The Case of the Missing Matador. The work of bloggers and editors with Matador Travel were featured prominently throughout TBEX. Matador editor Lola Akinmade was a speaker on the Ethics panel. Also connected with Matador were  5 of the 8 bloggers highlighted in the community keynote session. But Matador did not help sponsor the event. After I first made this observation, someone in a higher level editorial role at Matador explained that the company had not been invited to sponsor in the event. Even if that was the case, it doesn’t explain why Matador wouldn’t offer. It was pretty clear as far back as January that TBEX was going to be the premier conference for travel bloggers. It seems only fair that one of the most popular travel blogging websites would support TBEX.

Fortunately, at least one editor at Matador agrees with me. In response to my last post about this Carlos Alcos said:

Hey Steven, I share your disappointment about Matador not having more of a presence there. I’m an editor with Matador and we did have a fairly large contingent representing the good name, just not in a formal sense (also, 5 out of 8 of the keynote stories read aloud were Matador editors and contributors). I’ve already voiced my opinion about Matador being at TBEX11 in a more pronounced fashion.

If I have any sort of bias in this situation, it’s one in favor of Matador. Not only is it one of the best travel websites, but the people who work there are some of the nicest and most talented in the travel blogging community. Supporting TBEX is for Matador’s own good.

2. THE BEST! CONFERENCE! EVER!!! The tendency toward smarmy “observations” that pervades travel writing was on full display during TBEX.  Kristin Luna with the Camels & Chocolate blog couldn’t make it to TBEX and tried to keep up with the proceedings by following #TBEX on Twitter. But she told me: 

Many of the Tweets I followed seemed tipped in the favor of “best! experience! ever!” and I wanted to hear more about the good, the bad and the ugly, not just the good, better and best.

3.  More SEO, Monetization, and Networking. I was disappointed that the panel session on SEO and Monetization were held at 3pm on Sunday. That’s exactly when I had to catch a Megabus headed back to DC. I know it’s important to have compelling content during the last few hours of  a conference to avoid empty seats. But both of those topics are a main course, not dessert.

I didn’t feel so bad about skipping it because I doubted that both SEO and monetization could be adequately covered in one session. Robin of the My Melange blog reached the same conclusion after sticking around for the session. She said:

I do wish that the SEO and Monetization topics would have been given their own panels – each with enough time for questions. Perhaps that will happen next time.

The Vacation Gals’ Jennifer Miner agreed:

[it] felt pretty rushed as there were 7 people all trying to get their tips and advice known in a short period of time. I believe that they were combined to give more room for the Community Keynote or podcast panel.

Robin raised another good point. It would be nice if there was someone to ensure that everyone could meet one another. She suggested:

a *speed-dating* type of event in a quiet space at the conference – so hard to just seek out everyone and get face time – especially at the after-parties. My biggest regret is not being able to connect with so many of the nice folks that were there.

4. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell? Am I the only one who didn’t receive a survey post conference? If not, failing to solicit feedback and advice from some of the best minds in travel blogging is a silly mistake. It’s also very unsocial-media.

5. O Canada. The choice of Vancouver for 2011 is an interesting one. After having conferences in Chicago and New York, I would have guessed that TBEX would be headed to Los Angeles. That would have been the safe move. I hope the 2011 venue choice was based on feedback. In any case, I’d be hesitant to bet against TBEX founder Kim Mance and CMO Marin Hagon. Starting TBEX was a savvy move that will likely continue to benefit the travel blogging community in the years to come, regardless of where it is held.