Top international travel bloggers at Getaway’s Travel Blog Conference 2012

Posted by Sarah Duff on 19 June 2012

Following the success of the inaugural 2011 Getaway Travel Blog Conference, we’ve very excited to be hosting an even bigger event this year in Cape Town on Saturday 4 August 2012.

This year’s Getaway Travel Blog Conference, sponsored by Cape Town Tourism, will feature top international travel bloggers Nellie Huang (of Wild Junket), Melvin Boecher (of Traveldudes), Matt Long (of Landlopers) and Keith Jenkins (of VelvetEscape). Each blogger has a massive online audience and significant social media following, and will be sharing their insights into travel blogging success. We’re so excited to have such high profile travel bloggers on board this year! It’s great that they want to share their knowledge and skills with the South African travel blogging community.

They will be joined by local blogging experts, such as Andrew Brauteseth from Cape Town photography blog Guy with Camera, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Cameron Ewart-Smith, Getaway editor; Joseph Lawrence, user-experience designer at web design agency Clickshape, Mike Sharman, owner of creative digital communications agency, Retroviral, and Dave Duarte, well-respected digital media educator and entrepreneur.

Speakers will present on a range of topics during the day, covering social media, travel blog writing, setting up a blog, blog design, analytics, how to liaise with marketing organisations to get trips as a blogger, travel photography, and how to do viral marketing – from the basics to advanced strategy and tips.

If you’ve never blogged before, you should get inspiration, ideas and practical advice on how to start. If you’re blogging already but your mother is the only person who reads your posts, then you’ll learn how to market your blog. If you’re a blogging pro and want to learn how to travel the world as a job then learn from the masters – Nellie, Matt, Keith and Melvin do just that.

Click here for the full programme, and click here for more on each of the speakers.

Here’s what some of the speakers have to say about the Getaway Travel Blog Conference:

Nellie Huang, Wild Junket blogger

I travel full-time around the world, writing and blogging along the way. Don’t envy me though – because you can do it too! At the Getaway Travel Blogging Conference, I’ll be sharing secrets of building a successful blog and how to make a living out of travel blogging. Along with other top travel bloggers in the industry, I’ll be around to mingle and answer any questions you may have.

Cameron Ewart-Smith, Getaway editor

I’m really excited to be talking once again at Getaway’s travel blog conference. I was originally drawn to the media through a desire to share stories and images with people – and it’s something I am continually trying to hammer home to the guys who work with me. We are responsible for some of the most important moments of peoples lives – their holidays. After all it’s not the successful tax returns you’re going to remember when you’re lying on your death bed. Instead, it is the moment you summited out on Kili, or saw your first sailfish off Mozambique. Those memories are our responsibility – after all if we do our job right people have better lives. Travel blogging is this desire to share, and inspire writ large and we’re really chuffed to be able to bring together a group of like-minded passionate travel lovers every year to improve how and what we do.

Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism

Over the past two years we have seen significant changes in the way travellers research, buy and share when it comes to travel. The online world allows for more immediate, visual sharing of travel experiences and the ability to browse destinations widely online is ideal for today’s tech-savvy travellers who want as much choice as possible. User generated content and reviews have become just as important to travellers now as a review in a Fodor’s guide was five years ago. The digital arena also allows for instant updates so opinions change within days rather than annually which keeps establishments and service providers on their toes. Travel bloggers are the ambassadors of a new digital age in tourism, but with so much information and choice out there, they may have a challenging time enticing readers. This conference will assist them in sharpening their tools when it comes to writing and presenting user-friendly travel content.

Matt Long, Landlopers blogger

Travel bloggers play a key role in tourism and our reach is only increasing. While success in online media doesn’t happen overnight, there are some key tips and tricks that every blogger should know. The Getaway Travel Blog Conference is an essential tool for anyone who wants to learn more about the profession of travel blogging and to bring their passion for travel to life.

Getaway Travel Blog Conference 2012 info

Twitter hashtag #GTBC

Cost: R750 a person (with R100 discount for Getaway bloggers), which includes a full day of presentations, lunch and refreshments.

Where: Upper Eastside Hotel in Woodstock, Cape Town

When: Saturday 4 August 2012 – from 08h30 to 17h00

To book (or for more information) email me on [email protected], or [email protected] or go to www.getawayblogconference.co.za.

More venue info: Upper Eastside Hotel is on Brickfield Road in Woodstock, Cape Town. The four-star hotel has 183 rooms, a lounge-bar that regularly hosts live acts, and a range of conference venues equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities. The Upper Eastside Hotel is offering a special to Getaway Travel Blog Conference attendees – R580 for a double room, including breakfast.

Click here to read about last year’s Getaway Travel Blog Conference.