Last year, I went with my good friend Andreanna to check out the LA Times Travel Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  We ventured out in some of the worst rain LA saw in 2011 to see what the show had on offer. Our only consolation was that we were only running in the rain from the parking lot to the convention center and not running 26 miles in the LA Marathon that was going on the same day.

Andreanna and I are both avid travelers, but neither of us had been to a convention like this before.  We were eager to get inside and see what the show had to offer, but by the end of the day, we were both left feeling a little flat.  While we were hoping for a lot of good information on countries we were eager to visit, we mostly found tour companies that seemed to cater to a demographic that was older and more married than either of us.  We both appreciated the experience but said we’d not go back again.

Well, here I am a year later, eating my words. I just got back from the Travel + Adventure Show that was held in the Long Beach Convention Center.  What happened in 1 year that made me change my mind? What happened is I decided to follow my passion and made my travel writing/blogging a priority. This year I went with the mindset of a traveler in the industry, not just a traveler.  I realized that as a (relatively) young, black woman, I may not be the planned demographic for many of the vendors there, but truth is, I should be. I am eager and willing to travel, I am a blogger/writer with a growing audience and I have the income to make my travel dreams a reality.

So, I decided to lift my self-imposed ban on travel shows and I bought my ticket. In retrospect I’m glad I went as I learned some key lessons that I can apply at future travel conventions.

1) Listen to the Presenters: I dropped in to listen to presenters like travel photographer Ralph Valesco, Travel Channel Star Andrew Zimmern and CBS News Travel Editor Peter Greenberg (favorite line from Peter: “the airport arrivals terminal is like a refugee camp, go to the departure terminal” – when having to pick someone up from the airport…so true!).  With notebook in hand, I got a lot of good ideas on travel strategies, easy photography tips and recommended travel apps for my iPhone.

Andrew Zimmern before he started chopping up the huge sea clam.

2) Get there Early:  Especially if you are planning to sit through many of the presenter’s speeches.  While I learned a good deal from the presenters, that was time I was not out on the main floor networking.  Next time I’ll come much earlier and plan my time accordingly.

3) Leave “Humble” at Home:  Being my first travel convention with business cards in hand, it took me a little while to warm up to the idea of talking about myself (something I’m working to improve).  At first I just walked right down the middle of the concourse getting a feel for the vendors but not getting close enough to really talk to anyone. When I got my confidence up a bit, I began to wander closer to the vendor booths in the hopes of striking up a conversation. Most vendors were happy to hand me brochures about their tour, destination or product, but I didn’t see an easy segue into letting them know I was a travel blogger who would be interested in partnering with them. Eventually I realized this conversation was never going to happen: “Hey, are you by any chance a travel blogger because we are desperately looking for one to work with in exchange for complimentary stays in our 5 Star hotels”.  Nope! Not going to happen.  If I waited for the other person to initiate the conversation, I’d be going home with a paper bag full of glossy brochures and little else. So I squashed my nervousness and began to ask ‘do you ever work with travel writers and bloggers.’  Not all did, but I found a few who were interested and took a business card. I may just be added to a marketing mailing list, but then I may also be contacted about my writing. You never know.

Maybe if I’d visited this booth earlier, the “Nailah” sales pitch would have been a little easier!

4) Buy Local: One thing I did not do enough of was visit vendors who are based in California and surrounding states.  International travel is my passion, so I kind of breezed through the domestic section, but in retrospect I should have paid more attention to the opportunities for travel and partnership right in my own back yard.

The great thing is I have the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned and right my wrongs at a similar travel show in LA in 2 weeks.  There will be a whole new line of presenters to listen to and hopefully representation from the countries I’m planning to visit in 2012. Either way, you better believe I’ll be there!