Announcing TravelCon 2020: Keynotes, Speakers, & More!

Posted: 9/23/2019 | September 23rd, 2019

At the end of June, we announced our next TravelCon and, today I’d like to share some more details about our next big event.

First, it will be May 8-10, 2020, in New Orleans so mark your calendars!

We have a lot of big changes and improvements coming this year. The four big ones I want to announce right now are:

1. We have a destination partner! New Orleans & Company, the city’s official tourism board, is our official destination partner, and we’ll be working hard with them to organize a lot of activities throughout TravelCon that will get you out of the hotel and around the city.

In a first, this year we’ll be doing FAM trips and tours of the city before and after the conference. We’ll also be conducting a scavenger hunt around New Orleans (we’re super stoked about that!).

We’ll have specifics on both in the new year. We know this was something you all really wanted and we’re excited to finally be able to offer them!

Check out our TravelCon page on New Orlean’s website for exciting information on the city!

2. We’ll be ditching our second-night party so as to have longer niche meet-ups. Everyone loves our niche meet-ups! They are one of the highlights of TravelCon, so rather than make them rushed, we’re not going to have anything that gets in their way so people can spend more time hanging out with their new friends.

3. We’re adding back a second included lunch. Everyone wanted more organized lunches, so we’ll be doing two this year.

4. Finally (and this is a big, big change), we’re moving workshops from the main schedule and making them add-ons before the conference. We’ve found that managing the workshops has proven harder than we thought. People sign up for multiple workshops, don’t show up, want to transfer to different workshops, or. miss the sign-up time. This leads to a lot of people not getting into the classes they want when, in the end, there is space. It takes up a lot of admin time and is confusing for attendees.

Plus, the teachers feel that they have to compress information into a really short period of time and they don’t like it.

So, to solve those problems (and free up room for more talks), we’re moving the workshops to the day before the conference (May 7th) and making each four hours long. Each workshop will cost $99 and come with a 30-day refund policy. Sign up for as many as you want. They are all first-come, first-serve.

We know this a big change and many of you won’t like having to pay for the workshops, but this will allow us to better handle the sign-ups so everyone gets the workshop they want, pay the workshop leaders more, and create more room in our schedule for other talks during the conference.

Those sign-ups will be available in January too.

Over the course of the next few months, we’ll be announcing more of our plans for the upcoming event, but for now, those are the big schedule changes you need to know about!

This Year’s Speakers

Over the next few months, we’ll be announcing our speakers, but here’s our first round of speakers and workshop leaders:

Keynotes

Pico Iyer

Author

Pauline Frommer

Frommers

Jeff Goins

Author, Real Artists Don’t Starve

Nicole Walters

Business Coach

Breakout Speakers

Faith Adiele

Author, Meeting Faith

Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Writer + Photographer

Leyla Giray Alyanak

Women on the Road

Alexandra Baackes

Alex in Wanderland

Dev Basu

Powered by Search

Marc and Julie Bennett

RV Love

Julia Cosgrove

AFAR

Don George

Author, The Way of Wanderlust

Brice Gump

Major Impact Media

Monet Hambrick

The Traveling Child

Alexandra Jimenez

Travel Fashion Girl

Ciara Johnson

Hey Ciara

Richard Kerr

The Points Guy

Seth Kugel

Author, Rediscovering Travel

Mickela Mallozzi

Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi

Chris Mercer

MeasurementMarketing.io

Laurence Norah

Finding the Universe

Erick Prince-Heaggans

Minority Nomad

Kristen Sarah

Hopscotch the Globe

Nadine Sykora

Hey Nadine

Mary Ann Thomas

Postcards From Mat

Amanda Williams

A Dangerous Business

One thing we will be doing with the talks this year is reducing the number of panels, so we can have more actionable workshops rather than discussions. We’ve heard you about not wanting lots of panels and so we will minimize them as much as possible.

We’re going to have sessions this year on Google Analytics, taxes, IP and legal issues, customer service, networking, hosting video, writing, advanced SEO, and hiring employees. Moreover, we’re going to be expanding the number of talks on LGBTQ travel, Instagram, affiliate marketing, and creating products.

Here’s our tentative schedule, which will show you how each day will flow:

(You can see a bigger version on the TravelCon website.)

***

Tickets to this year’s TravelCon are $349 until 12/31, when prices will go up to $399.

We’re capping our ticket sales at 800 again this year. We’ve currently sold 258 tickets to next year’s event and expect to sell out again!

So sign up today before tickets are gone.

And, remember, you can refund your ticket 90 days before the event and transfer them 30 days before the event. We know how travel plans can change and want you to know that if something comes up, you can get your money back.

See you in New Orleans!

—Matt

Book Your Trip to New Orleans: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
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Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Want More Information on the United States?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on the United States for even more planning tips!

The post Announcing TravelCon 2020: Keynotes, Speakers, & More! appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

September 23, 2019 at 03:00PM

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