Bohemian National Hall – April 20 Site for NY Trav Fest

In How a Consumer Travel Show Changed My Life, I talk about how my life went on its current course after going to the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show in 2011. This continues that story.

At the end of 2011, I moved to New York City and established RW Social, a social media consulting company. Over the course of 2012, I went to the New York Times Travel Show and the DC Travel & Adventure Show and revisited Los Angeles, to what was now only the Los Angeles Times Travel Show (with their other half split off to Long Beach). The magic was gone for me. No matter where I was, it was the same thing. Booths. Climbing walls. Zip lines. The same people I saw last year, a lot of times in pretty much the same location. The main speakers were the same, speaking about the same things. Same same, not different.

There is no major differentiation between most travel shows. They take place in character-less convention centers and you find circuit speakers doing a talk that doesn’t recognize any difference in the calendar. If you were dropped at a random travel show, it would take effort for you to know exactly where you were. There’s no strong fabric of the location itself within a typical travel show.

I began to think deeper about what these shows really offer for both the consumers and the companies that are paying to be there. For consumers, if you have any real interest in a specific destination, you have someone breathing down your neck waiting to ask for a free bag as you talk to the person at the booth. For companies, there are a lot of people coming by who have no real interest in what you do, only seeking swag and to gratify themselves with the knowledge that they’ve even heard of your far-flung destination.

In an age of information being available at your fingertips, why are consumer travel shows so brochure-centric? With a market that always wants to hear new things, why is there litte-to-no variation? How many times can someone go and hear tips about how to shoot better pictures on their trips?

I talked about this with other travel-minded folks I knew who agreed. Some said they had stopped going to travel shows years ago. How tragic is that? People who are passionate about world exploration who see no value in a travel show. Over the course of months, I consulted a slew of consumers and professionals that I knew to figure out how to rebuild a consumer travel show. What worked? What was a holdover from the days before the internet?

After many conversations and words of encouragement, I set out to try something new. The New York Travel Festival is the culmination of over a year’s worth of work on my end and many, many hours of conversations and thought on the part of others.

I hope that you tell anyone who cares about travel (esp. if they’re in the Northeast) about our event. A lot of effort has gone into making it something worth noticing, something that I hope changes the lives of the people that come, as a travel show once did for me.

The New York Travel Festival takes place April 20-21, 2013. Tickets for NY Trav Fest are $40 for Saturday only, $75 for Sat admission, lunch, and one Sunday tour, and $150 for Sat admission, a cooking class with Chef Pierre Thiam, and one Sunday Tour. You can purchase tickets here. Like NYTF on Facebook, follow @NYtravfest on Twitter.

Part One of Two explaining the genesis of the New York Travel Festival, a new consumer travel event happening April 20-21, 2013.

A consumer travel show changed my life.

In 2011, I was helping my mother out for a few months and applied as Media to my first event. I was ecstatic to be accepted to the Los Angeles Times Travel & Adventure Show. I walked around from booth to booth not knowing exactly what I was supposed to be doing, but happy to meet new people. Not long before, I had slowed down from what had been years of traveling and teaching English. From Summer 2007 until the end of 2010, I was barely in the United States, teaching in Italy, Taiwan, France, and Chile and visiting every continent except Antarctica. By the end of that stretch, I had been to over 70 countries, including every country in Europe. I knew that my broad, sometimes aimless, travels were coming to an end. I had been blogging for a bit and was continually working on my web series, Roni On Location. I figured I had put in my dues and should have some sort of assistance (e.g., sponsorship) or recognition (e.g., my own show).

Two major things happened for me by being at the Show:

1) In the Media room, I had my first conversations with real journalists, people like Sue Facter, who has contributed to USA Today for over 20 years. By meeting both her and Kayte Deioma, I went down a road I never thought I’d go down during my backpacking days: luxury travel writing, something I still do when on press trips.

2) I stopped by the Africa Travel Association booth to ask how they could help what was intended be my last big trip before “growing up”. Not having been anywhere in Africa other than Morocco, I thought I would traverse Egypt-to-South Africa overland as the coup de grace on my itinerant life. The Mrackys of the Southern California chapter said that this wasn’t under the purvey of what they did as a non-profit, but if I came by the next Chapter dinner, I’d be able to find out more about the organization.

At this point, I had just helped start #TTOT (Travel Talk on Twitter, now the world’s biggest Twitter travel chat and one of the most used travel hashtags) and ATA was interested in what I was doing in this arena. At the dinner, I heard about their upcoming World Congress in Dakar, Senegal. I was extremely surprised when Sylvia Mracky waved me over, grabbed my arm and said “Roni, we might be sending you to Senegal.” And they did. I was invited to ATA’s annual event to help manage their social media therein. I tweeted (with some people at the conference knowing me as “Mr. Twitter”, instead of my real name), made some YouTube videos (where I got to meet Chef Pierre Thiam) and wrote blog posts. For a few days, I hobnobbed with travel ministers and other high-level delegates and was mentioned multiple times as the living embodiment of the future. Heady times.

After X times of being introduced or spoken to about possibly working with some African entity on social media, I realized that perhaps I had found another way to reconcile travel and some sort of a career. I began doing freelance social media consulting, which then led to me creating my own company.

And all because I applied to be Press at a travel show.

Continued in “Changing the Consumer Travel Show“.

Don’t miss my appearance on Midlife Road Trip’s Road Trip Radio.

An hour all about my current projects (inc. #Africhat, Destination Accelerator, and New York Travel Festival).

Plus, stories about my experience as an extra (dressed as a Hasidic Jew) on Blue Bloods.

Pleasantville, NY

This was my first full year based in New York City. Despite my theoretical geographic stability, I still managed to traverse a bit of the globe.

January

Via a Klout Perk, I got a Chevy Sonic for a few days which I used to visit Newport (staying at the delightful Hotel Viking) and Providence, Rhode Island.

The Breakers, a Newport Mansion

February

A press trip to Quebec got me up close and personal with the frightening Bonhomme.

I also got to meet a new friend.

A bit ahead of the meme curve, Sharon Burian made the following:

March

A variety of travel-related events where I got to hang out with some of my fellow NYC bloggers, such as Lee Abbamonte, Jessie Festa, Leslie Koch, Matt Stabile, Charu Suri, et al.

I also started looking for venues for the New York Travel Festival.

April

Many videos and posts from my earlier trip to Quebec.

My version of the Lawyer Dog meme hit the front page of QuickMeme (400,000+ views and counting).

I spoke about social media for at an event for one of RW Social‘s partners, Big Vision Empty Wallet.

May

Hello again, Africa: a trip to Zimbabwe to speak at Africa Travel Association’s World Congress (more posts/vids coming in 2013).

June

My termite-eating in Belize post and Airtime review went up. (In the latter, I find myself surprised that Airtime sucks (sucked?) because of its *lack* of penises compared to ChatRoulette.)

July

Vermont trip, where I spoke to the youth participants of the Miracle Corners of the World retreat, met Rezzy (the world’s friendliest cow), and checked out the Ben & Jerry’s factory.

August

I got to see Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me, followed by Birbiglia in a Q&A. (Which I then reviewed.)

September

A trip to St. Louis, where I checked out their City Museum.

I helped organize the first Destination Accelerator, which started as a full-day conference for destination marketers.

October

Lunch at 21 Club for the National WWII Museum, a place that I’m dying to get out to.

November

#seeMaui Socially press trip. Check out my surfing post. More coming in 2013.

December

Lauren and I had our baby shower. I got to ham it up as we unwrapped presents.

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The last thing that I want to mention before the end of 2012 is my new friend that I check in with quite often: Reddit.

I’ve been intending to write a post on it for a while, so expect “Your New Year’s Resolution: Get on Reddit” if I get myself in gear over the next few days.

A very happy 2013 to one and all.

Last year, I went on a press trip to Riviera Maya. We stayed at Barceló Maya Beach Resort. After the trip, Barceló allowed me to stay a few more days to try their cuisine. One night, I scheduled three different dinners, a fool’s errand that I greatly enjoyed.

In the following video, you won’t see my exhausted face as I tried to take one more bite at the Italian restaurant at the end of the night, but you will see some of the reasons why I push back when people knock all-inclusive resorts.

For many days before my surf lesson, I had images of falling off the surfboard, smashing my face, and breaking a tooth.

I tweeted my fears and asked how to avoid hurting myself on my FB page. When I got to Maui Wave Riders, I felt incredibly silly. All of my worries washed away when I saw that my group consisted mostly of tweens, with only one other grown man in the group. Having worked with kids for many years, I didn’t feel awkward. In fact, it’s only as I write this that I consider this situation potentially feeling odd for someone else. I found comfort in knowing that someone else’s parents had signed off on this as a safe activity for those under 10.

We were introduced to our instructor, Sonny, who walked us down to the beach. I asked him how long he’d been surfing. A native Mauian, he told me that he “caught [his] first wave at 5″. Another reason to question my earlier anxiety.

Surfboards on our heads, we walked down to the beach for our lesson. Paddle paddle paddle (with cupped hands), push up (with hands on either side of your chest), quick motion up, hands out in “surfing position”, eyes forward. We practiced a few times before going out. Once in the water, the seven of us took turns having Sonny help us catch the wave. With the big board I was on, I had no trouble getting up and maintaining my balance for a bit before safely falling into the water.

The biggest challenge was the paddling. Out to the site where we waited for our turn, out to Sonny to actually surf, it really was a drain on my arms and neck. I got to the point where I would have my face planted on the board as I scooped the water alongside it. Watching the waves behind us, Sonny helped push the board to give us the momentum to not have the wave crash over us. There’s no way I could surf on my own without a much higher level of upper body strength and stamina.

After the lesson, I asked Sonny what you do in an Intermediate lesson. He lightly laughed, saying there was none, you just go practice.

I ended up getting a very different experience than I expected. Surfing was just the right level of challenging: taking effort, but not like I had no chance of success.  My advice: Don’t worry before you go. You’re just wasting your time. It’s a great activity for any age and any level of comfort, even for those that toss and turn for days before they go out.

Check out my video on my experience:

This experience was arranged by the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau as part of their #seeMaui Socially program.

If you missed it, check out Thank You, Maui – Part One, wherein I detail the first part of my trip that was arranged by the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Saturday, November 10

In the morning, I went on the West Maui/Molokai helicopter ride from Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Another experience that I thought would feel more treacherous than it did. At no point did I worry about my safety. In the air, our naturalist guide/pilot talked us through various elements of the desecration of Hawaiian land and the plight of the natural world at large. Ironically, my helicopter ride was not one of my most uplifting tours.

After the helicopter ride, I wasn’t sure what to do next. As I was switching hotels anyway, I considered directly transferring to rest up. Picking up a couple hitchhikers reinvigorated me. A tale for another day.

Checked into the Fairmont Kea Lani. My initial reaction in the lobby was, “Wow, I’m home.” Then I realized I didn’t live in a Newport Mansion. Gorgeous hotel, attentive staff. From what I’ve heard (and experienced), it might be your best resort option on Maui.

Even if you aren’t staying at the Kea Lani, it’s worth stopping there for dinner at Ko Restaurant. Passionate about local ingredients and variety, it’s possible that a dinner special you have there might never show up again. How’s that for a unique experience?

Sunday, November 11, 2012

A delicious continental breakfast at Kea Lani Restaurant started my morning.

After that, I had an hour private lesson with the award-winning Eddie Lee, Director of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy Maui at Wailea Golf Course. As someone who had never had a professional golf lesson before, this was probably overkill, but hey, if you’re doing Maui, why not do it in style?

Post-lesson, I was allowed to use the Emerald Course.

Monday, November 12, 2012

During my last day, I went on Fairmont Kea Lani’s Hawaiian Cultural Canoe Experience. Feeling like a lot of Hawaiian culture is put on as a show for tourists, I was reticent that this might feel the same way. Luckily for me, one of the canoe staff was one of the only local Mauians at the hotel. We started the canoe ride with our Westchester County-born guide, Chris, doing a native Hawaiian ritual asking for permission to enter the water. Chris blew a conch shell, then our Mauian guide recited a chant. Talking to our Mauian guide, he said that he does variations of that chant every morning and has done so since he was a kid. This provided me rare entree into a true feeling of native Maui.

While I’d gotten close to sea turtles during snorkeling and diving, this was the first time I got to watch one surface.

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A lot of people did their best to give me a good time in Maui. Thanks, everyone.

Lahaina

More pictures from my Maui trip can be found in my Flickr set.

Kapalua Spa

From November 7-12, I was a guest of the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau. I got to experience Maui in a way that I never had before. And for that, thank you, Maui.

Wednesday, November 7

Sheraton Maui

Flew in, got my rental car and headed over to the Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali. Had dinner and got to meet my fellow bloggers (as mentioned in my prior post), along with Keli’i, Wendy, and Alexis (from Sheraton Maui).

Laughs were had, then sleep was had after a long trip.

Thursday, November 8

The next morning, I had my first surf lesson with Maui Wave Riders. I was panicked until I saw my company consisted of many girls under 13. I realized that perhaps my fears were unfounded.

Went around Lahaina a bit. The Banyan Tree is pretty cool.

After that, I drove a little up along the Western side of Maui. It’s amazing how you barely have to go anywhere to get away from almost everyone.

Kapalua Spa brought me in for a lomi lomi massage. Delightful. Since my Nordic experiences in Quebec, I’ve started loving spas.

Had a wonderful dinner at Pineapple Grill. They have a new chef who is serving up a whole lotta deliciousness. The restaurant is like a lot of Maui: no high level of formality, despite being a nice establishment.

Friday, November 9

The main reason one would stay at the Sheraton Maui is their amazing snorkeling. An elevator ride from my room, a walk outside, a rental of snorkeling gear, all told, about 5 minutes to be from my bed to hanging out with sea turtles.

That night, we saw ‘ulalena, a well-acclaimed modern dance show that is focused on Maui history. Not my cup of tea, so definitely make sure you have a clear understanding of what you’re seeing before you decide to go. Despite my misgivings, the show is very important to the locals. I heard an anecdote about someone quitting their full-time job to have a part-time one in ‘ulalena. Yes, it’s that serious.

Dinner followed at Lahaina Grill, a place awash with folks looking for a high-end dining experience. With food from around the world, if you’re looking for a NYC-level dining experience, Lahaina Grill is the place to head to.

As the trip was effectively split into two by my move from Sheraton Maui to Fairmont Kea Lani. I shall do the same here. Look for Part 2 on Monday.

More pictures from my Maui trip can be found in my Flickr set.

As the Northeast recovers from Hurricane/’Superstorm’ Sandy, I have the luxury of a pre-planned escape via a #seeMaui press trip arranged by the Maui Visitors and Convention Bureau. Even with the hustle of repair that has occurred in the past few days, I know that I’m lucky that I will be away for the fits and starts that will take place over the next couple of weeks.

The last time I was in Maui was in 2007 on a quick, self-arranged multi-island Hawaii trip. In Maui, I CouchSurfed for a couple of days in Kahalui, comparatively not really doing or seeing very much. (You can see all of my 2007 Maui pix here. The above picture is mine, taken flying into the island.) From November 7-12, I’ll be provided with a much deeper feel for both Hawaii and Maui itself as a tourism destination and cultural site. There will be nothing on this trip (other than the airport) that I’ve seen or done before in Maui/Hawaii. In fact, there are a lot of upcoming general firsts for me, as well. Another notable feature of this press trip is the time we’re given to explore on our own, which means I need your advice on what to do. I also just bought a GoPro camera, so if you have any tips or cool vids for me to get inspiration from, send them along. 

(Map via about.com)

My fellow folks on the trip:

Lee Abbamonte (youngest American to visit every country in the world) (@leeabbamonte)

Susan Barnes (co-host of #girlstravel) (@travlin_girl)

Christy Woodrow and Scott Calafiore of Ordinary Traveler (@ordinarytravelr)

Nancy Schretter of FamilyTravelNetwork.com (@kidtravel)

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

I arrive in Kahului, Maui, pick up a Budget Rent-a-Car from the airport and drive to Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa. If I get there in time, I can go to the daily Cliff Dive Ceremony.

That night, we’ll have a Welcome Dinner at Black Rock Steak and Seafood.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Sunrise breakfast buffet at Black Rock Terrace to get filled up for my first surfing lesson from Maui Wave Riders.

After that, we have time to explore Lahaina before dinner at Pineapple Grill (Kapalua), so if you have any tips on what’s must-see, lemme know.

Friday, November 9, 2012

A lot of time in the water: My first crack at Stand Up Paddle Board via the Sheraton, followed by the Turtle Reef Dive with Lahaina Divers. (I got SCUBA certified last year in Belize.)

That night, we all go to ‘Ulalena. Here’s how they describe this cultural experience:

A family-friendly & award-winning show, ‘Ulalena blends traditional theatre with acrobatic feats of strength and beauty. Together, the rich costumes, lighting and stage effects transform the Maui Theatre into an intimate oasis. Expect to be mesmerized by ‘Ulalena from beginning to end.

Dinner to follow at Lahaina Grill, which has been voted Best Maui Restaurant 12 years in a row (Honolulu Magazine Readers’ Poll).

Saturday, November 10, 2012

An air and road day: My first helicopter tour will be provided by Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, followed by a drive to check into The Fairmont Kea Lani, Maui. That night, dinner at its Ko Restaurant, where they offer a Three-Course Cultural Experience (PDF).

On the drive to The Fairmont, Maui VCB suggests that I visit Makawao and Paia. Once again, if you have suggestions, let me know.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Totally outside of my norm is an hour private lesson with Eddie Lee, the Director of the Academy at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy Maui at Wailea Golf. There’s something about golfing in Hawaii that feels iconic to me, so I’m fairly excited about this. The last (and only) golf lesson I got was from a fellow camp counselor at Trail’s End Camp in 2004. My golf experience beyond that is of the ‘mini’ or “Wii” variety.

After that, more free time, where the VCB recommends sight-seeing in Wailea/Makena. Another chance to give me ideas on what not to miss.

Sunday night, a Sunset Dinner Cruise via Pacific Whale Foundation.

Monday, November 12, 2012

On my last day, I get a Hawaiian Cultural Canoe Experience at The Fairmont in the morning before my flight out.

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And that’s that. Be ready for posts and vids (and tweets and Instagram shots (NOTE: I’m @ronigram on Instagram)). After Maui, I head to LA and Vegas to hang out with family, then, back to NYC for a week before I take off again.

Back in my days at the University of Washington, I produced five and ten-minute play festivals, so it was somewhat of a homecoming for me attending The 37th Annual Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival. As I waited for lights-up, I reminisced of my time dealing with last-minute needs for our participants.

I didn’t have the chance to see all 40 Finalists, but here are my choices from the blocks I did get to see (2 of which were selected as the six winners).

Friday – 8:00 PM

Unfortunately, I missed the first play, “Kathleen Turner’s Ear”.

Maraschino Red by Steven Simoncic

Party Awesome Fun, Awesome Fun Party! by Jon Caren

Painted Desert by Deborah Yarchun

My choice: Party Awesome Fun, Awesome Fun Party! 

Every other play that we saw took place in one location. Party moves from bedroom to the awesome fun party as we follow a neurotic director through his anxiety-ridden paces of going to a party. The cast was lively without overacting. Fun to watch, it felt like a solid rough draft of a piece that would be served by having lighting/sound cues added to accentuate the changes in mood and locale.

Saturday – 6:30 PM

Screech by Michael Ross Albert

Edison/Tesla : Brian/Dave by Darren Miller & Kevin Mead

Peanut Butter Patty by Sam Affoumado

My choice: Edison/Tesla : Brian/Dave

One of the six winners, Edison/Tesla, was superbly acted, solidly directed, and well-written. On their last day in school, Ms. Antonucci’s AP class gives speeches on important figures from science history. From the first line, we see believable high school students. Frequently, actors play themselves, but I got the feeling that if I was around any of this play’s actors that I’d be spending time with someone very different from their character.

A bit of fat could be cut throughout, but the energy never flags and the humor never wanes. It’s impressive to see material that could have been very droning done in an audience-ensnaring way.

Saturday – 8:00 PM

Wolf Play – Claire Keichel

Sisters by Law – Erin Austin

Shirley vs. The Squirrels – Camilla Maxwell

Another of the six winners, Wolf Play brings us into a garage, where Matthew (Joe Curnette) is tying up his wife, Juliette (Rebecca Hirota) in what has become a yearly ritual for the safety of those around. It initially felt like a standard werewolf story, but we begin to understand that it is allegory for the wife’s deeper desires. The play’s internal metaphor never becomes groan-worthy,  rather, it adds a layer to a familiar Halloween tale.

The simple set was well-blocked and choreographed. The wolf sound effects worked to great effect, as did the working record player used on stage. The big tussle between husband and wife felt real as the characters and safe for the actors. Matthew’s turn from concerned to creepy plays well and the casting of long, wild brown-haired Hirota works for both looks and chemistry. All of these are testaments to the quality direction found throughout.

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Due to then-Hurricane Sandy, the Sunday batch was cancelled. Perhaps I’ll get to see more of the 40 next year. Congrats to all the winners.