This foggy view from our hotel room featured the new Metro Rail.
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the 2018 Heartland Travel Showcase to let others know about attractions and events in the Cambridge, Ohio area, and especially tell them about Dickens Victorian Village. It’s always a pleasure to tell others about your hometown.
Buffalo, New York hosted the 2018 Heartland Travel Showcase. Arriving by coach with several other travel associates, we were greeted by a fog covered Buffalo due to warm temperatures and a still frozen Lake Erie.
The lobby of the luxurious Hyatt Regency Hotel welcomed us.
After getting settled into the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Buffalo, it was time to have dinner with fellow travelers. These travel showcases are the perfect place to make new connections for future tours.
Barb, January and Carol enjoyed meeting friends at one of the receptions.
Heartland is where booking group travel is a Heart-to-Heart business. Numerous occasions provide a chance to network with others. It’s also the place where you can create a more personal relationship with possible clients during receptions and meetings.
A couple chocolate samples still untouched. The Goo Goo Cluster was created and distributed by the Grand Ole Opry.
Treats were non-stop from the time we stepped on the charter coach, where a box of chocolates were passed around. The Chocolate Tasting continued day after day with many chocolate treats being given in the form of candy or desserts.
Exhibitor booths were placed in nine long aisles for ease of locating.
Contacts, leads, ideas and bookings are what Heartland is all about. With over two hundred exhibitors and sixty tour operators at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, it’s a great chance to learn more about the travel industry as you meet new people and learn about their wants and needs.
President Theodore Roosevelt told us about some of his accomplishments. Buffalo served as his Inauguration site after the assassination of Pres. McKinley.
An exciting forum gave newcomers a chance to learn from more experienced faces in the tour industry. Technology has changed the face of the industry as more publicity is being done via social media. They stressed the importance of promoting posts as well as using keywords to help people connect.
Cambridge tourism partners, Bev and Dixie, explain local attractions to a tour company.
Much of the three day session was spent one-on-one with tour directors meeting exhibitors and learning more about their places to visit. What a difficult job they would have in deciding as each place sounded like the perfect place for a group tour.
Exhibitors Mary, Mary and Chris sparkled during an evening reception at the Lafayette Brewery.
You could schedule up to forty meetings with various group leaders. The rest of the time was spent either visiting other people’s booths or talking to people who stopped by your booth. Communication about travel was the name of the game.
Three days later, the coach was loaded for the return trip home.
The event definitely spread the word about an event or destination. Most attending say it is their favorite travel show of the year. It is one of the friendliest places you can imagine.
This painting of the skyline of Buffalo hung in the walkway to the Convention Center.
Shuffle off to Buffalo or your favorite travel destination sometime soon. New places await your exploration.
Gypsy Road Trip 
Comments on: "Heartland Travel Showcase 2018" (4)
Travel, chocolate and nice people —WHO could ask for a better time?! Sounds terrific!
We had a very sweet experience there with all the chocolate. Also, was a great chance to share information about our wonderful area and especially Dickens Victorian Village.
Bev, you have a wonderful; knack for finding places that are not only fun to see, but educational as well. Thanks for taking us along on your adventures.
It was a great opportunity for me to wear my Victorian dress and hat and spread the word about our Dickens Victorian Village during November and December.