DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas, May 06, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As influencer marketing continues its explosive growth in the tourism and travel sectors, VisitDFW today announced the launch of Texas' only dedicated annual conference for travel content creators and influencer marketers. The first annual Texas Travel IdeaFest (TXTI) event will be held Friday October 18, 2019 in Arlington, Texas at the brand new Live! by Loews-Arlington hotel.
"In today's complex travel and tourism marketing ecosystem, travel influencers have emerged as one of the most sought out travel information sources by consumers", explained VisitDFW Chair and Visit Frisco executive director, Marla Roe. "TXTI is about building collaborative relationships and best practices between tourism content creators and marketers in an important tourism marketing space that's evolving every day. We want TXTI to be a business win for content creators, for travel brands and for the entire Texas tourism industry."
VisitDFW's February 2019 ScreenShot survey revealed that almost 50% of consumers believed that travel influencers and content creators were significantly influential in informing their travel decisions. By comparison, fewer than 10% of consumers perceived that each of web, print, TV and email marketing were significantly influential.
"With the continued growth of tourism in DFW and the state of Texas, it's no surprise that there is a highly active group of travel content creators developing compelling content about Texas for rapidly expanding audiences." said Casey Walker, content creator and Founder at Streets, Beats and Eats. "I am thrilled that TXTI is creating a space for new content ideas to be shared and a way for us to most effectively work with travel boards across the state to reach our audiences. This is only the beginning!"
Arlington will play host to the inaugural TXTI at the brand new Live! by Loews-Arlington Hotel. "Arlington is a perfect location for Travel IdeaFest! We are a top tourism destination at the forefront of rapid, positive development that embodies the nation-leading growth of the DFW metroplex over the last few years", said Arlington CVB CEO Ron Price. "We look forward to welcoming everyone to Arlington!"
While the program is still being finalized, sessions will be formatted as small workshops where content creators and tourism marketers can collaboratively discuss key topics and best practices in influencer marketing. Recognizing the importance of relationship development between content creators and marketers, there will be ample "white space" time for networking between sessions as well as at hospitality events provided by sponsors.
"Influencer marketing has become a cornerstone marketing element for tourism destinations and brands of all sizes", said VisitDFW CEO Bruce MacMillan. "The overall objective of the event is to build content creation and influencer marketing excellence through education and collaboration."
Content creators looking to develop new relationships and ideas with tourism destinations and visitor experience brands will find new content ideas, networking opportunities with travel brands and insights to perform better.
Destinations and travel brands that create/distribute compelling content to engage visitors will find new influencer collaboration opportunities and content marketing insights to enhance marketing results.
Registration and content details will be announced in May.
ABOUT VISITDFW
VisitDFW is a collaborative venture of Dallas Fort Worth-area tourism stakeholders committed to creating and publishing authentic travel stories and content that make visitor travel to DFW remarkable. Established as an IRS 501(C)(6) not-for profit association, VisitDFW stakeholders include all major DFW-area destination marketing organizations as well as key brands and businesses. More information on VisitDFW and TXTI can be found at VisitDFW.com or by contacting Bruce MacMillan ([email protected]).
ABOUT TEXAS TRAVEL IDEAFEST
Texas Travel IdeaFest ("TXTI") is Texas' only annual travel content creator and tourism marketer community event dedicated to building influencer marketing excellence through education and collaboration. The primary engagement channels for TXTI are @TravelIdeafest (Instagram) and @Visit_DFW (Twitter). Detailed content and registration information on TXTI can be found at TravelIdeaFest.com.
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SOURCE VisitDFW
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