Earlier this month I was lucky enough to attend one of the travel industry’s premier international conventions known as IPW. Nearly 5,000 people from 80 countries descended upon Orlando, Florida, for valuable networking opportunities geared toward promoting inbound travel to the United States.

I was excited to attend several special events during the convention, starting with the Media Marketplace. One hundred and eighty-five different destinations were partnered with 185 media reps for 10 minutes each, making this by far the largest speed networking event I’ve ever attended! To be in a room with that many people, making new friends with every destination you discover, exchanging vital information and business cards every 10 minutes (with only five minutes to find your next stop) was overwhelming at first but energizing by the end … a day I’ll certainly never forget!

Lunchtime was another unforgettable experience. Monday’s meal kicked off with a live concert from 1990’s band Third Eye Blind, which caused me to ‘fan girl’ out a bit and happily sing along to as many song lyrics as I could remember (thankfully, nobody remained at my table when the singing began). On Tuesday we enjoyed live performances from Broadway vocalists currently performing with Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge, Chicago, The Lion King and Wicked. And on Wednesday, several characters and performers from Disney World arrived to sing hit songs from The Little Mermaid, Moana and Aladdin.

Personally, the unexpected highlight of the week was my venture to Downtown Orlando. The team at Visit Orlando did an incredible job of treating us to a night of excellent food, outdoor fun and fantastic entertainment. I especially enjoyed sampling some of Orlando’s finest food truck bites and could’ve listened to the live ’80s band all night. The evening was capped off by a live performance inside Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, where we were treated to the sounds of its string orchestra, a lyrical ballet and a 30-minute performance from live actors and musicians in the most gorgeous and grandiose of settings. Many of us in the audience were blown away by the talent and the performance we just witnessed — it was much more than any of us had anticipated!

Next year’s IPW convention will be in San Antonio, Texas — a first for the now seventh-largest city in the United States. Yellow roses adorned the lapels of each member of the San Antonio team as they shared their vision for the upcoming event in May 2023. Ingeniously, the San Antonio delegates cleverly showcased an ‘interview from the beyond’ with Davy Crockett (famed fighter at The Alamo) and asked him questions about the city then versus now. With a down-home, folksy charm, Davy talked about the gorgeous Riverwalk, the city’s traditional and distinctive culture, and the culinary powerhouse San Antonio has become, with seven James Beard Awards finalists in 2022. Such a creative display, it gave everyone in the room a chuckle and some significant reasons to anticipate visiting the Lone Star State for next year’s convention.

And without question, I’d absolutely love to attend that one as well!

— Carrie Cox, account executive