Travel & Words Spring '12 Conference

April 29 - 30, 2012

Fort Worden State Park Conference Center,

Port Townsend, WA

Theme: "GO! PITCH. WRITE. PUBLISH."

 SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2012, FORT WORDEN STATE PARK CONFERENCE CENTER

1:00 p.m. Check in, Meet & Greet, Visit Exhibitor Tables and meet travel & tourism staff

1;45 p.m. Welcome & Introductions

2:00 p.m. Panel: "Regional Travel & Tourism Trends"   Jacqueline Cartier, Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism; Marcia Janke, Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau; Patricia Graf-Hoke, Kitsap Peninsula CVB; Mary Brelsford, Olympic Peninsula Tourism; Jessica Robinson, Leavenworth Visitors Bureau.

3:00 p.m. Refreshment break, Visit Exhibitor Tables

3:30 p.m. "Expand Your Freelance Writing: Cast a Wider Net"  Presenter:  Jason Brick, fulltime Freelance Writer, Portland

4:00 p.m. Freelance Writers Panel:  "Develop Your Writers Brand: Strategies"  Michael Fagin,Redmond WA; Sue Frause, Whidbey Island; Karen Gilb, Vancouver WA; Carrie Uffindell, Portland; Marty Wingate, Seattle

5:00 p.m. Networking Mixer hosted by Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau and Olympic Peninsula Tourism Commission. The Fort Worden Chef Dusty Cope will offer a sampling of his favorite appetizers made with fresh local ingredients. A no-host Wine Bar will offer a selection of Washington Wines, regional microbrews, and local ciders.

MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012, FORT WORDEN STATE PARK CONFERENCE CENTER

7:45 a.m. Continental breakfast, Meet & Greet, Visit Exhibit Tables

8:15 a.m. Welcome & Introductions

8:30 a.m.  Panel: "Regional Travel & Tourism Trends"   Christina Pivarnik, Marketing Director Port Townsend and Board member, Washington Tourism Alliance; Carol Zahorsky, Long Beach Peninsula VB; Bridget Baeth, Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau; Robin Jacobson, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau; Sherrye Wyatt, Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism.

9:30a.m. WORKSHOP INTENSIVES

"Pitch Before You Go, Write Like Crazy On Return"  Roy Stevenson, FL writer and author, "Marketing Strategies for Writers," shares his personal strategies for pitching editors near and far.

"Research at Home and Away Without Going Broke"   Allen Cox, FL writer and Editor, Northwest Travel Magazine, shares tips for mining your own area for winning article ideas plus gleaning more ideas by traveling NW highways & byways solo, via media trips, and other strategies.

"Earn a Living as a Freelance Writer"   Nan Devlin, FL writer, tourism consultant, and lecturer at The George Washington University shares how to expand your freelance horizons farther afield, from writing articles to other writing avenues that also pay.

"Trends + Article Types + Editorial Calendars = Income in Print & Online"  Marilyn McFarlane, FL writer, author, and blogger, LightheartedTravel.wordpress.com; Terri Fogarty, publisher, EuropeUpClose.com; Myrna Oakley, FL writer, guidebook author, and blogger, TravelAndWords.com

10:30  a.m. Panel:  "Q&A AND FEEDBACK FROM WORKSHOP INTENSIVES"  Roy Stevenson, Allen Cox, Nan Devlin, Marilyn McFarlane, Terri Fogarty, and Myrna Oakley

11:15 a.m.  Break, visit Exhibit Tables

Noon  Buffet Lunch, Fort Worden Conference Center

1:00 p.m. Panel: "Travel, Tweeting, and Blogging"   Bobbie Hasselbring, FL writer and publisher, RealFoodTraveler.com; Terri Fogarty, publisher, EuropeUpClose.com; Marty Wingate, FL garden writer, mystery author, and blogger, www.MartyWingate.net; Hilary Meyerson, editor and FL writer, Outdoors NW magazine

2:00 p.m. Visit Exhibit Tables

2:30 p.m. Panel "Editors and Publishers"  Allen Cox, Editor, Northwest Travel Magazine; Dave Peterson, Publisher, Northwest Travel Magazine; Una Boyle, Contributing Editor, Coast Food magazine; Carolyn Price, Publisher, Outdoors NW, Northwest Cyclist, and Western SnowSports; Hilary Meyerson, Editor, Outdoors NW

4:00  p.m. Conference Evaluation and Closing

Safe Travels and Happy Writing!

TUESDAY, MAY 1  For a small group of selected writers: "Olympic Peninsula Culinary Adventure" fam tour hosted by Olympic Peninsula Visitor Bureau and Jefferson County Tourism Council, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., from Port Townsend, Port Ludlow and west to the Sequim-Port Angeles area.

"Travel deeply.  Have real experiences.  Write about them.  Find your voice.  Tell a story."

--Judith Fein, Travel writer & photographer

Read theTen Best Reasons to attend the Travel & Words Conference

About Pacific NW Travel Writers Conference

The Pacific NW Travel Writers Conference provides a forum for freelance writers, staff writers, and journalists who want to explore and expand their markets in new ways in a changing world.

• Freelance and Staff writers
• Journalists
• Magazine, newspaper and newsletter editors
• Travel and Tourism industry professionals
• Hospitality industry planners, promoters
• Web promoters
• Educators, researchers, tourism planners
• Radio/TV promoters, writers