What To Look Forward To At The Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 

The Cinnamon Travel Bloggers’ Conference (TBCasia) is presented by Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts in collaboration with Sri Lankan Airlines and the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA). Happening on June 7, 2016 at Cinnamon Grand Colombo the conference is set to present a series of presentations by global experts on a multitude of topics varying from developing corporate content and the impact of blogging for travel the industry. 

Amongst a host of speakers, here are a speakers to look forward to; 

Henry Barchet (Radio Journalist) 

Radio show host on Germany’s second largest radio network since 1989, Henry Barchet is a radio travel journalist who launched his own travel podcasting platform ‘Audiotravels’ in 2011. It broadcasts features and stories from around the world and is one of Germany’s most successful travel podcasts with over 200,000 downloaded episodes. He is also the producer of the ‘Visit Orlando’ podcast and several other podcasts for touristic destinations. 

At the conference, Barchet will be touching on his experiences on how to make an effective use Travel Audio Podcasts in a world where podcasts are slowly but effectively becoming a modern tool of communication and advertising. 

Dave and Deb (Travel Personalities) 

Reputed travel personalities, Dave and Deb run a high acclaimed travel blog, Planet D, which won back to back Gold Models by the Society of American Travel Writers 2014/2015 and was titled the Best Travel Blogy by NATJA in 2015. Having travelled to more than 100 countries across all 7 continents, they specialize in working with travel brands and destinations and are spokespeople and brand ambassadors on creative long term campaigns. With over 2.5+ million readers around the world following their videos, award winning photography and travel experiences, they have been featured many times by international media outlets including Martha Steward, The Today Show and in magazines such as The Lonely Planet Traveller and En Route. 

At the conference, Dave and Deb would speak to the bloggers about building a foundation for long term success  in a saturated market and why a focused brand is key. Having had extensive experience in the travel industry, they would also address companies on building and stratergizing influencer campaigns that work by outlining different ways that companies can create a game plan to build a campain utilizing all advantages the online world can bring. 

Steve Haenisch (Back-packer.org) 

A German videographer based in Hamburg, Steve, also known as backpackersteve, quit his job in 2012 and travelled through South America for 7 months, documenting his journey in more than 80 videos on his YouTube channel.  He then got involved in producing and hosting marketing videos for several brands and destinations such as ‘Visit Finland’, Ecuador and the Canadian Toursim Board. He is also a vlogger for the travel show ‘Check In’ on DW TV. 

With videoblogging offering a richer experience combining movies, sounds, texts and images, Steve would be talking about the ‘Takeover of Video Blogging’at the conference,  justifying as to why more and more people tend to prefer video blogs to words and howvlogging is now an effective way to attract more users. 

Halona Padiachy (Director, PATA) 

Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is an internationally acclaimed not-for profit membership association that promotes development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region. PATA provides insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 97 government, state and city tourism bodies, 27 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 63 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. 

As the Director of International Partnerships at Pacific Asia Travel Association, Padiachy strives to ensure her members understand the reciprocal nature and benefit of the PATA network. 

At the conference, she will be speaking about how in the age of Asian Millennials, what it is like to ‘Step Out of the Crowd’. 

Laurence Norah (Photographer and Travel Blogger) 

After quitting the corporate life, Laurence started his journey in 2009 on the lookout for a change of scenery. His blog started in 2010 in which he catalogued his experience and pictures has now evolved into a more inclusive travel blog where one can find honest travel advice, humorous tales from the road and inspiring photography. 

At the conference, Laurence would be teaming up with Liz Garlson to talk about why working with Digital Influencers is an important step in taking a business to the next level. 

Sarah Polger (Senior Producer, NatGeoTravel) 

Sarah Polger is a Senior Producer with National Geographic Travel. As a senior team lead, Sarah crafts the digital storytelling experiences for Nat Geo Travel, with a focus on photography, video, and cross-platform content strategy. 

At the conference, Sarah would be drawing in her own experiences to deliver the key note address on the ‘Power of Digital Storytelling and Photography’. 

Joy Ghosh (Regional Vice President, TravelClick Inc.) 

With more than 20 years of experience,  Joy has worked in Hospitality Sales and Marketing, Revenue Management and Distribution and his experience in hospitality includes assignments in Hyatt, Leela, Accor and Oberoi Hotels. Joy has overseen TravelClick’s business development across the region for Business Intelligence, Distribution and Digital Media businesses for large global and regional brands and numerous independent hotels. Apart from consulting hotels in key cities and resort locations in the subcontinent, Joy is a speaker in industry events focusing on trends and opportunities in the hotel industry. 

At the conference, Joy would be conducting a talk about video marketing and its impact on hospitality brands which would prove to be an absolute learning curve for all in the hospitality industry. 

Liz Carlson (Travel Blogger) 

Liz got her taste for travelling at the young age of 16. Over 10 years she has visited more than 40 countries.  A solo traveller, Liz love for travel is never ending. Her travel stories have graced platforms such as CNN, BuzzFeed, National Geographic, The Huffington Post, Travel Channel and many more. 

At the conference, Liz will be touching on one of the most important social media apps that can make or break a brand image; Instagram. 

Vijesh Yoganathan (Director of Sales, Asian Region - Revinate) 

Vijesh Yoganathan is currently responsible for Revinate's Business Development in Asia, focusing on Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri-Lanka and the Maldives. Prior to Revinate, she specialised in Distribution and Online Marketing within the hospitality industry, advising hotels on their overall digital strategy during her time at TravelClick as well as being responsible for marketing and driving revenue through all electronic channels at HPL Hotels & Resorts and Park Hotel Group. 

At the conference, hear it all from a hospitality expert as she speaks about the power of Refferal Marketing and the impact of Reputation Management. 

Targeted at Sri Lankan business leaders in travel and tourism sectors, Cinnamon TBCasia 2016 is an invaluable opportunity to network with over 60 of the World’s most leading travel bloggers, digital specialists and experts on all there is about 21st century travel. 

Cinnamon TBC Asia is presented by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts in association with the Professional Travel Bloggers Association (PTBA) and the national carrier SriLankan airlines, and is also supported by Sri Lanka Tourism, Four Communications, Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Market Development Facility (MDF), Sri Lanka Convention Bureau (SLCB), Wijeya Newspapers, E FM, Travel Click International, Uptown Kandy, Reap Digital, Revinate, C Visit and PATA. 

To register for the conference call the Hotline +94 712070972 or visit www.tbcasia.com or email [email protected]. 

By Panchali Illankoon