Connextions Magazine Joins the Third Annual New York Travel Festival

FOR DISCOUNTS TO ATTEND SEE BELOW

Join Connextions Magazine, the Travel & Lifestyle Magazine for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Travelers, on the Third Annual New York Travel Festival, featuring workshops, panel discussions and presentations focusing on hot-button and trending travel topics. The two-day festival takes place on April 18 and April 19, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Manhattan, NY.

This event is created for Industry professionals and savvy travelers who may want to enter the travel industry, to gather and share wisdom about a host of community-prompted subjects from tourism targeting people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBT market, to issues surrounding ethical, sustainable and local/regional travel. There will also be expert-led sessions and consultations about taking a sabbatical or pursuing a career in the travel industry and demos of the latest virtual-reality technology and experience. 

DISCOVERY AND DIALOGUE Saturday, April 18 (150 West 83rd Street, New York, NY) 
Day 1 provides opportunities for travelers and travel professionals to enhance their knowledge of travel trends and niche groups. Offerings include: 

• Travel Unity Summit: A focus on how to bring under-represented groups further into tourism as industry and consumers 
• Industry Tracks: Speakers, panels and workshops highlighting topics of use to members of the travel industry and media 
• Traveler Track: Influential speakers presenting their ideas for immerse travelers 
• Travel 2.0 @#NYTF: A chance to learn about the latest travel startups and new travel businesses. 
• Experts’ Corner: One-on-one pre-scheduled meetings with experts from the world of travel. 

EXPLORATION AND EVOLUTION Sunday, April 19 – Hostelling International (891 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY) Day 2 brings together lifelong travelers and people in career transitions to learn more about how to keep travel as an integral part of their lives. 
Highlights include: 

• Workshops: Sessions on careers in the travel industry, becoming a (better) travel content creator, and career-break travel 
• Inspiring Speakers: Stories from folks who travel in ways you’ve never thought of, to places you never knew you wanted to go. 
• Pathfinder Consults: One-on-one meetings with representatives from a variety of companies, for people looking for a career change into or within travel. 
  

FOR MORE INFO & FULL SCHEDULES VISIT http://nytravfest.com

FOR TICKETS USE DISCOUNT CODES - CLICK HERE:  

• CM15 = $5 off of Weekend Traveler tix
  
• CMIND = $25 off of Weekend Industry tix

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SPECIAL LGBT TRAVEL SEMINAR
What Gay Travel Gets Right: How Other Niches Can Learn From LGBT Marketing
Saturday, April 18 • 2:00pm - 2:50pm

Limited Capacity seats available

LGBT travel is one of the fastest-growing and most buoyant niches in the travel industry today. But success hasn’t come by accident. In this fast-paced session, we’ll address some of the most successful marketing and communication tactics that destinations and suppliers have used to reach LGBT travelers, and how these strategies can work for other niches too.

Bringing together leading voices from the LGBT travel space, the panel will address the following:
 
• What has made LGBT travel marketing strategies successful?
• How can these tactics work for other niches in the travel industry?
• What tactics won’t work, or need to be adjusted for different audiences?
• Is it possible to group a bunch of niches together in a marketing plan and have success?
• How is niche travel marketing evolving?
• What are the hottest new ways that niche marketing is affecting travel?

Moderator
Mark Chesnut Editor & Content Producer, LatinFlyer.com
@MunderaMedia | Mark Chesnut is the founder/editor of LatinFlyer.com, which focuses on travel in Latin America. Chesnut also writes and manages custom content for travel industry clients including the Costa Rica Tourism Board, Turismo Chile, U.S. Travel Association, and the World Travel & Tourism Council.

Speakers
Ed Salvato Editor In Chief, ManAboutWorld
@edsalvato | Ed Salvato is co-founder and editor in chief of ManAboutWorld, an immersive tablet-based digital publication on iPads and Android tablets. Salvato has spent the last 15 years in the world of LGBT travel and tourism and has visited hundreds of hotels, over 75 countries and six continents. Click here for a FREE three-month subscription to the magazine and see why it's the number-one gay travel magazine in the App Store.

Matt Skallerud President, Pink Banana Media
@mattskal | Matt Skallerud, president of Pink Banana Media, specializes in LGBT online marketing, targeting gays and lesbians via content marketing, social media, programmatic ad banners, mobile smartphone apps and more. He also specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), keyword / search advertising (PPC) and social media analytics. He empowers his clients to reach the LGBT market using the most advanced techniques taking hold in the online marketing world today.