The International Food, Wine & Travel Writers AssnTM holds a professional development conference every 12-18 months in either North America or an International location. These events often include press trips, professional training, food and wine tastings, culinary events and attraction tours all rolled into one great event at the destination and the surrounding areas of our conference.
Benefits for Media, Writers & Content Creators
Our conferences pose endless opportunities for our content creators to walk away with a notebook full of stories from any one of our many hosted mini-press tours. Our writers often opportunities usually reserved for only for the rich and famous.
- Gain exclusive access to the backstories and notable figures driving local and regional topics relevant to our industry
- Meet new people, explore new areas, get a chance to discover more about themselves and the world around them and, they’ll see places the typical tourist might miss
- Engage with speakers that are accessible and smart with much experience
- Benefit from the work of our conference pros who team up with local experts. Together they bring a laser-sharp focus to hone in on and deliver exclusive and unique access to the latest and unique food, wine and destination travel experiences in the area.
“When I signed up for the IFWTWA conference held on Whidbey Island, Washington in May 2018, I was a brand-new member of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Assn. I was thrilled to also be part of a pre-conference press trip to San Juan Island.
The conference on Whidbey Island was filled with great networking, educational sessions, a tourism marketplace and excursions throughout the island. It was my first time to visit Washington State and I came back to my home state of Indiana with a new appreciation for the Pacific Northwest. I returned having made new connections and friendships, which have developed over the past year. I have become more involved in the organization, helping out with the Food Wine Travel magazine as an Assistant Editor and coordinating story opportunities for the monthly Press Pass newsletter. I also enjoy participating in social media sharing days, including Travel Tuesday, Wine Wednesday, Instagram Thursday, and Foodie Friday via the IFWTWA Members group on Facebook,
The upcoming IFWTWA conference, to be held November 11-13 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, sounds great. I’ll be able to explore another part of the U.S. that I haven’t yet visited, as well as take part in the workshops that have been planned to help us hone our skills as writers and photographers.”
Debbra Dunning Brouillette
Caribbean Travel Specialist & PADI Certified Diver, Tropical Travel Girl
Benefits for DMOs & Hosts
Our conferences deliver one-stop shopping for our Associate and non-member hosts. We make it easy for them to find the right content creation specialists to craft stories about their venues.
We bridge the gap between our hosts and content creation specialists by setting up one-on-one sessions in a mini-travel marketplace for our destination management organizations and hosts.
- Collaborate on stories with our content creators
- Keep track of multiple approaches to ensure there is no duplication of effort
- Arrange dining, lodging and other support for our content creators to help them gather evidence to craft the best travel stories tailored to the venue
- Collect a fistful of business cards from our content creators and know that for the cost of an annual membership and a flight to our conference, they’ve come up with a cadre of professional contacts that will make their job easier
- DMOs and Hosts who are Associate members are encourage to attend our events and conferences to meet our membership.
“This was the first IFWTWA Conference I attended, and as a 17 year travel writing veteran, I’m pleased to have made this investment in my career. The one on one conversations I had with exhibitors and destination representatives are invaluable to building relationships in this industry. While I made numerous connections, all of them memorable, two that stand out are Tony Alexander from Visit Kansas City and Taos as an overall destination experience.
Tony and I were able to have a conversation that we took off-site to continue. She’s a lovely representative for Kansas City and while I had visited there in years past, I was able to get a grasp on some of the newer and/over overlooked places that are worth a revisit. She even took the time for an interview for my new podcast, Field Notes with Shannon D.
Taos, as a conference post-trip was just magical. After being at the hustle of the conference, it was a pleasant few days to not only process what I learned at the conference, but also the opportunity to soak in the “enchanting” side of New Mexico. The accommodations were phenomenal at El Monte Sagrado, and the itinerary was filled with unexpected moments that will be finding their way into my destination coverage, including visiting Taos Pueblo with Angelisa of Heritage Tours, riding horseback at night in the foothills to end at a dinner with local farmers, and ending my visit with a Sound Healing session with Patrick Shendo.
Thank you to IFWTWA, the conference organizers, and all the sponsors who have recharged my creative energy once again with the sharing of their own stories, their wines, and their love of travel overall. I hope we all cross paths again on this infinite and beautiful journey.”
Shannon DalPozzal
Lifestyle & Travel Writer, Romantic South.com and ShannonTravels.com