Last week, I had the pleasure of traveling with my family to Greenville, S.C., host of the 2024 PRSA Travel & Tourism conference. I moderated one panel discussion about press trips, and sat as a panelist on a second about pitching travel stories to non-travel publications. Pitchcraft was also a sponsor of the conference.
Above all, I went in with the mentality of a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge and face time with fellow PR and journalism professionals as I possibly could.
Here are my top takeaways from the event:
Partnerships are powerful.
Earned media still delivers mighty results, but meaningful partnerships are increasingly important and were a highlight of the PRSA Travel & Tourism conference. A trio of top PR pros presented fascinating case studies about creative collaborations with major impact.
Anna Cofer Korte of J/PR went behind the scenes of her client Hilton Los Cabo’s partnership with Beach Riot swimwear.
Deborah Park of Turner Public Relations showed how she made a frozen dead guy, ahem, cool again for her client, Estes Park (trust me on this one).
And Olivia Schaefers with MMGY PR demonstrated how she got major exposure to a new audience for her client Apple Vacations through a collab with Emma Roberts’ book club, Belletrist.
We all left feeling incredibly inspired and creatively energized.
Press trips are hot.
This discussion I moderated was one of the most highly attended sessions of the conference, and we could have gone another hour with Q&A. Ronny Maye and Terry Ward represented the journalist side, while Taryn Scher and Luisana Suegart voiced the PR POV.
Lately, journalists have been inundated with press trip invites. PR pros have more questions than ever before about how to plan trips that result in desired coverage for their hotel and destination clients. Sometimes, that means pushing back on journalist requests.
Among the top issues up for debate: who should cover gratuities and transportation, confirming assignments pre- and post-trip, crafting custom itineraries, plus ones, updated formats, and creating community among groups.
Journalists still want (and need) PR pitches.
It was encouraging to hear from editors at Good Grit, Southern Living, Local Palate and more sharing how pitches turned into stories. They showed successful pitches on screen, talking through elements that made them stand out.
The best news? It’s not a complicated formula. The 5Ws — who, what, when, where, why — are still king. And shorter is not always better.
Both Ashley Locke and Emily Havener said they prefer longer, more detailed pitches that include a strong hook, specifics on why a story is a fit for their audience, and visuals.
Relationships are more important than ever.
Build relationships, not lists.
That’s a mantra we practice and preach in Pitchcraft, and I noticed this as a common thread among attendees of the conference, too — even amongst conversations around how AI is changing media.
I was surprised by how much content creators talked about relationships in their session. They place high value on authenticity not only in their content and their followers, but also with the brands they choose to work.
The ultimate relationship builder, said Christopher Mitchell, is posting a testimonial for a content creator you’ve worked with on LinkedIn.
Nurturing relationships with all types of storytellers is paramount for PR.
