Florida’s biggest travel marketing showcase, Florida Huddle, kicks off February 2-4 in Fort Lauderdale. In its 36th year, the travel symposium unites statewide suppliers with approximately 150 buyers both domestic and international, representing everywhere from the UK to Argentina to the Netherlands.
Rosemarie Payne, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater’s Director of Leisure Travel, and Rob Price, Sr. Leisure Travel Sales Manager, will represent VSPC at the event.
Joining the duo will be VSPC Deputy Director David Downing, who will highlight the St. Pete/Clearwater area’s latest achievements as a premiere Florida destination to the media, along with addressing the buyers at the show’s ‘Breakfast with the Bureaus’ session on Friday.
With 400 attendees anticipated and 30 travel media outlets on-site last year, Florida Huddle’s impact on relationships between destinations and buyers is far-reaching.
“This is the one opportunity to meet with key international and domestic tour operators in one location,” stresses Payne, who says the event’s prescheduled appointment format maximizes face-time between the supplier delegates and major buyers.
Payne and Price’s VSPC booth will join a number of other St. Pete/Clearwater providers in one section, including 19 hotel partners, making the area one of the largest contingents to attend. With VSPC’s delegates taking appointments all day Friday, Payne expects to see a lot of buyer trips to the area as a result. “Florida Huddle always leads to significant growth for our hotel partners and DMOs,” she adds.
Since South America is a growing market for St. Pete/Clearwater, Payne looks forward to speaking with those buyers directly, as well as to the Canadian reception hosted by VSPC before the show’s opening ceremony.
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