Event photos: lounge.travelmassive.com/t/hoi-an-photos-from-the-panel-discussion-on-media-that-matters/4986
After a few months break, Travel Massive is back in Hoi An
This time, we will host a panel discussion bringing together travel bloggers, writers and media representatives to talk about the following topics:
- The difference between bloggers and media outlets: Does your business need both?
- Understanding (and measuring) the value of travel bloggers, media outlets and independent writers.
- How to find the ‘right’ travel blogger for your business and identify their value.
- The 5 W’s of Ghostwriting (Who, what, when, where and why).
- Identifying Influencers and strategies on how they can impact your business.
- What are businesses are looking for from travel bloggers and media outlets?
- Strategies to pitch your blog or media outlet to potential clients.
- Paid vs. organic content: is one better for your business?
- What to expect when working with travel business: pitch to final product.
- Building your personal travel brand for bloggers, travel writers and media outlets.
- Delivering tangible results to travel businesses and how to measure them.
Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery are kindly offering us the space, free welcome drinks, canapes and a special drink menu.
Event schedule:
6 pm - welcome drink, Attic restaurant (8th floor)
6:30 - 7:30 pm – panel discussion, Attic restaurant (8th floor)
7:30 - 9 pm – informal drinks and networking, The Deck (rooftop bar)
Panelists:
Isabel Leong
An explorer at heart, the world is Isabel's playground. Having spent her time living in Europe, New Zealand and Japan, she is now working remotely and full time as a travel blogger and digital marketing nomad. She chronicles her travel adventures and tips on Bel Around The World.
Bel Around The World is the one place where she showcases tales of new discoveries and personal growth through writing and photography. A site dedicated to useful travel guides and tips from around the world for the millennial travellers, it aims to expand the possibilities of travel to readers.
As one who started her career in freelance writing, she has contributed to publications such as Huffington Post, Thought Catalog, Silverkris, Jetstar in-flight magazine, Skyscanner, and Singapore's national newspapers.
She has had the honour of partnering with many various travel and hospitality brands, including VisitScotland, Tourism New Zealand, Helsinki Marketing, German National Tourist Office, Hokkaido Tourism, Tourism Indonesia, Air New Zealand, Qantas Airways, Norwegian Air and Druk Asia.
As one who curates her own content for the past few years, she is versed in content marketing, content strategy, digital marketing, and SEO, now acting as an independent consultant managing digital marketing in the fields of SEO, social media, copywriting and PR.
Stuart Neal
After completing an Honors degree in Philosophy Stuart Neal worked in book publishing – at ABC Books and Allen and Unwin – in Australia for 30 years before moving to Vietnam in 2011.
Between 1980 and 2008 Stuart held many positions at ABC Books in both marketing and editorial divisions. He was also the Business manager for a time. In his final eight years at ABC Books he was Publisher and presided over the entire operation. The division tripled its revenue in that period.
In 2008 Stuart left the ABC to take up a position as Consultant Publisher with Allen and Unwin (adult non-fiction) just before ABC Books was sold to multi-national Harper Collins.
In 2011 Stuart moved to Hue, Vietnam, and in 2012 he began teaching English at Hue University to advanced students preparing for IELTS examinations.
After moving to Hoi An in 2014 Stuart, with his partner Sharon Guest, set up Hoi An Now, a website offering advice and information to tourists and expats visiting or living in Hoi An.
The Hoi An Now website was launched in 2015 and quickly became the premier website in Hoi An of its type.
Emma Sothern
www.emmasothern.com
www.ladyalopecia.com
Emma is a self-confessed “word nerd” who has worked in Publishing and Advertising for almost a decade. She started out in educational publishing (and then, randomly, erotica) before becoming an agency copywriter. But writing copy for Google and Jaguar wasn’t as glamorous as Mad Men would have you believe. Same ego levels, though.
So Emma became a freelancer instead, and has been enjoying an office-free life ever since. She’s combined two of her great loves – writing and travel – and still can’t believe she can make a living by stringing sentences together. And even though her work isn’t always interesting – editing company reports, writing articles about mortgages and spending far too much time explaining how to use an apostrophe – the place she works from always is.
From her sea-facing mobile office, Emma writes for clients back in Ireland and internationally, for local businesses here in Hoi An and for Lady Alopecia – a personal project site she created last year to support people with hair loss.
Emma is a writer who travels, rather than a “travel writer” (although she writes plenty of travel-related stuff for her clients). And she knows that she’s no SEO or blogging expert. But she can share a great story. Create engaging, emotive copy. And string those sentences together. Which she’ll keep doing until the bubble bursts and she’ll have to find a “real job”
Moderator:
Gregory Zeleny
Travel & Hospitality Brand Strategist & Marketing Innovator
Global Founder, SecretEATS www.thesecreteats.com
Founder, More Than Food Mag www.morethanfoodmag.com
● Founder of international underground dining concept, SecretEATS. Focused on bringing together top chefs and outgoing, social food, wine and cocktail lovers in unique, unexpected and often awe-inspiring locations, SecretEATS began in South Africa in 2013 and continues to operate there and now in Vietnam.
● Passionate, results-driven tourism and hospitality brand strategist. Expertise designing
meaningful, memorable guest experiences / interactions, in-person and online.
● 14 years experience using digital to drive growth for hospitality and tourism clients; 19 years
B2C and B2B marketing and direct sales experience; 21 proud years hospitality and guest
relations experience from my first job slinging ice cream.
● Food, wine and travel writer for More Than Food Mag, an online publication bringing together
more than 40 voices from 11 different countries around the world.
● Avid reader, writer and major foodie! Love a good conversation, especially about marketing
and, especially over a glass of vino. Endlessly curious and always looking to learn something
new.
About the venue:
Hotel Royal Hoi An – MGallery is a place of heritage and romance in the heart of Hoi An. The Hotel connects guests to the city’s heritage through Sotato & Wakaku love story artfully conveyed throughout the hotel featuring a harmonious blend of Vietnamese, Japanese tradition and Indochinese luxury. Indulge in a refined luxurious sojourn in elegant rooms and suites offering royal touches and spectacular views of the river and the old town, stunning panoramas from the town’s highest rooftop pool bar in town, Art Nouveau ambiance…and embark a memorable journey at the cross road of cultures.
