From President and CEO Betsy Gardner Eckbert, who is at the World Travel Market in London. 

  

My goals for attending World Travel Market in London are to both promote the Old World charm of Winter Park to an already receptive audience of United Kingdom tourists and tourism professionals while also learning how to better boost our outreach efforts both at home and abroad. 
 
It’s already proving to be well worth the time.
 
This morning, Neasa Bannon of Instagram and Mark Frary, founder of Travel Perspective, shared great insights on how to better leverage Instagram accounts, especially as it relates to tourists. And I’m fascinated by the potential of IGTV, a new Instagram app that allows users to upload vertical video of up to an hour. Imagine the possibilities for interacting with our guests.
 
Some takeaways from Neasa and Mark, as well as Adam Middleton, head of Strategy and Insights for Unilad, a British Internet media company and website:

• Inspiration and an emotional connection are the key to a successful social feed. 
• 40% of young people choose holidays based on Instagram potential. 
• Build communities of engaged audiences and leverage.

 
I also feel very good about participating in the Visit Florida’s press briefing, meeting journalists who can write about Winter Park and drive guests our way, including Ireland’s most popular travel blogger, as well as meeting with the London public relations teams.
 
And this is just Day 1. Stay tuned for more on my interactions and connections.