Thank you TBEX North America!

Last week, hundreds of travel bloggers saw Corning, NY through a new lens – possibly even one manufactured by the Crystal City itself!

Known for its innovations in glassware, Corning, NY is a quaint city in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Most months, tourists are drawn to the area for its stunning landscapes, fresh homegrown foods, and award-winning wineries. However last week, it was filled with a different kind of visitor: travel bloggers. 

The Corning Museum of Glass hosted TBEX (Travel Blogger Exchange) North America for a few jam-packed days of activities, presentations, speed networking sessions, and tours around the region. The .blog team was lucky enough to sponsor the event, giving us the opportunity to not only explore alongside travel bloggers, but meet many of them in our networking sessions.

Getting to do laps around historic Watkins Glen International race track was a one-of-a-kind adventure, especially as our tour bus maneuvered around the corners and paced through famous Turn 11. We spoke with many artisans in the area, tasting cheese, coffee, chocolate, wine, and other delicacies at the local farmers market. Who knew there was such a thing as wine flour, made from the leftover grape seeds and skins of the wine making process? During the breakout sessions, we learned about how bloggers approach branding, videography, social media, and tools to develop and promote their blogs.

During the opening keynote with Curb Free with Cory Lee, we were deeply moved by Cory Lee’s varied and exciting travel experiences as a wheelchair user, including a ride on a camel in Morocco and his newfound hobby of hot air ballooning. Cory reminded us to always face your fears because, when it comes to adventure, the end result is always worth it.

We’re also excited to see many of the blogger and vloggers we spoke with get started with their own .blog. Jason Rupp, a vlogger that documents his unique experiences around the world, is getting ready to launch his new blog and we can’t wait to help him along the way.

We truly believe in the power of blogging. (Okay, we may be just a tad biased.) Participating in TBEX North America was another reminder of just how powerful the world of blogging can be, connecting people from all around the world through their passions. We can’t think of anything better.

Many thanks to Rick, Patti, Donna, TBEX staff, and volunteers for hosting this wonderful conference. We are looking forward to next year’s event in Billings, Montana, which, needless to say, has some huge shoes to fill.