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How to be a Women in Travel Summit Rockstar

How to be a Women in Travel Summit Rockstar

Women in Travel Summit 2015

What happens when 300 female (and a few daring male) travelers, bloggers, and entrepreneurs get together for a weekend full of inspiration and motivation? Wanderful things happen! There are all kinds of travel industry conferences out there, but the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) is a conference unlike any other that completely exceeded my expectations. I racked my brain through everything I learned during the weekend and put together my top five tips to make the most of your WITS experience. If you’ll be joining in for WITS 2016 in Irvine, California, get started with the following suggestions to become a WITS rockstar!

Don’t Be Intimidated

No matter your travel experience or what stage you are as a blogger or entrepreneur, everyone is welcomed at WITS. And I don’t just mean that as a figure of speech. You will truly feel a strong sense of community at WITS revolving around female travel where open communication is encouraged and people are interested in hearing your story.

If you fall into the newbie category, it may seem like everyone has it all together and has always known the right moves to make. I’ll let you in on a little secret. You know that saying, “fake it ’till you make it”? It’s happening a lot more often than you think. Everyone at WITS is in it together to help each other out, and everyone has their own area of expertise. Take advantage of this opportunity by asking questions and taking plenty of notes throughout the weekend.

Female Travel Bloggers Conference

Channel Your Inner Confidence

You will be attending an event focused on women and travel. Now is the time to dig deep and find that confidence! You have the chance to meet so many interesting female travel bloggers and entrepreneurs, some of which you may have been following for a while or have interacted with online but haven’t had a chance to meet in person yet. Even if the introvert inside you is fighting against it, channel your confidence and strike up a conversation. You never know when a long lasting friendship or business relationship may occur!

Remember That No Idea is Too Big or Too Crazy

Are you ready to take the leap as a full-time travel blogger? Maybe you are thinking about embarking on your first solo female travel journey around the world? Do you dream of owning your own tour company? No matter what it is, your ideas are welcomed at WITS. Not only will you be surrounded by non-judgemental support and encouragement, but people will also be genuinely interested in your pursuits and will be happy to provide any suggestions to help you achieve your dreams.

WITS 2015 Boston

Plan Ahead, But Prepare For Spontaneity

You for sure want to look at the schedule ahead of time and plan what sessions you want to attend, what sponsors you want to talk to, and even set up meeting times with sponsors or other attendees. However, as with travel you should be prepared for plans to change. If you feel like a different session than you had chosen to attend is calling your name, switch it up and go with your gut. You can always find someone else to grab notes from on sessions you missed!

You do You, Boo

In the words of Brooke Roberts, “you do you, boo.” Ultimately you should be focusing on why you are attending WITS and what you hope to learn to make your blog, business, or even your travels more successful. Not everyone is attending WITS for the same reasons. Know what you want to get out of WITS and what you are going to do in order to accomplish your conference goals.

Although this was my first time attending WITS, it was not my first conference. Based on my past experience I was expecting to feel completely drained by the end of the weekend, as per my usual conference routine. I was pleasantly surprised after WITS to find that I felt energized instead. I wasn’t depleted of my energy. I was filled with inspiration, encouragement, and a new realization that a group of like-minded people coming together really do have the power to make a difference.

Were you at this year’s Women in Travel Summit? What tips can you add to become a WITS rockstar?

10 Comments

  • […] I was even more excited to hear Corning Incorporated speak during one of the lunch breaks at the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) about the dramatically improved screen protection against drops with Corning® Gorilla® […]

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  • […] usual, this year’s Women in Travel Summit left me with a whole pile of goodies to take home — one of them being the DELSEY MONTMARTRE […]

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  • Alyssa | Adjust Your Focus®
    January 25, 2016 at 1:34 pm

    Totally agree! WITS is an amazing and energizing weekend! Looking forward to my second conference this year, see you there Marissa 🙂 http://adjustyourfocus.net/travel/why-go-to-a-travel-conference/

    Reply
    • Marissa Sutera
      January 27, 2016 at 9:57 am

      Can’t wait! WITS ’16 is going to be a lot of fun!

      Reply
  • Instagram 2015 Travel Photo Roundup
    December 30, 2015 at 7:16 am

    […] in town for the Women in Travel Summit in March, I couldn’t resist making a stop in Boston’s North End, one of my favorite […]

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  • […] trips and #BlogSchool, special admission to members only events, $20 off your ticket to the Women in Travel Summit, and tons of locals discounts and […]

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  • Lauren
    April 11, 2015 at 12:28 am

    Ah, I wish I could have attended! But, California for next year is very tempting…perhaps I’ll have to make a trip out! 🙂 I think my first travel conference will be TBEX North America in October!

    Reply
    • Marissa Sutera
      April 11, 2015 at 10:28 am

      I hope you can make it out to CA next year, it should be the perfect location at that time of year! I will be attending TBEX North America this year, so we will have to plan a time to meet up 🙂

      Reply
  • Lauren
    April 10, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    I totally agree with the advice for newbies! Being a newbie myself this year, I felt pretty daunted by all the really well established women attending. It didn’t take long to realize that was totally unfounded and everyone there was awesome and supportive. It makes sense – people who love to travel just aren’t the types to be A-holes!

    Reply
    • Marissa Sutera
      April 11, 2015 at 10:24 am

      It was such a great group of people to be around! It felt a lot more like a bunch of friends hanging out and learning together than a conference 🙂

      Reply

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