Travel influencer conference runs through Saturday
Jun. 12—SHIPSHEWANA — Shipshewana has been chosen as the site of a regional conference aimed at travel influencers this week.
Co-owner of the Midwest Travel Network Co-Owner Lisa Trudell said they hope to prove that the Midwest is not just fly over country.
"We have all these travel writers and content creators coming in, taking pictures, getting video, and writing stories and getting content around what they're doing, and then they're gong back and sharing that on their social media," Trudell said. "It's really multiplying the amount of people that are getting exposed to Shipshewana."
The Midwest Travel Network's Annual Conference will take place Thursday through Saturday for destination representatives, bloggers, journalists, travel writers, and influencers. Around 100 people will tour Shipshewana and meet with speakers at the conference.
"Hoosier Hospitality runs strong in Amish Country, and we are excited to showcase all that this charming town has to offer to our network of writers and influencers," Co-Owner of the Midwest Travel Network, Sara Broers, wrote in a press release. "Our content creators are looking forward to exploring Shipshewana and the local culture and sharing it with all of their fans through their social networks."
The Shipshewana LaGrange County Visitors Bureau joined the race with eight other destination spots in the Midwest to bring the conference to the area and won out. The bulk of the events will take place at the Blue Gate Garden Inn and the Farmstead Inn and Conference Center.
"The Midwest Travel Network choosing to hold their annual conference here is an amazing benefit and opportunity for the people of Shipshewana and LaGrange County," said Shipshewana LaGrange County Visitors Bureau Executive Director Sonya Nash. "We are promoting the people, businesses, and stories of our truly unique part of Indiana, and who better to help with that than seasoned travelers, writers, and online influencers?"
Nash explained that for example Brandy Gleason, CEO of Gleason Media, and published author, will be at the conference, sharing her experiences with her 1 million followers.
"She is just one of our more than 100 conference attendees," Nash said. "In addition to the direct economic impact of the conference itself, the long-term benefits are potentially astronomical."
Lisa Trudell, co-owner of the Midwest Travel Network, said the mission of Midwest Travel Network is to connect content creators with destination partners to promote tourism in the Midwest. Sessions are designed to build strengths in the travel journalism industry. This year's include topics such as using AI, drone operation, social video, and partnering.
"One of the things we try to do is find locations to host our conference that are unique and tell a story," Trudell said.
Creators will be touring Amish farms, feeding bison, and listening to speakers. There will also be a haystack dinner and auction, an Indiana Makers Night, and visitors will attend the Bee Gees Gold tribute show at the Blue Gate Theatre.
Trudell explained that last March she and Broers visited with Nash, who toured the area with them, showing them the vast array of tourist attractions in the town.
"It really tells a unique story, being a small community of only 800 people and showing what a small community can really do," Trudell said. "Most people think that a small community under 1,000 people is not going to have a lot to offer, and Sonya was able to showcase that's not the case here."
It's the first conference the Midwest Travel Network has hosted, and the first in Indiana.
To learn more, visit midwesttravelnetwork.com.
Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.
