Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 Now Underway

Brand USA is hosting its first event on the Brand USA Global Marketplace platform, Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020, which kicked off with a CEO Keynote Conversation between Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA president & CEO and Arne Sorenson, Marriott International president & CEO. 

The four-day virtual event (October 26-29) connects Europe with the U.S. travel industry, providing more than 150 buyers from across Europe and approximately 115 U.S. exhibitors the opportunity to discuss the trends, challenges, innovations, and scope to grow visitation to the United States from Europe via one-to-one appointments, networking sessions, and customized Pods featuring digital resources and marketing collateral, such as videos, images, and itineraries. 

Throughout the week, attendees will be able to join a daily Enrichment Series that provides valuable marketing insights from tourism leaders including but not limited to CEOs, category specialists, and major media.

Christopher L. Thompson, Brand USA president and CEO comments, “Combining inspiring speakers, innovative topics and the latest research, this year’s Enrichment Series promises to inspire fresh thinking and stimulate thought-provoking conversation, at a time when it is needed most. Europe is a priority inbound travel market for the U.S. and through this initiative we are signifying our commitment to driving demand, further fueling the U.S. tourism industry’s recovery.”

On Wednesday, October 28 at 11:15AM EDT, Damon Embling, Euronews World Affairs reporter, will lead the European Travel Trends panel discussion with Donald Leadbetter, National Park Service tourism program manager, Andrew Gibson, Wellness Tourism Association chairman, and Jenny Southan, Globetrender editor and founder about the types of products and services European travelers will find appealing post-COVID, and how destinations across the U.S. can position themselves accordingly. 

During this panel, the impact of the pandemic will be traversed through various European travel trends, from ecotourism and a new appreciation for the Great Outdoors to the newfound availability to work from anywhere and the prioritization of wellness.

Closing out the Enrichment Series on Thursday, October 29 at 11:15AM EDT, Stephanie Jones, National Blacks in Travel and Tourism Collaborative founder & CEO, Cheraé Robinson, Tastemakers Africa founder & CEO, and Al Hutchinson, Visit Baltimore president & CEO will dive into how travel companies are beginning to make commitments to support Black employees and Black-owned businesses and share specific examples of how the travel trade can more effectively engage with Black-owned businesses. This Supporting Black-Owned Travel Businesses session will explore what this looks like in practice; how companies in Europe and the U.S. can make real change in their purchasing and supply chains, and put impactful actions behind their pledges.

Building on the success of the inaugural event in London last year, Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 continues to connect the U.S. travel sector with the biggest players in the European travel industry, laying the foundation for the highly-anticipated return of the European traveler to the USA. The event furthers Brand USA’s efforts in invigorating U.S. tourism as the world recovers.

“After the unprecedented challenges that 2020 has brought, Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 provides a welcome opportunity to foster meaningful business relationships, develop innovative tourism products, and critical connections. Together, we’re building the future of U.S. tourism,” says Thompson.