Off to Florida to Hear a Thousand Pitches

It's still exciting, every time I am about to fly. It's below forty degrees here at Cindy's but when I deplane in Orlando this afternoon, temps should be much warmer. I am not sure what to expect for the next few days, but my eternal optimism tells me that it will be good. I'm heading for my first PhoCusWright conference, where the heads of on-line travel companies go to rub elbows and talk about trends. This year's title is 'The Long Tail of Travel' a reference to Wired Editor Chris Anderson's book that describes the phenomenon of making money from the very long and diverse interests that spread way way out, after the more popular offerings like Vegas and Florida.

I've been pitched to death by 'B2B Travel Solutions' and 'social networking travel site start-ups' who see me, a media member, as a way to get the word out. I'll be buttonholed and pitched by all of them...so far the one that has caught my eye is a site that provides videos of inside hotel rooms for people to choose from. I like that approach. You'll read all about what I see, hear and do over the next few days. There will be more frequent posts as I try to capture the spirit and essence of these travel marketers.

Then I will switch gears on Thursday and report from Vero Beach. The tourism board is setting up excursions to go kayaking, touring the city, and introducing me to interesting locals who can best tell the story of why Vero is a great place to visit.