I sit across Zoom with 'Chez' Chesak, a travel writer, veteran of the travel industry, Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and recently elected President of the Society of American Travel Writers.
Also available on YouTube (below), Apple Podcasts and Spotify:
Topics of discussion include:
(01:51) - How Chez still pitches like the rest of us (when he has time) and his disappointment with some of the feedback he gets from editors
(03:52)- His aims with the associations he runs, and how he hopes to build communities that collaborate to form a kind of symbiotic, harmonious ecosystem of travel industry stakeholders
(11:00) - What introverts can do to get over the intimidating aspects of networking and event-going
(17:05) - How the blogging world offers an alternative way to get your stories out there
(19:09) - The costs, time and financial, of attending networking events, and to make sure you get what you can out of them
(23:19) - The red flags to look out for in badly run associations
(32:49) - How influencers represent a new challenge for associations and brands alike Further reading:
Chez's personal website: https://chezconnects.com/
Outdoor Writers Association of America: http://www.owaa.org/
Society of American Travel Writers: https://satw.org/
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