BCATW Symposium 2015 Takeaways

‘Tread softly, Write with Impact’

What TAKEAWAYS we had at the British Columbia Association of Travel Writers (BCATW) annual symposium!  Sixty keen travel writers gathered at the Century Plaza Hotel in Vancouver, BC on April 18, 2015.

~This event had it all~

Good flow~ good food~ good folks~Great info~

Takeaways aren’t just sports lexicon for taking away the ball or puck; they’re key principles ‘taken away’ from a stellar event.

There’s a culinary link to takeaways given what terrific food we enjoyed~ from morning snacks & beverages to tasty salad/soup/sandwiches at lunch to mid-afternoon sweets, there was much to take away…or pack away in our gustatory and literary memories.

From Industry Panel~

Josh Bloomfield,

Janet Clouston, Peter Loppe

Challenges & Trends in Ecotourism~

 

• Outdoors, farm-to-table, health & wellness themes  are trending
•  Activities tend to be led in small groups
• As writers,  link websites & bring a unique (emotion-evoking) angle to story-telling

From Keynote Speaker~

Jack Christie~

•  Writers are entertainers first, who also inspire & educate
•  Be a regional specialist

From Keynote Photographer~

David Smith~

• Know your camera & respect people/culture
  

  David of  World Travel Photography

• Use your modes, AND your heads (‘HEADS IN!’)
• Be patient & ‘let the ripples subside’
• Follow the rule of thirds
• Use the ½ press with subject-off-center
•  ‘May I create your picture?’

From Editorial Panel~

Allen Cox, Kirsten Rodenhizer & Jett Britnell~

• Stay clear of over-exposing a topic
• Re-work an old theme with a new angle
• Keep interaction benign (especially photographs)
• If it’s featuring next year, pretend it’s one-year ahead
• Pitch or query in the six-word subject line of your e-mail (never snail mail or call)
• Keep it SHORT.  Pitch it in Haiku!
• Why you, why now?  Proof, proof, proof
• Be specific.  Show your expertise (attach samples in a pdf so as not to crash site)

Gotta love those tasty BCATW Symposium 2015 Takeaways~

• Check out BCATW‘S webpage for more travel writing meetups and takeaways.
• What’s your ‘takeaway’ idea for next year’s symposium?