Two of the biggest social media brands – Buzzfeed and Twitter – are already confirmed as keynote speakers at World Travel Market 2014, the leading global event for the travel industry.
Both companies are presenting as part of the WTM Travel Perspective programme that will concentrate on social media and digital content as part of the standalone Travel Tech Show at WTM’s event programme.
Buzzfeed launched in 2006 and describes itself as “the media company for the social age”. It is at the vanguard of new business models for online publishing, combining news reporting, produced by in-house journalists, with entertainment and celebrity content sourced from its community of readers.
It is also leading the way in ‘social advertising’, generating revenues from advertising that is intended to be shared, disrupting traditional online advertising models.
Buzzfeed will be represented by Will Hayward, Vice President of Advertising (Europe). He oversees its business operations, social advertising partnerships, growth strategy and expansion in Europe. Since Will joined BuzzFeed last September, the site’s UK traffic has increased by 400%. His background includes The Wall Street Journal and The Economist.
The presentation – 27 things you really need to know about Buzzfeed and content marketing – will look at a number of successful social advertising campaigns it has run with travel companies and destinations.
The keynote takes place on Tuesday 4th November at 10.35am in South Gallery Rooms 23 – 26.
Furthermore, Twitter has confirmed that it will be presenting the keynote the following day. Twitter will concentrate specifically on examples of how its UK and Ireland team is working with the travel and tourism sector. The keynote will delve into the concept of ‘second screening’ – the phenomenon of people watching TV at the same time as using Twitter on a separate device – and how travel companies can increase awareness and bookings as a result.
Twitter is speaking on Wednesday afternoon.
Jo Marshall, Sales Manager, Travel Technology Show at WTM, said: “Securing two of the biggest names in social media and content marketing so early in our planning is a testament to how important the Travel Technology Show at WTM has become over the past few years.
“Furthermore, it also confirms that travel and tourism is the most important vertical for social media and that WTM is the place for the business conversations to take place.”
The Travel Tech Show at WTM is the UK’s largest travel technology event with more than 10,000 visitors. Introduced in 2013 following the phenomenal success of the technology region at WTM, the event will be twice the size it was four years ago.
