On April 12 and 13 a total of 70 travel agents came to Lelystad and The Hague for an afternoon/evening filled with information and inspiration. Aviodrome, Lelystad was the unique setting for Wednesday and on Thursday it was held at the Omniversum in The Hague. The event was held like the old days, two fun-filled days with good conversations.
Movie time: Into Nature’s Wild
The afternoon started with the movie: Into Nature’s Wild, to get everyone 100% in a USA mood. At the Aviodrome the movie was shown in their theater, which had old KLM airplane seats in the gallery. Nice touch! The movies takes you on a ride per train, kayak and hot air balloon, through the divers nature of the United States. At the Omniversum, the movie truly came to life! In The Dome, the movie screen wraps around you, pulling you into the movie. Very impressive!
Speeddate sessions
During short speeddate sessions the travel agents passed by all the participating members of Visit USA The Netherlands. The agents were split up into small groups, making it possible to have 1-on-1 conversations. Present on both days were: Brand USA, De Jong Intra Vakanties, EURAM, Icelandair, Norwegian Cruise Line, Portland/Oregon, Travel South USA, Travel Texas, Travel Trend, Visit ST. Pete/Clearwater and Worldwide Campers. There were also three new members that participated: Visit Seattle / The Port of Seattle, Special Traffic & Untamed Travelling. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the members!
In about 8 minutes the agents were informed about the in’s and out’s of the known, but also the lesser known parts of the United States. Per stand a question had to be answered and the travel agents with the most answers correct could win a price. For example; a beach bag, a bottle of Bourbon or a real cowboy hat. The grand prize was a voucher worth € 500 from Icelandair.