TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Breaking News: TravelAbility Summit Goes Virtual…as TravelAbility Week (with new dates)

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Going virtual for November 2020 TravelAbility Week

Here’s a quick roundup of the changes and what we have in store:

  • New dates: November 9-13, 2020, the same week as last year. 
  •  9:00 am -1:00 pm PST each day to accommodate time zones
  • Agenda re-imagined ‘Netflix’-style series.  See it here. 
  • 71 presenters/panelists/experts in one-place
  • New 3-part Train-the-trainer series as a follow-up to the event 
  • Work the Crowd:  One-on-one + small group breakouts end each day
  • Flexible registration options: A la carte/by day/entire series
  • Recorded sessions available after the event.

Note: I have personally sat through demos of 35 virtual conference platforms and tools, plug-ins and widgets (i.e. virtual whiteboards, virtual business cards (that include personal video messages) along with games like “Spin the Bottle,” and will deploy the best to simulate the personal chemistry and engagement found at live events.

After enduring the horror of Covid-19, we expect marketers will want to make the world better for all. In the future, our work will have purpose and business motivation baked into its model. The world got a warp-speed technical update during the pandemic—and that will continue in the recovery phase, too. It’s a movement for the future that will help our organizations recover revenue and build new opportunity. You’ll find this issue packed with links to learn more about superstars like the author of Being Heumann and star of Crip Camp, Judith Heumann, plus actionable ideas and content from industry insiders. —Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit

To learn and share more information with colleagues about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), we are sharing the link to their FAQ.

A fully revised program will be released August 3. Watch for it. 

Dig This: Ancient Greek Temples May Have Had Disability Ramps

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rendering of ancient pyramid buildings
image courtesy of Livescience.com

The most reasonable explanation for ramps is that they were intended to help mobility-impaired visitors access the spaces that they needed to experience religious healing. The Greeks built these spaces for disabled people so that their target visitors could access them.  Read more, here.

30 Accessible Tips to Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the ADA

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three people having drinks at the bar of a hotel. one has a prosthetic leg all are wearing casual sportswear

Seyfarth, a prominent Washington firm, has a series of three videos, each only a few minutes in length, that illustrate 30 tips to help improve accessibility. Find them, here.

Founder’s Note: How We’re Celebrating the ADA at 30

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A Black man holds an American flag out behind him with both hands. He is in a wheelchair. He is wearing a black shirt.
photo courtesy RTC Nevada

Getting over the crappy horror of Covid-19, we expect marketers will want to make the world better for all. In the future, our work will have purpose and business motivation baked into its model. The world got a warp-speed technical update during the pandemic—and that will continue in the recovery phase, too. It’s a movement for the future that will generate revenue and build opportunity. You’ll find this issue packed with links to learn more superstars like the author of Being Heumann and star of Crip Camp, plus actionable ideas and content from industry insiders. —Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit

To learn and share more information with colleagues about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), we are sharing the link to their FAQ.

Reinventing TravelAbility Summit: Humanizing the Virtual Conference Experience

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Travelability summit

Our 2020 goal: Not the new normal or the next normal, but a case study to find the BEST normal.

(Oakland, CA, June 8, 2020) While some travel industry conferences and events are adapting and embracing virtual attendance, many are scaling back, canceling, or rescheduling to 2021. As the industry’s only disability-focused conference, the TravelAbility Summit team, supporters, and advisory board believe that the destination and disability-focused education, insights, and networking that takes place at this event is essential for the tourism industry and that the conference will go on. 

Customizable Attendance Options
With a variety of customizable attendance options via the in-person/virtual attendee hybrid model, the TravelAbility Summit is further reinforcing its slogan, All Means All. The conference’s 2020 location, Orlando, Florida, provides easy access for many considering attending in-person and virtual event options elevate opportunities for European destination marketing organizations and others across the US to participate. 

The Best Online Experience
“Over the past two months, our team has spent hours of screen time attending virtual conferences ranging from technology to education to comedy clubs, evaluating new Zoom-like platforms that best capture the experience of live events.” said Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “And, we’ll be applying the best of the best of what we’ve found to our event and openly sharing the results with the industry.” 

Turnkey Platforms, Innovative Tech
The online conference will serve as a case study for travel industry meeting planners who don’t have the time to research and evaluate all the of new self-service turnkey platforms and innovative technology that have been released.   A few highlights include…

  • Collaborating with pros: a former Broadway producer will direct both the live and virtual event; and a stand-up comic will serve as emcee, and a behavioral psychologist will help design in-person spaces where physical distancing protocols will feel less unnatural.
  • Virtual tools: virtual whiteboards, virtual business cards, QR codes, games, holograms
  • Shorter presentations/better takeaways.. 73 total presenters limited to 7 to 10 minutes + Q&A
  • Random One-on-one speed dating: 3-minute sessions 
  • Testing flexible registration options–including a la carte options by the hour
  • New insights about sponsorships, value proposition, and ROI 
  • New tools that make virtual conferences accessible and may help avoid litigation
  • Several virtual reception ‘breakout rooms’ that emphasize human connection…
    • Who let the dogs in? introduce your favorite pet 
    • My Covid crib: home tours
    • Did you hear the one about? humorous stories/jokes
    • The hot tub: attendees appear in bathing suit attire  

Broader Reach
According to the Convention Industry Council (CIC*) $115 Bn of the $263 bn in direct spending of meeting in the U.S. is travel and tourism-related. Leading trade associations believe that virtual trade events will have a permanent role as a complement to broaden the reach for those who cannot attend in person.

Case Study: What Works, What Doesn’t
“We’re willing to do our small part to help the meetings industry, which has been decimated by the pandemic, understand what works and what doesn’t,”  said Steinman. “While we understand that some of our ideas may fall flat, we’re willing to openly share our experience afterward to help the industry rise again, as planners may not have the time to do the due diligence or the appetite for risk.”

 *(CIC summary here).

For more information go to TravelAbility Summit 2020, Find up to date news on TravelAbility Insider

Contact: Jake Steinman  jake@travelabilitysummit.com

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Your name and email will never be sold to 3rd parties.