NEW ORLEANS (March 21st, 2018) The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau is continuing to promote travel from the European market to New Orleans by attending international trade shows and participating in sales and media outreach missions. Most recently, Kristian Sonnier, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations and Leslie Straughan, Senior Account Executive, Europe, traveled to Germany for ITB Berlin from March 7th-11th, 2018.  

ITB Berlin is the world’s leading travel trade show and a major catalyst for the global tourism industry. ITB Berlin 2018 welcomed travel trade counterparts from five continents, 187 countries, 1,000 top buyers, 10,000 exhibitors, 26,000 convention visitors, 60,000 private visitors, 120,000 trade visitors all with 88% of the exhibitors reporting positive business following last year’s show.  

During ITB’s three-day event, Leslie Straughan held 34 appointments with German tour operators, Condor Airlines and British Airways. On the show floor, New Orleans and Louisiana hosted a Tricentennial event celebrating the 300th anniversary of New Orleans for more than 50 tour operators and media. Kristian Sonnier met with 40 qualified international bloggers and journalists to inform media of what’s new in New Orleans, the Tricentennial celebrations and tourism developments in the city. Sonnier also attended a Visit USA breakfast where he met with 12 international bloggers who requested a meeting with New Orleans.

While in Europe, Sonnier took advantage of two additional trade show opportunities by visiting TravMedia’s International Media Marketplace (IMM) trade shows in both Berlin and London. IMM Germany was on March 6th, where Sonnier met with 18 international journalists and bloggers from Germany and neighboring countries. At IMM London, he met with 27 international journalists and bloggers from the United Kingdom and surrounding countries. IMM is a single-day networking and relationship-building opportunity between travel and tourism professionals and media. The International Media Marketplace program has played host to over 2,500 international media and 1,425 exhibiting companies since 2013.  

“Our teams, both in New Orleans and in our international sales offices, rely on the education and networking that happens at international travel trade shows,” said Kim Priez, Senior Vice President of Tourism at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We are confident that New Orleans’ strong presence at ITB Berlin will help more destinations in the European market keep New Orleans top of mind, and we look forward to continuing to make our city a favorite U.S. destination among international travelers.”

“Now, the follow-up work begins to maintain the relationships made with media at both ITB Berlin and IMM, and to turn them into quality experiences in New Orleans, helping to produce international editorial features about our city,” said Kristian Sonnier, Vice President of Communications and Public Relations. “It’s imperative that we maintain a steady drumbeat of positive earned media exposure for travel to New Orleans in our global markets.”

The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau participates in numerous international sales missions each year, all targeting markets with the highest potential of growth and visitation.

About New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (NOCVB)
NOCVB is a nationally accredited, 1,100-member destination marketing organization and the largest and most successful private economic development corporation in Louisiana. The CVB and its members influence thousands of decision-makers and millions of visitors to choose New Orleans through direct sales, marketing, public relations, branding and visitor services at our New Orleans headquarters and offices in Chicago, Columbia, SC, Washington, D.C., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and China. Consistently recognized as one of the top five CVBs in the country, the New Orleans CVB celebrates its 58th anniversary in 2018. For more information, please visit www.neworleans.com; www.facebook.com/neworleans; www.twitter.com/VisitNewOrleans

Media Contact:
Kristian Sonnier, New Orleans CVB
504-481-7933, ksonnier@neworleanscvb.com