This year, Brand USA Travel Week U.K. & Europe brought the U.S. travel industry to Amsterdam. From September 28 to October 1, U.S. destinations and partners gathered at the Beurs van Berlage for several days of meetings with tour operators, travel professionals and media from across Europe.
For our team, the week extended well beyond the meeting floor. With so many of our clients and industry partners in Amsterdam at the same time, we organised and attended several events throughout the week
Target Travel Marketing Client dinner
One of the highlights of the week was a particularly special evening cruise for Target Travel Marketing. For the first time in our 35-year history, all of our U.S. clients were in the Netherlands at the same time – a special occasion and an opportunity to bring everyone together.
We welcomed our friends aboard for an evening cruise through the canals of Amsterdam. Away from the busy schedules and appointments of Brand USA Travel Week, the evening offered a chance to slow down, catch up and enjoy good food.
To mark the occasion, each guest received a special gift with a personal story behind it. Company owner Arjan shared the story of Mosha, a young elephant in Thailand who lost part of her leg after stepping on a landmine and later became the first elephant to receive a functional prosthetic leg. Her story inspired the creation of Elephant Parade, which uses its colourful elephant sculptures to raise awareness and funds for the protection of Asian elephants. Inspired by Mosha’s story and the cause behind Elephant Parade, Arjan started collecting the figurines himself many years ago.
Arjan in his speech: Elephants symbolize longevity, and good fortune, and this I wish for everyone in this group. The elephants had a Dutch touch, with designs inspired by Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondriaan.
More from Travel Week
Alongside meetings on the Travel Week floor, we organised:
- Visit USA the Netherlands get-together – Following the official opening reception at the Scheepvaartmuseum, Visit USA Netherlands brought its members and the Dutch delegation together for a few more drinks and Dutch bites. A relaxed way to kick off the days of meetings ahead. As the association’s secretariat, TTM took care of the organization. Further, on behalf of Visit USA The Netherlands, Rianne was at the Beurs van Berlage on Thursday to connect with current members as well as potential new partners.
- Spirit of Louisiana – On Tuesday, we hosted a dinner cruise for New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles, bringing this collaborative of four Louisiana destinations together with Dutch and Belgian tour operators. With sunny weather in Amsterdam, it was the perfect setting to experience the Spirit of Louisiana on the canals.
- Utah Office of Tourism – We hosted a dinner with Utah Office of Tourism, its local partners and a select group of tour operators and media. Throughout Travel Week, Vivien represented Utah during meetings with the European and U.K travel trade.
