Countdown to the Fringe RT Network Event - Interview with Stephen Chapman of Make Travel Fair

Countdown to the Fringe RT Network Event – Interview with Stephen Chapman of Make Travel Fair

Paul Tavner
6 November 2009

As part of the run up to next week’s Fringe Responsible Travel Network event, we’re talking with veteran attendees. I caught up with Stephen Chapman, founder of Make Travel Fair (a media sponsor of the event along with whl.travel), to get his take on past events and to see what he’s looking forward to on Monday 9 November.

Past Experiences

It was a great event last year. In fact I travelled into London especially for this event and didn’t attend WTM. For me this may become increasingly what happens as this year even more small events like this are cropping up on the fringes of WTM. There was a great mix of people [at the Fringe RT Network event] last year and the atmosphere was relaxed and perfect for chatting over a few drinks.

It’s always great to have opportunities to connect in this sort of setting, particularly these days when we can spend so much time interacting online with people all around the world.

Stephen Chapman - Founder of Make Travel Fair

Making Connections

I remember meeting Gerhard Buttner [an international development, sustainability and ecotourism expert] last year and talking at length with him. He’d recently arrived in the UK after doing a lot of work with Ron Mader of Planeta in Mexico. It was great to hear directly about some of the great work being done in Mexico. The Fringe event always serves as a great space to reconnect with a lot people I don’t see throughout the year but have known for a while.

Looking Ahead

I think as always there will be lots of discussion about new initiatives happening. Hopefully there will be some new faces attending so that sharing experiences and finding new ways to work together dominate the evening. Any networking evening is a fantastic opportunity and if you’re in London, involved in the travel industry – particularly at the grassroots level – then you’d need a pretty good reason not to attend this event. It’s free! What better venue to hold an event like this than a central London bar… for the informal atmosphere as well as the real ales!