A lot of good people with a lot of good things to say at the Fringe RT Network event @ WTM 2009

The prevailing attitude that I encountered throughout the night was one of positivity. Positivity about new product launches, positivity about potential joint ventures and positivity about the sector as a whole. I only heard the recession being discussed once all evening. It wasn’t that people were deliberately avoiding the topic – when it was brought up it was treated seriously – but every person I spoke to came across as optimistic and was proactively developing solutions to deal with the economy’s curve balls.

There was also a great deal of positivity about the increased attention being paid to responsibility in travel by the wider tourism sector. Since the RT Network’s inception back in 2007, the concept of sustainable travel has gone from having a single presentation at the main World Travel Market event to being a leading crosscutting theme returned to throughout the week. In fact, responsible tourism is now pretty much the WTM’s primary focus all day on Wednesday 12 November, better known as the WTM World Responsible Tourism Day, “the only global day of action of its kind” and one supported by the UNWTO and leading industry associations. Still, many of the Fringe attendees expressed their preference for the Fringe event over its giant sibling – the bubbling intimacy of the Fringe’s basement venue was more comfortable for most than the cavernous interior of the ExCeL centre.

One of the best parts of the experience for me was putting faces to names. While the Internet is a fantastic communication tool and it allows people from all over the world to come together and keep in touch, you really can’t beat a good face-to-face chat with someone. I particularly enjoyed speaking with Stuart Grant, director of Geo.me; Thomas Armitt, founder of West Africa Discovery; and Vishwaraj Gyawali of Social Tours. Special mention must also go to Sally Broom and the rest of the team at Tripbod, who organised the whole event and brought so many people together.

It really was a refreshing experience to meet a large group of people with genuine passion for the industry in which they work. It’s also reassuring to know that such high levels of creativity are being channelled into innovation and activity, particularly during a difficult year. The Fringe event has been going from strength to strength and if what I saw on Monday was anything to go by, it will continue to do so. Thanks again to Sally and to everyone else who turned out. I’m already looking forward to next year!

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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

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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.

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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!

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Many thanks to Stephen for taking the time to answer my questions. If you’d like to meet Stephen or me and will be in London on Monday 9 November, be sure to drop by the Pavilion End Bar from 6:30pm onward.  Remember to register your interest in attending via the Fringe Network page on Ning or Facebook. You can follow me live via Twitter @whltravelBlog on the night. Keep an eye out for the #rtnet hashtag cropping up on multiple streams.

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Monday November 9 marks the beginning of the 2009 World Travel Market, one of the travel industry’s most important annual events. While many people from around the world will be descending throughout the week on London’s ExCeL centre to meet, greet and do business, an increasing number will also be making a beeline to the Fringe RT Network Event – 6:30pm to 11pm in the Pavilion End Bar, close to the heart of the city – to meet, engage and inspire.

The Fringe Responsible Travel Network Event @ WTM, pictured here from a previous year, is a chance to connect and reconnect with people passionate about responsible travel

Developed by a group of like-minded individuals keen to bring together people with a passion for locally focussed responsible tourism that protects and enhances destinations for the benefit of host communities as well as visitors, the Fringe Network event was first held in 2007. In the two years since, attendees have met regularly, both in person and online, to discuss the challenges they face, share their experiences and promote the progress being made by the sector as a whole.

“It becomes ever more important that grassroots organisations and initiatives around the world continue to exert their independence, innovate and come together to network,” observed Stephen Chapman, founder of Make Travel Fair after the 2008 event.

Keeping Good Company

For the third year in a row, the Fringe evening is organised by the team at Tripbod (active in past years as YourSafePlanet). This year, however, whl.travel is proud to be a media partner, along with Make Travel Fair and Social Tours. The event sponsors are Intrepid, Rough Guides, The Blue Yonder and Travel to Care.

Despite inclusion of a speed-networking event that follows the speed-dating model, the evening is expected to be as relaxed and informal as in past years, an ideal environment in which to make new connections and reconnect with old ones.

This is my first time attending a Fringe – or indeed any – event of this kind, so I’m excited to be bringing a fresh perspective to the proceedings. I’m also hoping to convey some of the enthusiasm and optimism expressed by attendees on the night and, in advance, will be delivering some insights from Fringe veterans about what to expect. On 9 November you can follow me live via Twitter @whltravelBlog or keep up with what are sure to be multiple streams through the #rtnet hashtag.

Of course, if you’re in London on 9 November, I’d highly recommend coming along to meet some friendly faces. Register your interest via the Fringe Network page on Ning or Facebook. Alternatively, stay tuned here for updates.

If there’s a particular topic you’d like to see discussed or would be interested in hearing about, drop me a line and I’ll do my best to make sure I cover it on the night. If you’d like to contact the organisers directly, begin at the Tripbod website.