Connect Travel to launch new trade event in Orlando
Destination marketing company Connect Travel has unveiled a new leisure travel trade event which will debut next year in Orlando.
Connect Travel Marketplace comes to Hyatt Regency Orlando on February 18-20 and will feature educational programs and prescheduled one-on-one appointments for attendees to facilitate business connections.
Heading up event preparations is Shari Bailey, who has been appointed director, international for Connect.
Bailey joins from VISIT FLORIDA where she served most recently as director of global sales and market development.
She also worked in international business development for Visit Tampa Bay and Sea World and now teams up again with former VISIT FLORIDA CEO Will Seccombe.
"This is a unique opportunity to launch a new event that creates and adds real value to our partners. The timing is right for international tour operators to develop new leisure travel product, and we are expecting a great turnout of top operators from the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Mexico and China, among others," Bailey said.
The new show has already been endorsed by a number of major destination marketing btrands and tour operators.
"We are looking forward to attending the new Connect Travel Marketplace," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company.
"Connect has an excellent reputation and a proven track record for producing quality events that focus on providing the best ROI for all involved."
Connect Travel is the leisure tourism division of Connect and helps connect destination marketers with products and services in their target markets. Connect also produces digital programs, mobile solutions and trade publications as well as organizing international, regional and niche events for the tourism industry.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools