Philadelphia, PA – More than 7,500 Philly-area travelers braved the winter cold to find great deals and to listen to noted travel experts at the new Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show, held January 22-23, 2011, in downtown Philly’s Pennsylvania Convention Center. Nearly 100 exhibitors showcased cruises, international travel packages, weekend getaways and warm-weather destinations like Florida and the Caribbean.
Travelers enjoyed speakers such as renowned national travel experts Arthur and Pauline Frommer, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die author Patricia Schultz, and PBS Television's “Grannies on Safari,” as well as an exclusive appearance by the bowtie-sporting Dhani Jones, NFL linebacker and star of the Travel Channel series “Dhani Tackles the Globe.”
In total, 7,614 travelers (including 591 trade participants) attended the event, which started Saturday morning with trade-exclusive hours and a breakfast sponsored by Visit Orlando. Additional support was provided by title sponsor The Philadelphia Inquirer and additional sponsors Crown Cruise Vacations and Apple Vacations.
“The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show was a great opportunity to get the Orlando brand in front of a qualified audience,” said Peter Cranis, vice president of leisure marketing for Visit Orlando. “Being a sponsor, we were allowed to have our branding throughout the show including a double booth and stage presence, which was what we needed to communicate about our destination. The Philadelphia Inquirer and J2L Events were great partners in helping make the show a success.”
January 14-15, 2012, have been announced as dates for the 2nd Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show, returning to the downtown convention center. For more information, or to view photos from this year’s event, visit www.InquirerTravelShow.com. 2012 booth and sponsorship sales have already begun; email [email protected] or call toll-free 888.705.6576.