2011 Event Recap
October 18, 2011
On October 18, 2011, more than 1,200 people joined us for our 2nd evening of Meet, Plan, Go! events across North America. And in addition to our 17 Kick-Ass Hosts, more then 70 experienced career breakers and travel experts helped inspire our record breaking crowd.
“For anyone who expresses interest in a career break, or long-term travel, this is a “10?, and I might even say it should be required.”
Locations
This year we had 10 returning cities and welcomed 7 new ones on board, for a total of 17 locations, including:
Austin | Boston | Chicago | Denver | Honolulu | Las Vegas | Los Angeles
Minneapolis | New Orleans | New York City | Orlando | Portland
San Francisco | Seattle | St. Louis | Toronto | Washington DC
“Going to the 2011 Meet, Plan, Go! event was more than I expected. To be around so many people who want to travel and to talk to and listen to people who have indeed traveled in bigger ways than I had considered was mind-opening and thrilling.”
Hosts & Panelists
Career Breakers come in every shape and size. They come from a variety of backgrounds and places. And most importantly, they all come to the decision because of different reasons.
They are solo travelers – they are couple travelers – they even travel with their families. They are 28 – they are 58. They are volunteers – they are adventurers. They were tired of their jobs – they were laid off from their jobs. They faced critical times in their lives, like cancer and divorce – they decided that there was no better time than now. They were our hosts and panelists.
We were fortunate to have enlisted 17 well-known travel bloggers and experienced career breakers throughout the country to facilitate these events in their home cities along with more than 70 panelists and speakers.
Together they provided inspiration to our audience, as well as their advice on how to realize the dream of extended travel.
“I went to the Meet, Plan, Go! event to feel the electrical charge that is contagious amongst travelers. The conversation is easy and excited, like a perfect first date where it’s all kismet and kindred spirits.”
Sponsors
We sought sponsors whose products and services would best suit our career break audience and were thrilled to have Intrepid Travel, Hostelling International, and GoMio join us on a national level. (Learn more about our national sponsors)
In addition, we had many great local sponsors who offered information and services like medical insurance, travel gear, storage facilities, and TEFL courses.
This year we also introduced an “e-Goody bag featuring our National and Premium Local Sponsors.
The “e” in e-goody bag stands for two things: electronic & eco-friendly. By sending it out electronically through email post-event, we were eco-friendly in not producing thousands of pieces of paper and collateral that was bound to get lost. Thus, attendees would miss out on taking advantage of these great offers.
“I was able to network with numerous different people in the travel industry at the Meet, Plan, Go! event, from bloggers, to travelers, to tour guides. It was informative and very inspirational.”
What Next?
We had such a great response from our attendees and one comment that was heard often was they want to meet more! So as we prepare for our 2012 National Event, we will also be hosting casual local meetups around the country.
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