18
NEWS
06.10.17
TBEX
On The Road To Follow Their Dreams Words: Eve Kelliher Pics: Valerie O’Sullivan
IF I ONLY had a euro for every comment I heard wafting around town all week from Killarney folk expressing a desire to “give up the day job and travel the word”! They were of course inspired by their encounters with some of the world’s top travel bloggers and writers – over 600 of whom converged on Killarney to attend TBEX Europe. This conference attracted the largest gathering of travel content creators and social media influencers in Europe. All ages and every continent in the world were represented as an eager audience filed into the INEC on Wednesday morning for the keynote speeches. These were people who literally gave up the day job to follow their dreams. As Gary Arndt, of award-winning Everything-Everywhere. com, told the spellbound gathering: “I’d rather beg on the streets than have a normal, 9-5 job!” Gary has been travelling the world non-stop for over half a decade and has visited over 100 countries and territories in that time. He is one of an influential group with a combined reach of 380 million travel fans. Gleneagle Group MD and Irish Hotels Federation Kerry Branch Chairman Patrick O’Donoghue was among the enthusiastic local attendees and noted the importance of the event. As well as sampling all that Killarney and Kerry had to offer, the delegates were treated to a night out at Killarney Racecourse on Tuesday evening and a wrap party in JM Reidy’s, Main Street, last night. Breffni Ingerton, General Manager, Killarney Convention Centre, Patrick O’Donoghue, Managing Director, Gleneagle Hotel Group, Mariette Hoekstra, Booking.com.
SEE OUR VIDEO MINISERIES FROM TBEX ON OUR WEBSITE KILLARNEYADVERTISER.IE AND FACEBOOK PAGE
Natalie DiScala, Oh! Travelissima, her husband Johnny Jet, JohnnyJet.Com, their son Jack Jet and Declan Murphy, Fáilte Ireland.
Sylather Collins, Women Enpower to Travel, left and Mari Lou Moles, Twenty York Street.
Cathaoirleach Kerry County Council, Cllr John Sheahan with Henry Arvidsson,left, Wondering Viking and Bret Love, Green Travel Media.
Tom Kennedy, Explore Ireland, Golf and Travel, Catriona Kennedy, Elite Events, Alice Thompson, Explore Ireland, and Mayor of Killarney Municipal Area, Cllr Niall Kelleher, at aTBEX reception in Dromquinna Manor.
Adventurer and explorer Mike O’Shea, Dingle, keynote speaker,at TBEX Europe.