This year’s theme: Luxury Travel – Writing in Style
UPDATED APRIL 23, 2017
BCATW 2017, April 30, Firefighters Hall in Burnaby, 11 am – 5 pm.
Come to the BCATW 2017 Symposium – a day of networking and professional development exploring the red-hot Luxury sector.
This travel writing symposium is open to both BCATW members and non-member writers.
Keynote Speaker: Katherine Brodsky
Our keynote speaker for BCATW 2017 is Katherine Brodsky.
Katherine is a freelance writer who has an obsession with travel and has written about it for publications such as AFAR, DreamScapes Magazine, Montecristo Magazine, TraveLife, Travel Intelligence, and Viator — covering destinations ranging from Paris, St. Bath’s and Queensland, to Charleston and Nashville.
She’s also an instructor of a genre writing class as part of Simon Fraser University Continuing Education Certificate Program in New Media Journalism.
Follow Katherine on Twitter and LinkedIn and Like her on Facebook.
Editorial Panel
Noa Nichol – Editorial Director at Vitadaily.ca and VITA magazine. Noa started editing at a Vancouver-based gardening magazine where she learned that a) she doesn’t have a green thumb and b) she loves playing with words. A Ryerson Journalism grad, she’s edited everything from travel glossies to shopping guides, business weeklies to industry mags. She’s also a contributor on a range of topics (including travel) to publications like Alive, Business in Vancouver, Flare, Flavours, Modern Dog, Real Weddings, Vancouver View and, of course, Vitadaily.ca and its monthly print sister pub, VITA.
Follow Noa on Twitter and LinkedIn
Helen Siwak – Editor-in-Chief of HLM Luxury Lifestyle Magazine and west coast women’s digital magazine BLUSH Vancouver.
An avid traveller, both 5 Star and off-the-beaten-track, her aim for 2017 is to introduce both readerships to immersive travel and the thrill of excursions over restful resorts.
Follow Helen on Twitter and LinkedIn
Editor Pitch Sessions
After the Editorial Panel, the editors will meet with writers for 5-minute pitch sessions of travel stories.
This is your “elevator moment” with an editor!
Bring a well-polished and targeted pitch, and present your big idea.
Limit one session per person.
BCATW members click here to register with the member discount.
Non Members click here to register.
Breakout Sessions
Informal conversations with experts in the field
How to Work with a PR agent — Leanne Froese, Town Hall Brands
Luxury Travel — Edward Quan, StyleDrama
Accessible Travel — Mary-Jo Fetterly, Rick Hansen Foundation
Program Agenda
Your emcee: Edward Quan
10:00 Registration
11:00 Symposium Opening Remarks | President’s Welcome | Social Media and Blogging Tips
11:30 Editorial Panel: Helen Siwak — HLM Magazine, Noa Nichol — VITA
12:15 Prizes | Sponsor Spotlights
12:30 Lunch | Sponsor Spotlights | Prize Draw
1:10 Editor Pitch Sessions
2:10 Breakout Sessions
How to Work with a PR agent — Leanne Froese
Luxury Travel — Edward Quan
Accessible Travel — Mary-Jo Fetterly
2:55 Dessert Break | Prizes | Sponsor Spotlights
3:15 Keynote Address — Katherine Brodsky
4:15 Grand Prize Draw | Contest Winners | Closing Remarks
4:45 After Party in the Firefighter Pub downstairs
Photo Contest
The Photo Contest will be held in advance on Facebook and the winner will be announced at the end of the symposium. The theme is Luxury, of course!
Symposium attendees may can enter in either the Pro or Writer category, as stated in your image’s caption.
A 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize will be given in each category.
Symposium attendees may enter up to two images in only one category.
All entries will be displayed in a slideshow at the symposium. The winners of each category will be announced at the symposium and must be in attendance to accept their prize.
The Photo Contest begins on April 2, and ends at midnight on April 27, 2017. Contest winners will be announced at 4:30pm on April 30.
You may enter in either the Pro or Writer category, as you state in your image’s caption. A 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize will be given in each category. Symposium attendees may enter up to two images in only one category.
All qualified entries will be displayed in a slideshow at the symposium. The winners of each category will be announced at the symposium and must be in attendance to accept their prize.
Contest winners will be announced on April 10 at 4 pm.
To be eligible to enter, first register for the symposium at: BCATW 2017 Symposium Page
After you’ve registered for the symposium, please enter at the Symposium Facebook Page where there are more contest details.
WE ONLY HAVE A FEW PHOTO CONTEST ENTRIES! PLEASE ENTER BY APRIL 27th!
Twitter Contest
Our #BCATW2017 Twitter contest will be a Tweet Before event.
There is one prize for the symposium attendee who tweets the most about the symposium before April 30, using our hashtag, #BCATW2017.
Retweets will not be counted.
Please make liberal use of #BCATW2017, @bctravelwriters, and the link, bcatw.org/bcatw-2017-symposium.
Twitter contest starts on March 15!
Go!
Prizes to Travel On!
We’ll have Photo and Twitter contests, as well as drawings throughout the day.
- Bear Mountain Golf Resort – Grand Prize!
- Hester Creek Villas
- Tigh-Na-Mara Resort
- Painted Boat Resort
- Paddle Wheeler River Cruise
- Stanley Park Tea House
- Forbidden Vancouver
- Rowena’s on the River
- Big Rock Urban Eatery
- VanDusen Gardens
- Monte Creek Winery
- Bard on the Beach
- Bloedel Conservatory
- Museum of Anthropology UBC
All winners must be in attendance to accept their prize. Good luck!
After Party
Our bartender
Following the event, we’ll go downstairs and party in the Firefighter’s Public House, a comfy neighbourhood pub and nightclub.
The after-event party starts at 4:45 pm.
There will be a no-host bar serving cocktails as well as BC wine and beer.
BCATW members click here to register with the member discount.
Non Members click here to register.
Getting to Firefighter’s Hall
The Firefighter’s Hall is at 6515 Bonsor Ave, Burnaby, BC, Canada
Take the Skytrain to Metrotown and it’s nine blocks from there!
Parking is available under and around the Metrotown Centre.
What to bring
Business cards
Not just to pass around to new contacts, but to enter our famous draws. We’ll be drawing all afternoon and there is a very good chance you’ll be a winner!
Devices
Laptops, iPads, and smartphones are all welcome. There will be Wi-fi. We encourage you to tweet and post as much as you can.
Please follow us at @bctravelwriters.
Register for BCATW 2017
The registration fee includes coffee and rolls, lunch, snacks, prizes, and entrance to our after party.
Admission fee is $80 for members and $90 for non-members.
If you qualify, please join BCATW and get the member rate!
BCATW members click here to register with the member discount.
Non Members click here to register.
See you at the symposium!
Comments are closed.