New green resource will eliminate paper waste, shipping costs while creating a direct connection between journalists and U.S. travel suppliers

The U.S. Travel Association is launching an environmentally friendly online press room for its annual super show for travel, International Pow Wow, May 15 – 19, in Orlando. Powered by TravMedia, the global travel media service for industry journalists and communications professionals, the online press room is designed to provide comprehensive press materials, video, photos and foreign language releases to better connect international and domestic journalists with the news of U.S. travel supplier companies.

Bruce Bommarito, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the U.S. Travel Association and general manager of International Pow Wow, sought a product that maximizes the information journalists have access to without the traditional bulk of press materials. «Our new online press room is an interactive tool that will capture relevant news of the most dynamic U.S. travel industry companies for the 400 international journalists that attend International Pow Wow and deliver additional value to our suppliers during and after the event,» said Bommarito.

The International Pow Wow new online press room tool will be available at no additional charge to all U.S. suppliers who purchase the Media Marketplace package (table, press release CD, and press bin) or any of the individual public relations opportunities. It is available to all registered journalists free of charge.

The press room will house unlimited releases, photos, logos and videos and will invite advance-scheduled interview appointments. An introduction page with story angles and contact information during the show is being designed specifically for International Pow Wow. The site will go live 30 days before the start of the trade show and remain available until August 30, giving media a valuable resource for their U.S. travel stories. Suppliers may continue to use traditional press kits and CDs at the show if desired.

TravMedia was chosen because of its global coverage in travel news, its versatility and technology, and its experience managing industry event press rooms in other countries. More than 13,000 travel journalists worldwide use TravMedia for information through the company offices in London, Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong, Dubai, Boston and Frankfurt (opening March 2010.) The news distribution service is also well known with the U.S. travel industry. More than 60 percent of the suppliers utilizing the Media Marketplace option at International Pow Wow are already TravMedia subscribers.

To register for a Media Marketplace table, other public relations opportunities or for more information on the online press room, please contact the International Pow Wow registrar at powwowreg@ustravel.org. For more information about TravMedia’s role in the International Pow Wow online press room including graphics and video, contact Nick Wayland, founder and CEO, TravMedia, at nick@travmedia.com or +61 (0) 2 9953 1914.