As we prepare to gather in Denver on May 19th for the 50th iteration of IPW—the most important event on the inbound tour and travel industry’s calendar—the INBOUND Report shares recollections of and about the event from those who have been a part of IPW (formerly Pow Wow) over the years. This week, we feature the recollections of two veteran tour and travel industry professionals: Mike Prejean, international marketing and sales, contracts and missions, Louisiana Office of Tourism; and Brandon Barnes, director, international sales and marketing, Atlanta CVB.
Mike Prejean: “My most memorable moment? That’s easy: getting the registration complete. I wrote to them and told them that I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I cannot get the registration done correctly the first time. So, every year, I bring them booze from Louisiana because I feel so sorry that they have to take extra time completing my registration.”
Brandon Barnes: “Five or six years ago, during an appointment at IPW with an Australian tour operator, he happened to remark about how intensely popular the TV show ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ had become in Australia. And then he looked me in the eye and said ‘You’ve got to get those bitches down here.’”
