Winding Down from the T-List – PhocusWright Blogger Summit #ITB09 in Berlin part 1

This photo shows Yours Truly at the T-List – PhocusWright Blogger Summit #ITB09 in Berlin. Photo thanks to @TravelSavvyKayt of Travel Savvy Mom at Twit Pic

You have 5 more days to vote for her and for Darren at the Lonely Planet Travel Blogger Awards

Yesterday I drove home from a busy two day Blogger summit/conference with a bag full of mixed feelings. During an 8 hours drive you are able to do a bit of thinking and rethinking.

Rereading my summary of last year’s event, I realize the feelings are more or less the same.

Rather than giving a full summary, this year I’ll concentrate on a few details:

1. The ITB Tradeshow
   Most of what I have noticed at ITB gives me negative vibes, very negative vibes: They coin ITB the biggest travel trade show. But I’ve had two small walks there and noticed two things: Almost all people there, being it the exhibitors or the visitors, by the looks of their body language seem only interested in their good self, or maybe the people they know. They are not outgoing, seemingly not interested in strangers as people. To the extent they are interested in strangers, they seem only interested in the money of the strangers…..moreover….it all seems so old world and so old fashioned. Almost no imagination in the way they build their boots. Only boots full of the same brochures they handed out last year. What a waste of paper.
   On the other hand there is this:Today some of the Twitterati commented:”Today we are overrun with people (it’s general public day today) who are taking away everything that is not bolted to our boot” There is that large chunk of the general public that doesn’t know how to behave itself let it be knows how to travel. Rather than teaching these people how to enjoy travel, the majority in the travel and hospitality industry seems to have given in under the motto: “Let them have what they want …. or ask for….or deserve”…

Kevin May, Darren Cronian, Kayt Sukkel herself and Sam Daams
Again Photo from Kayt.
2. The T-List – PhocusWright Blogger Summit #ITB09 in Berlin
   The more refreshing it is to meet with the various Bloggers attending this venue. Among them I find some very like minded who blog out of sheer passion and although they would like to earn a bit of money with the blogging, the lack of that in itself doesn’t prevent them from cultivating their passion to the ultimate.
   Wednesday March 12 started with a roundup of the almost 50 bloggers attending the summit. Each had the opportunity to introduce him or herself. A great chance to meet new people and change ideas with those who I had met already last year or on other occasions. In the afternoon there were trial runs of some startups for their 5 minutes of fame the next day. During the evening there was a meet up planned, but the venue was changed last minute so not everybody could (or would) attend. The better the quality of the meet up. The next day was business as usual. Interviews with key industry people and key note speeches by key industry people larded with 5 minutes of fame by new start ups.
3. It is clear to me now. I am no Journalist. I’m a Blogger.
   Others are far better gifted as a journalist than I am. Although my gear was in order now, I couldn’t do much more than 2 things at the same time. (I’m male you know and two things is already difficult for me): Listening and making and uploading some photos. I am not able to tweet any comprehensible posts while listening and making photos. Also I see a tendency in myself to tweet disruptively. So I stuck to photo’s. But I’m even not able to tag the photos correctly while I upload them. Anyway. You can find them at my Flickr PhocusWright Blogger Summit #ITB09 set. Feel free to use photos of this set, but let me know please.
4. I have chosen to name this blog Happy Hotelier not for nothing.
   I’m happy being a hotelier and being passionate about it. I strongly believe in people and passion. I’m sure that if I wouldn’t concentrate on people and things that make me and them happy, I would not be able to please our guests as we apparently are able to do measured by our guest reviews.

   In addition the following thought: One of my fellow bloggers once commented:”Well your Blog is just (hesitation) nice….” Well friend that is exactly my point. Out there there is enough of “Not so Nice”. I’ll leave that to others.

   Part of the discussions in Berlin was again the Blogger vs Journalist “controversy”….

   For instance:”Would you be a honest Blogger, if you had reviewed a hotel with a negative outcome and decided not to publish it?”. Kayt wonderfully worded my own feeling about this subject: She didn’t believe her readership was looking for negative, but more for positive advice and therefore would not publish a negative review. Hearing the comment I thought:”Stick to your believes.”

   With that in mind I have decided to keep doing what I do and stick to my own curiosity and stick to my own myriad of subjects to write about and remain as positive as possible.

I have always considered to line this blog up with my hotel site, but because of the myriad of subjects here, I have now decided to start an entirely new Blog which will be more tailored, focused and dedicated to Haagsche Suites and things in and around it and keep this blog as my main armchair travel blog

Kudos and thanks to all involved in Berlin!