What happens in Vegas does not need to stay in Vegas!

If you’re a traveler, a travel industry expert (or interested in all things travel) and you tweet, you likely already know about the #traveltuesdays hashtag. To add my own ‘social spin’ to #traveltuesdays and join in on the conversation, we’re starting this weekly post all about the travel industry and the social web.

To kick off, I begin with the EyeforTravel’s Travel Distribution Summit North America 2011 in Las Vegas, also known as #eftamerica. This popular and well-attended travel event is perfect for connecting with industry folks in the travel, transport and leisure world as it relates to social media.

My self-imposed goals were simple. Listen, measure and engage. Oh, yes I know, those are the same three golden rules of social media that we keep whispering in your ear. But this time, I took these steps a step further and engaged with these industry experts IRL (‘in real life’).

I listened in on great sessions and discussions (more to come in another post), measured the conversations happening around #eftamerica and I engaged. Oh boy, did I EVER engage.

As we have been talking a bit around the Radian6 blogosphere lately about social connections and social talent, I thought it was only fitting to share my first hand experiences in that arena.

To start, I began tweeting about the conference before it happened. This established my presence before I even entered the event and by keeping up with the tweets, I was able to start establishing relationships upfront.

By the end of a two day conference, almost all of the 600+ attendees recognized my face and Twitter handle. I was also awarded a lovely prize from EyeforTravel for most/best/craziest tweets (actual title can be disputed).

The ROI of tweeting at a conference = a bottle of nice champagne.

Social connections online are incredibly important when we venture into the face-to-face interactions. As we expand our networks and grow our true reach, it is no secret that having a following is crucial. Everyone is vying for your attention online, so how are you planning to get the right attention?

In-person social connections enable you to meet people you might otherwise have never had the pleasure of engaging with – even online perhaps. Those bigger-than-140-character-or-less conversations are valuable to create and deepen relationships.

There were 1,636 tweets at #eftamerica. (And only 254 of them were from me!) @CravenTravels hit 175, and #eftamerica’s very own @Rosieakenhead had a whopping 119 tweets.

Merging online with in-person connections is valuable. I have formed new travel relationships that I believe will be solid for a long time ahead.

Jenn Seeley is a Community Engagement Specialist in the worlds of travel, transport, leisure and entertainment. She still gets excited every time she flies. You can tweet with her as @jenn_seeley.

Did you attend #eftamerica this year or in years past? What were the most valuable connections you made? Please share!

Tags: connections, eyefortravel, twitter