WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 7, 2020) — Today, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announces the launch of Brand USA Global Marketplace—a one-stop shop for U.S. travel partners and international audiences to interact. Brand USA Global Marketplace is a custom-built, always-on, virtual platform that provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions, and points of interest for the international travel industry. A reimagined version of traditional trade shows and industry events, the digital platform solves the need for the U.S. travel community to engage with the global tourism industry while international travel is limited due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, says, “We are thrilled to launch Brand USA Global Marketplace in 2020. This is a ground-breaking digital platform that will enable U.S. partners and international audiences to foster meaningful business relationships and critical connections, at a time when it is needed most. Together, we’re building the future of U.S. tourism.”
The platform will further Brand USA’s efforts to invigorate U.S. tourism as the world recovers. By hosting ongoing networking opportunities, enrichment sessions, and large-scale events across multiple time zones, Brand USA Global Marketplace encourages the international travel community to engage with U.S. destinations on an ongoing basis. Approximately 150 U.S. partners—ranging from destinations, regional marketing organizations, transportation services, attractions, hotels and hotel groups, to receptive tour operators—are expected to join the platform. The high-caliber of U.S. partners will attract key international audiences who are interested in the U.S. and its diverse destinations, products, and services.
Tom Garzilli, chief marketing officer of Brand USA, adds, “Our industry is resilient, and when it is safe to do so, the world will travel to the United States again. In the meantime, Brand USA Global Marketplace will inform and support our partners and keep the U.S. top-of-mind among trade, media, and consumers. Brand USA Global Marketplace will ensure a ‘quick start’ back into global markets as soon as it is viable, stimulating active consideration and future travel bookings. We are all determined to welcome the world back to the United States when the time is right.”
Featuring five portals—each designed for virtual exploration of the 50 states, five territories, and District of Columbia—Brand USA Global Marketplace provides registered users with travel itineraries, destination marketing collateral, and insights from industry experts. The Main Stage serves as a place for educational seminars, while the USA Partner Pavilions—featuring geographically-driven partner Pods representing the entirety of the U.S.—and Buyer Pavilion will facilitate one-to-one meetings. In the Networking Lounge, participants will have the opportunity to engage outside of scheduled sessions. Video On-Demand allows for self-guided discovery with three screens showing a variety of travel entertainment, educational, and featured programming. To simulate the relational exchanges that occur at industry events, registered users will also have access to a Virtual Briefcase and Business Card Jar, among other networking tools.
The second edition of Brand USA Travel Week Europe will be the first event to take place on Brand USA Global Marketplace. Connecting Europe with the U.S. travel industry, the four-day initiative (October 26-29, 2020) will offer U.S. partners and European buyers the opportunity to schedule one-to-one appointments, and attend enrichment sessions that provide marketing insight from thought leaders in the industry. Additional information about Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 will be released in mid-October 2020, followed by announcements for events tailored for Canadian, Mexican, and Australian audiences in Winter 2021.
Registration and programming details for the platform are available at TheBrandUSA.com/Brand-USA-Global-Marketplace.
About Brand USA:
Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, was established by the Travel Promotion Act as the nation’s first public-private partnership to promote the United States as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. travel policies and procedures to worldwide travelers. The organization’s mission is to increase international visitation to the USA in order to fuel the U.S. economy and enhance the image of the United States worldwide. Formed as the Corporation for Travel Promotion in 2010, the public-private entity began operations in May 2011 and does business as Brand USA. According to studies by Oxford Economics, over the past seven years Brand USA’s marketing initiatives have helped welcome 7.5 million incremental visitors to the USA, benefiting the U.S. economy with more than $54.5 billion in total economic impact and supporting, on average, more than 50,000 incremental jobs a year.
For industry or partner information about Brand USA, visit TheBrandUSA.com and follow Brand USA on Facebook,Twitter, and LinkedIn. To discover more about the USA and the boundless diversity of American travel experiences and authentic, rich culture, please visit Brand USA’s consumer website VisitTheUSA.com.