Travel Bloggers Exchange (TBEX) Announces Billings as Host City of 2019 National Conference

Travel Bloggers Exchange, TBEX, announced Billings as the host destination for its 2019 national conference. TBEX will bring 650 of the nation’s travel bloggers, journalists and influencers to Billings September 11-13, 2019. TBEX is the largest conference and networking event for travel bloggers, online travel journalists, new media content creators, travel brands and industry professionals.

Visit Billings, together with key partners including Visit Southeast Montana, were instrumental in securing this event at Montana’s Trailhead. Intricate planning, demonstrations, sample itineraries and more enticed the group to the region.

“It was an easy decision to bring TBEX to Billings,” according to Rick Calvert, CEO of TBEX. “Montana is a bucket list destination for people all over the world. Billings has everything people think of when they dream of visiting Montana. Incredible scenery, history, culture, any outdoor activity you could imagine, and a historic western downtown.” Calvert spent three days in Billings with staff before deciding on the 2019 destination.

Aly Murnion, Visit Billings’ Leisure Marketing and Sales Manager, described the importance of an event like this for Billings, “To have 650 bloggers, influencers, and journalists in our city, many being the most influential content creators in the industry, is rare.” Murnion added, “Billings has so many great stories to tell, this group will experience them and share them with the world, strengthening tourism at Montana’s Trailhead.”

Ron Spence, general manager of the Billings Hotel and Convention Center and current chair of the Billings Tourism Business Improvement District, is eager to welcome TBEX. “It’s exciting to have the opportunity to show off our city to so many talented content creators. The lasting publicity we will see from this will have an impact for years to come.”

Visit Billings and Billings Chamber of Commerce officials agree this is a huge opportunity for Billings, southeast Montana, and the state of Montana as a whole. Murnion says it would take years and millions of dollars to bring the exposure to Billings that will be the result of just a few days next fall.

TBEX’s announcement makes Billings the first city in Montana to ever host a TBEX conference. The Visit Billings team will work closely with tourism partners and TBEX officials to execute an exciting and successful event for September 2019.  More opportunities to support this event will be made available in the coming weeks and months, if interested in supporting the event please reach out to alyson@visitbillings.com.