Do you have what it takes to be a Women in Travel Summit (WITS) speaker? Apply now to present at WITS ’17 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

If you don’t already know, the Women in Travel Summit (WITS) is the creation of Wanderful. It’s the premier event for women travel influencers, creators, and brands and one of the highlights of our year. WITS ’17 will take place from April 21st to 23rd, 2017 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

At WITS ‘16 this past March in Irvine, California, our speakers covered a diverse range of topics from funding your travel through freelance writing to using Instagram for business. We began and ended the weekend with two incredible keynote speakers — Evita Robinson and Nadine Sykora — who filled the room with energy and inspiration.

This year, we are excited to invite dynamic and ambitious speakers to apply to present at WITS ‘17!

What Makes a Stand-Out Application

At WITS ‘17, we are expecting 500 enthusiastic women travel creators, influencers and industry members who are eager to learn from the expertise of our speakers. Keep the Wanderful and WITS community in mind when crafting your proposal, and highlight how your skills and experiences can help shape sessions that leave attendees with motivation, new knowledge, and unique insights.

You can find each of our track descriptions along with examples below. These were created based on the feedback we’ve received from past attendees. We encourage you to think about your proposal not just as a session, but as an opportunity to educate, inspire, and empower the WITS community. Think outside the box and let your creativity and innovative ideas shine through!

We hope you are interested in being a part of WITS, and we sincerely look forward to reading your application!

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Track Descriptions

Each session is 45-minutes long with 15 minutes for Q&A. Sessions may take the format of a presentation, panel discussion, fireside chat, workshop, or roundtable conversation.

Lifestyle: For the woman of the world and the woman looking to get to know the world. This track features travel logistics, tips for immersing yourself in new places, and ideas on how to give back when traveling. Topic examples include:

•   Issues in women’s travel
•   Voluntourism: Ethics and practicalities
•   Tips for traveling safely
•   How to participate in the sharing economy (Airbnb, Couchsurfing, etc.)
•   Adventurous women in travel
•   Travel jobs besides blogging

Media: For the woman who wants to take her blog to the next level and the brand that wants to work with online writers. This track features running your blog as a business, the tech side of blogging, and advice on how to work with brands and CVBs. Topic examples include:

•   Content management
•   Using livestreaming, Snapchat, and Podcasts
•   The “tech” side of blogging: Plugins, analytics, HTML, SEO, platforms, etc.
•   Taxes for bloggers
•   Effective analytics reporting to sponsors and partners
•   Brand perspective: How to pitch — best practices and optimizing your media kit

Entrepreneurship: For the empire-builder and go-getter who wants the freedom to work independently from anywhere in the world. This track features business strategies, marketing tips, and workshops on building a location independent lifestyle. Topic examples include:

•   How to write a business plan
•   Women in tech
•   Starting an online business (not necessarily a blog)
•   E-book how-to
•   Email marketing
•   Powerful women entrepreneurs

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Speaker Benefits Include:

•   Complimentary registration at WITS.
•   Individualized social media promotion via Facebook and Twitter.
•   Commission on affiliate ticket sales.
•   The opportunity to earn extra money through mentor one-on-one sessions.
•   A special invite to the exclusive VIP networking event where you can meet other inspiring speakers and build important business connections.
•   The option to sell swag in our WITS marketplace.
•   A killer swag bag filled with extra goodies from our amazing sponsors.
•   The opportunity to speak at a unique and rapidly expanding conference!

Please note that WITS is unable to offer speaker stipends, honorariums, or travel expenses for accepted applicants.

To apply, please fill out this application by October 18th, 2016 at 11:59pm EST.