As the LRE Foundation continues the important work of furthering the network’s activities and the expansive Liberation Route Europe project, here’s a summary of our colleagues’ participation in several networking events in Europe to increase the Foundation’s visibility and build strong relationships with the Travel & Trade industry.
From 5-7 October, the Annual Forum of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, of which the Liberation Route Europe has been an official route since 2019, took place in Chania (Crete), Greece. This included panel sessions, workshops, and best practices on heritage and culture, discussing relevant topics such as safeguarding European values and cultural heritage, promoting intercultural dialogue, and developing sustainable tourism products.
Communications Manager, Cecilia Badano, spoke on behalf of the LRE Foundation on the panel ‘Promoting European Values’, where she presented the work of the Liberation Route Europe as an international network of remembrance institutions and trails system and talked about the shared values behind the network mission and ambitions. Project Officer, Emme Johnson, attended B2B networking sessions with ministry representatives from several countries (Austria, Finland, Greece) to discuss the Liberation Route Europe and the LRE Foundation‘s work. This was a valuable opportunity to consider how we can work together in the future to expand the route and engage a larger audience throughout Europe.
From 8-11 October, the largest European bicycle touring trade show, the CycleSummit, took place in Chambéry, France. Project Officer, Emme Johnson, attended this major business meeting for bicycle travel professionals, which brings together over 80 national and international tour operators representing 25 different nationalities, to exchange, share and market. With 125 people attending and 90 tables on the conference floor, this was the most extensive edition yet and provided a perfect moment to increase the visibility of the LRE hiking and cycling trails among tour operators specialised in the sector.
Later this year, the LREF team will attend more travel trade events to spread awareness of the Liberation Route Europe and network with relevant industry partners. These include the ETOA Global European Marketplace from 2-3 November and the World Travel Market from 7-9 November, both in London, where Communications Manager Cecilia Badano and Gert-Jan, Press and Communications, will attend. Following this, they will also be at the Travel Pressentation in The Hague, Netherlands, on 9 November to present the work of the Foundation and its members to Dutch travel journalists and bloggers.
As we move into 2023, our LREXPO (2 March) at the LRE Forum, taking place in Tuscany, Italy, from 28 February – 3 March, will also be an essential opportunity for our members to develop links with travel trade. The programme will include FAM trips with European and North American tour operators, which will be a fantastic way to wrap up another edition of our annual event.
More information about the Forum will be shared in the next weeks.
For now, visit the dedicated webpage: www.lre-foundation.org/forum
