Fostering a Community

🇨🇦 This article was originally published on the Toronto Travel Massive blog

A couple of years ago I left my own traditional career in media for the digital world. It was the best decision I ever made. I had never experienced an industry where people genuinely wanted to see others succeed, where they shared industry contacts freely, left comments on each other’s posts, gave retweets for support, or shared advice just to help one another out. It was the reason that attracted me to Travel Massive meet-ups in the first place and kept me coming back. Way back in 2011 at my very first meet-up, I couldn’t believe the genuine support I received from complete strangers. In a community that barely knew me.

Travel Massive meet-ups are fun events, with interesting conversations, and of course free munchies is a big plus but it was never the reason I continued to attend. Over the years I started to see Travel Massive less as an event and more as a community. Community continues to be the real reason I come to Travel Massive every month and I think it is why others continue to attend too.

[This photo was from one of my favourite Toronto Travel Massive moments when Meredith graciously gave away her free trip prize of Vietnam to another community member. Moments like these are what embodies the essence of Travel Massive and community].

This year we are creating new ways to foster community, to grow and strengthen it. We are creating new ways to help share and support in every possible way. We’re always open to ideas and feedback so feel free to shoot us an email anytime. In the meantime, here are some ways we started to foster a stronger community this year and how you can take advantage!

Our newsletter incorporates a community section. From time to time we include new social media or travel-related job postings. You can also submit a unique travel initiative you’re a part of or share some exciting travel news with the community. Email us every month and we’ll include it in the newsletter.

Facebook

We often post information about our meetups on our Facebook page but the page is also open to people like you in the community who have something to share, advice to ask, or a request to support your next travel-related project. Please feel free to use the Facebook page to share your news here too! Ask questions, promote an initiative, and share ideas with others (there’s over 900 of you!) You can also use the global Facebook page at Travel Massive.

Open Mic

Each meet-up we will incorporate an open mic series, an opportunity for anyone in the community to share a travel project they are working on, a start-up they are building, or maybe a recent travel accomplishment they reached! We did this occasionally at past meet-ups but we hope to make it more frequent! If you’re attending our next meet-up, we hope you’ll chime in during our Open Mic!

Workshops

Part of being a community is helping each other grow. Workshops are a great way of doing this and I hope we can organize more meet-ups that are educational, insightful and help us to be better at our craft. In the past, we learned about Pinterest, better writing tips, and how to get the most out of blogging conferences like TBEX. While we may reach out to industry leaders from time to time, I also think the best workshops are ones where we can learn from people right in our own community. There is a great pool of talented members here so if you have some great knowledge in an area, want to teach a specific skill, or host a workshop, let us know!

Events

Pitch ideas for events. Is there a brand you really want to work with or a company you hope to build a relationship with? Who would you like to see sponsor a future meet-up? Send us your suggestions!

Feedback

Please leave us your feedback, opinions, and ideas. Your suggestions will help make Travel Massive better. After all, it’s your community. Let us know at the events or email us.

Volunteers

If you would like to get more involved in the community we’re always looking for an extra hand at events. Email us before each event to learn how you can get involved!

Cristina is the co-organizer of Toronto Travel Massive. A TV journo turned blogger, she publishes the blog Chasing Travel and works as a PR and social media freelancer in Toronto.