Meet John Pilkington Chapter Leader of Düsseldorf/Cologne

This month in our Leader of the Pack series we meet John Pilkington, travel blogger over at Continental Breakfast Travel, Content Marketing Coordinator for Trivago and Düsseldorf/Cologne Chapter Leader for Travel Massive. 

So, John, tell us more about yourself.

I started my blog when I was living back in Manchester after being inspired by so many other great travel writers. The blog was initially something for fun, but I realised it might be the key to moving from industrial B2B PR into the travel industry – and it was. I moved to Dusseldorf in 2014 to work for trivago and I now co-ordinate Content Marketing for the UK, overseeing the blog and social media for UK & Ireland.

How did you first get involved with Travel Massive?

I attended the first in the current generation of Manchester meetups back in March 2014. I then attended a few in London surrounding the World Travel Market and went to the latest meetup in Dusseldorf.

What motivates you to be part of Travel Massive?

I think Travel Massive is a great way to meet and connect with local people who share a common passion. Whether they are bloggers, DMOs or travel companies, it’s easy to have a great time and share stories. I also think Travel Massive can be a great tool to help promote local businesses and help people get to know their city.

What kinds of current or emerging startups, travel companies, and tourism initiatives exist? 

I work at trivago, which is home to almost 1,000 travel enthusiasts in Dusseldorf alone – and trivago employees made up around a third of our latest gathering. Hotel portal HRS are also based in Cologne.

Both cities have active and engaged tourism bodies who are keen to work with bloggers and attend these events.

Photo Credit: Jenna at Give for Granted

How has Travel Massive helped you professionally?

Travel Massive has helped me to realise just how many travel professionals live in my area, which is a bit of a wake-up call: you don’t have to be in Berlin to find other bloggers!

Do you have a past event that was your favourite?

The most recent event in Dusseldorf was organised by Jenna Davis and was a great success – the restaurant staff at Hacienda Real were really warm and welcoming and were happy to have us there.

What is your best advice to a newcomer who wants to attend a Travel Massive event for the first time?

My advice would be to just dive straight in, get chatting to anyone and everyone and try and meet as many new people as you can. And if you’re nervous, grab a cocktail or a beer to loosen your tongue 😉

Leader of the pack is a monthly series that profiles organizers from Travel Massive meet-ups around the world. You can follow John on Travel Massive, Facebook and Twitter.