Schedule

Thursday - Sept 12

Industry Day

9 AM – 3 PM
*INVITE ONLY event*

A specialized influencer-to-destination gathering in which Nomadness team invites qualified travel influencers who are expected to engage in pre-scheduled 15 minute appointments with destination marketers participating in the event.

Culture Conversations

7 PM – 8 PM
*INVITE ONLY event*

Culture Conversations is a new curated space to commune with both our rising stars in travel and respected names in Black culture. We are finalizing our feature discussion for this year. Look for that announcement soon.

VIP Mixer

8 PM – 10 PM
*VIP Weekend Ticket Holders Only*
*INVITE ONLY event*

The VIP Mixer is a great time to eat good foods and network with other attendees, some speakers, and sponsors.

Friday - Sept 13

City Experiences – Open Exploration

Explore Charlotte for the day with a curated list of BIPOC-owned businesses in different parts of the city. From getting some good fusion food, to learning how to make your own lip balm, there’s a little something for everyone. Find out more on the City Experiences Page!

Saturday - Festival Day - Sept 14

Registration & Vendors

10:15 AM

Welcome & Land Acknowledgement

Travel 101: New Traveler Bootcamp

11:05am – 11:35a

No passport? Still figuring out where to go on your first international trip? Do you feel anxious hearing terms like ‘country visa’ and ‘immunization shots’? This panel is the first stop for newer travelers. It’s a safe space to learn the preliminaries on what it takes to prepare for your first trip outside the country. Come with your questions and curiosities, and we’ll help you take flight.”

BIPOC Communities: Online, Offline

and On the Road

11:45am – 12:15pm

We all know the cultural significance of the term ‘we got us’. For travelers, we know the same is true for when we travel or relocate outside the country. Starting with the likes of NOMADNESS, the last decade has seen an influx in BIPOC travel communities and tour operators, all over the world. From Paris, to Portugal, to Mexico this panel sits down with some of the top BIPOC leaders of these organizations, as we describe where to find these like-minded communities online, who to reach out to for meet-ups when you land and how you can connect with and support local communities, rather than extract from them, when you’re in a new place. For those interested in moving abroad, going abroad, or simply finding your Tribe, community is integral, and this panel will set you up for finding that community connection.

Travel Hacking :

Alternative Ways to Fund that Trip

12:25pm – 12:55pm

Traveling isn’t as expensive as you think. Seriously. Finances tends to be a large barrier of entry for most people to enter the international skies, and it doesn’t have to be that way. This panel brings together noted BIPOC travel influencers and writers to break down how to utilize credit card points, scholarship and funding opportunities for travel programs you’ve probably never heard of, and ideas on alternate destinations that give you what you want while not breaking the bank.”

Our Truths: The Imperative of BIPOC Storytelling and Media

1:05pm – 1:40pm

Owning our narratives is the only way that we know the truth, our truth, is represented over time. In an era where books are being eliminated out of our school system; diversity, equity and inclusion departments are being stripped in both business and academia; and stories about our missing and murdered Indigenous relatives are going untold to actual ‘fake news’ going unchecked – it’s more imperative than ever that BIPOC communities tell their own stories, loudly! On this panel you’ll hear from various industry leaders in storytelling from an Emmy Award-winning travel host to PhD holders in various cultural studies and authors. Taking up room, in all spaces is our right. We must be the ones to tell our stories.”

Ready for Anything: Telling Your Story with Style and Ease

1:50pm – 2:30pm

Oh the places you’ll go! Whether you’re producing a travel vlog or sharing your adventures from a to b, taking the show on the road takes a whole lot more than a sense of adventure. In this session, we’ll learn how to tell your story through captivating photos and videos. From city escapes to remote getaways, we’ll talk about tactics for a variety of travel situations. Whether you’re doing it for the ‘gram or for your own personal record, it’s time to level up your photos and videos with style and ease.

Implementing AI in the Travel Industry

2:40pm – 3:10pm

Whether incorporating AI into your businesses and brands, or not, artificial intelligence is not just the wave of the future – it’s what is now. Our panelists will provide insights on ways tourism professionals, leisure travelers, and BIPOC communities can benefit from implementing AI. Planning itineraries, streamlining operations, and even answering the call to certain accessibility needs, AI can be an asset. Also, it needs to be checked for biases. Join us on this panel to hear from both sides of the aisle on this current topic

Keynote Panel: Tourism Meets Activism: The State of The World in 2024

3:20pm – 4:00pm

We are in unique, yet not unprecedented, times with the state of the world. 2024 is an election year in numerous countries, including the US. It’s been a transitional year that has seen a continuing genocide throughout Palestine. We are –rightfully so—inundated with the stories coming out of Congo and Sudan. The United States itself, is full of socio-economic and cultural mishaps that make it hard to move forward when denial and erasure are at the forefront.

Radicalism is alive and well, and it’s affecting the decisions we are making as tourists and community leaders in the travel industry. And while the world is quite big, it’s also small enough that what’s happening inside and outside of our borders impacts us all.It’s time to convene with leaders and experts on the topics that shed light on the reality we are living in, in 2024.

DJ See Bird Go

4:00pm – 5:00pm

DJ Fannie Mae Segment + Talent

5:00pm – 7:00pm

Conversations with Evita

4:45PM-5:30PM *VIP Attendees + Conversations with Evita Ticket Holders Only* What is it like building a community of tens of thousands from scratch? How do you navigate team building? How does Tribe decide where to travel to? You’re doing a hard pivot to (Emmy winning) BIPOC storytelling, what is the catalyst for that? When do you sleep? NOMADNESS Travel Tribe + Fest Founder, Evita Robinson, is doing a private session for the first time ever at the festival. She’s been asked for years to have a dedicated time during the weekend curate a more intimate discussion with attendees on her process and how she implements her interests into advocacy for BIPOC travel. This private session will be open to VIP Ticket holders and those who purchase the specific ‘Conversations with Evita’ ticket tier.