It’s June all of a sudden. Which means it’s Pow Wow again. Or ‘IPW’ as they are now calling it. Amazingly, the new name seems to be catching on with our US clients whilst we Brits, with our distrust of change, shall be resolutely talking about ‘Pow Wow’ on our travel industry death beds (along with ‘the ABTA conference’ and ‘the march of the multiples’).
Anyway, I digress. Pow Wow is here again. Which, in our office, means half the team disappear off across the Atlantic, network, meet, and relationship-build their socks off, then return to regale us with stories of dazzling parties, cocktail evenings, theatre shows, hilarious mishaps, and even the odd business meeting. Those of us left behind grit our teeth and try to convince ourselves that a long-haul flight followed by four days of back-to-back speed-meetings and late nights isn’t actually a cause for jealousy. This never works.
This year, it’s especially hard. This year Pow Wow is in Las Vegas. It’s going to be amazing isn’t it? Of course it is. They are flying around in helicopters, visiting the Grand Canyon and soaking up the entertainment. I have already heard these words uttered by one ingrate in our office: "I’m not going to the Michael Jackson show as well as Zarkana. I mean, you can have too much Cirque, can’t you?" What? Too much Cirque? C’est impossible!
The run up to Pow Wow is the worst. The agency goes into a frenzy as everyone is working out their appointment schedules, accepting their invitations, arranging to meet their clients and, most importantly, worrying about what they are going to wear to the inevitable ‘party where you have to just wear one colour’. The ‘party where you have to just wear one colour’ seems to be a regular feature of travel conferences and events. And one which causes more consternation and requires more planning than even the toughest tour operator negotiation.
This year, I understand the colour is white. Ha! I can safely say that not since Kylie’s Can’t Get You Out of My Head have I seen anyone actually look good in white. I can’t deny that, for those of us bitter Cinderellas who are not going to the Pow Wow Ball this year, this is some small consolation.
Happy Pow Wow, everyone!
Helena Beard is managing director of KBC PR & Marketing, a representation and marketing agency specialising in travel and tourism.
