California Dreamin’ – Part 3 - Travel and Hotel Planning

CailforniaDreaminBlog While some of the 2014 World Tea Expo information is still in building stages at worldteaexpo.com, THE TRAVEL LINK IS LIVE! I have already booked my flight and hotel and highly recommend you do the same – as soon as possible. I’ve planned to arrive a couple days early to relax a little before the show and I will tell you that if you want to ensure you get the dates and hotel of your choosing, it is important to book early. When I booked mine, I had searched the dates I wanted and did not book right away, and returned a few days later to find the dates were not all available – so, I adjusted my plans slightly – and all is well – but this is why I really do encourage you to plan early. The room blocks will provide the best group rate and ensure you are staying in close vicinity to the Long Beach Convention Center in California.

Click below to go to the Travel page where you will find pricing for each hotel and a link for making your reservation. It is important you go through this link and book through the block so the show can continue to provide best pricing for attendees and exhibitors now and in the future. CLICK HERE FOR TRAVEL INFO, AIR TRAVEL DETAILS, AND HOTEL RESERVATIONS. Now -- this might age me but – I’ve been singing: “…all my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…..and I’m leaaavin’ on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again….” : ) For those of you who know me, you understand the excitement I am sharing here. And, really, everyone I have spoken to lately completely agrees that World Tea Expo cannot come around soon enough. The time we spend building business, learning, networking, and strengthening relationships within the tea industry cannot be replicated in any other way. The show invigorates us all - every time. So, let’s get down to business – I will share with you what I have learned by going through the process of booking my own reservations. First off, if the reservation system does not show exactly what you had hoped in the results, try adjusting your dates, or un-check the box that may appear and says something like “available rooms only” Next – you will notice in the search results that two hotels are marked HQ. This is because the 2014 Expo will offer unique networking gatherings and it will be more convenient to find friends if you are staying at the same hotel. If you are most interested in World Tea – you should consider booking your room at the Westin as it will be HQ for those most interested in World Tea Expo. If you are more interested or part of Healthy Beverage Expo, you should consider booking your room at the Renaissance. Booking in the HQ hotel of your preference will aid in further networking and easier meet-ups with people you will probably want to spend more time with and both HQ hotels are only one block away from the convention center. hotel 1 WESTIN

World Tea Expo HQ: Westin Long Beach

hotel 2 RENAISSANCE

Healthy Beverage Expo HQ: Renaissance Long Beach

Room blocks have been secured at the following properties in Long Beach, CA: HQ for World Tea Expo: Westin Long Beach (1 block away) $199/night HQ for Healthy Beverage Expo: Renaissance Long Beach (1 block away) $209/night Other hotels: Queen Mary (2.6 miles) $179/night Hilton Long Beach $189/night Hyatt Regency Long Beach (adjacent to convention center) $209 As more details become available about the 2014 World Tea Expo, I will be sharing more through this monthly blog posting. I encourage you to contact me directly, or comment here if you have something positive to share or a question I may help to answer. Until next time, I remain California Dreamin’… : ) Gail Gastelu, The Tea House Times