Todd Stallbaumer, consumer and trade marketing representative for Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation, and Heather Egan, director of leisure and international sales with Grapevine Texas Convention and Visitors Bureau hosted a targeted trade event at The Bald Eagle Diner in Mission Bay, Auckland joined by local reps from Canuckiwi.
Stallbaumer says a lot of things marry New Zealand and Oklahoma together – a strong first nations culture (the state has 39 tribes with plenty of success stories to tell), easily experienced farming / ranch communities and a multi-cultural mix.
‘We have similar attitudes to life – it’s about being happy, welcoming and respecting each other. If you sit at a bar or a diner someone will hear your accent and want to know where you’re from.’
A big focus for the state right now is the Route 66 centenary – Tulsa Oklahoma is proclaimed as the capital of the route. There’s also an eye on the 2028 Olympics – Oklahoma will host the canoe slalom and women’s softball. Stallbaumer also highlights the Global Senior Games – a massive event that can go under the radar but which is being held in Tulsa next year.
Egan, a fairly frequent visitor to New Zealand, continues to emphasise the convenience of arriving into the USA via DFW (the average time through immigration and customs is 23 minutes) and then using Grapevine as a base to explore the area and further afield.
‘In 10 minutes clients can be at their hotel, get refreshed and be enjoying a glass of Texas wine while other people are still in the traffic getting to Dallas or Fort Worth. Once in Grapevine they can explore Grapevine on foot and use TexRail and Dart to get around – they won’t have to hire a car until they are ready to leave for Oklahoma (the state border is an hour’s drive away) or somewhere else in the US.’
Heather Egan, Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau; Flynn Cox, Travel Associates Howick; Brittany Homan, Fiji Airways; Todd Stallbaumer, Travel Oklahoma
Andrew Gay, Travel USA; Elaine Patton, Luxury Escapes; Kate Lawton, House of Travel Product
Melary Van Koningavald, Adventure World; Natasha Warfield, Travel Associates Howick; Nadia Paulsen, Adventure World
