Tour directors and guides are the face of the travel industry. We are storytellers and moment makers that make travel meaningful. Come celebrate our profession, connect with colleagues, get inspired and hired…all at the global center of the tourism industry.
Why attend?
Jobs. Interview & get hired as a tour director or guide, and work around the country… or world!
Community. This event is for tour guides and tour directors (and tour operators looking to hire them)
Inspiration. We’ll have education and keynote speakers that only New York City can offer
Fun. Participate in the “Guide Olympics” to show off your skills in front of operators, and win big cash prizes! And we’ll host great parties, too!
Immersion. We have a full day planned of workshops out in the field led by phenomenal local experts, ranging from Broadway actors to naturalists to art historians and local licensed guides.
Training. If you’re interested in also learning how to lead tours in NYC, we’ll have classes available for beginner and advanced knowledge levels.
Details
Open to everyone and anyone working as a professional tour director or guide, whether you’re new or experienced.
November 11-14, 2024. Mark your calendar! (Full schedule below)
Education & Interview days will take place in Dumbo, Brooklyn in an old metal factory! Transfer options will be provided.
We have group hotel blocks in the Times Square area, or stay wherever you’d like!
Immersive learning that utilizes the city to the fullest.
Imagine: learning body language from a Broadway actor on a stage. Nature interpretation in Central Park. Art interpretation…in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Decode street art in Brooklyn, or the diverse culinary scene of Queens. There are things only New York can do.
Our in-field workshop day will let you learn new skills while being immersed in the city, and our education sessions will truly inspire you with world-class speakers only available in NYC.
A local venue that’s truly inspirational.
Instead of the traditional hotel ballroom, we’ve rented an old metal factory in the neighborhood of DUMBO, Brooklyn that we’ll transform into TripCon headquarters, for education, interview day, and the Guide Olympics.
Never heard of DUMBO? It’s an absolutely stunning waterfront location right next to the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, with incredible food, panoramic city views, and fascinating history.
And don’t worry, we’ll help guide you from the hotel to the venue should you need help (it’s easy and quick)!
Job Interviews + job fair + new ways to get hired.
We have a full day and a half for you to interview with operators. You will get new work if you attend, period.
Don’t interview well? We’ve invented entirely new ways to showcase yourself to the whole group of tour companies coming just to hire you. We’re calling it the “Guide Olympics” and it means you’ll share your skills in a way operators can see the real you.
There is no extra cost to participate in interviews.
Parties and Experiences only possible in New York
New York’s incredible vendors are waiting to meet with you: rooftop observatories, museums, food halls, theaters. We’ll use all of those to make sure our parties are an event—and a performance—that’s unforgettable.
(We’ll reveal party information closer to TripCon…some good things should remain a surprise.)
Interview with tour operators and get hired.
If you’re looking for work as a tour director, every day we’re adding more and more companies who will be attending our recruitment day. In addition to networking, these interviews are your ticket to the next stage of your career.
We chose New York for a reason.
Tour directors and guides are the face of the travel industry. It’s time to showcase ourselves on a global stage, and elevate awareness of who we are and why you should travel with a TD or a guide. This is our coming out party.
Full Schedule
Sunday, November 10
Optional Pre-Day Trainings
Come in a day early to learn New York City. You have two options. (This training is an extra $99 to join, to cover transportation costs.)
- 1
NYC Basic Training (for Beginners), a full day of running you through how to tour in NYC.
- 2
Outer Boroughs Training (Advanced): go beyond Manhattan and dive into neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens to deepen your understanding of the city, and the potential for your tours.
Monday, November 11
Immersive In-Field Workshops + Welcome Party!
Arrive, get checked in, then join us for immersive in-field learning experiences, including: museum & attraction visits, neighborhood walking tours, Broadway rehearsal stages, parks, and more. All are included in your ticket.
Then at 6pm join us for our big Welcome Party! Drinks, apps included.
Tuesday, November 12
Education Day + Guide Olympics
In our Brooklyn warehouse venue & adjacent buildings, come get inspired by a lineup of inspirational speakers only possible in New York City.
At the end of the day we’ll gather for the Guide Olympics + Storytelling Spotlight Series (we’ll share more later!) and you then have the evening free to see a show or meet with your colleagues.
Wednesday, November 13
Interview Day & Broadway Grand Finale Event
1-on-1 interviews all day long in our stunning venue. Before the event you’ll submit your resume and we’ll hand-tailor an interview schedule based on your goals and operators’ needs.
Thursday, November 14
Callbacks & Departures
All good things come to an end. Some operators may ask to meet you again for morning callbacks or further interviews.
The event is nearly full, so register now!
Your all-access pass includes immersive education, recruitment day and job fair, admission to parties and complimentary local tours!
If you’re a tour operator looking to attend, please contact us at [email protected].
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Whether you’re new or experienced, TripCon is a great way to boost your career through connections, job interviews, and learning.
If you’ve never received training, we highly recommend taking a course before TripCon.
As we firm up the company list we’ll start releasing the names of companies so you can research them in advance.
Expect large adult and student tour companies like Globus and EF, as well as a whole host of small and medium-sized companies, too.
We’ll have companies that operate all sorts of tours: adventure, culinary, international, and more.
We welcome a wide variety of sponsors who are interested in being discovered by the community of tour leaders, tour guides, and tour operators. Reach out to [email protected] to set up a conversation.
Great question! It’s a different kind of role than a tour guide, and we explain the difference between tour director and guide in this article.
No! We chose New York because it’s such an important destination for the tour industry, however the companies and individual attendees will be from all over.
We have courtesy blocks at partner hotels that you can choose from, however you are free to book anywhere you would like.
We’ve chosen hotels in the Times Square area to make it easy to get to the immersive activities, easy access to transportation.
The average high temperature for the month is 55° F.
Last year (2023), the highest temperature recorded for the month was 67° F on November 17th.
We’d love to have you join TripCon.
There’s no cost for tour operators to attend, if you’re participating in the job interviews.
Reach out to [email protected]
Your ticket purchase is non-refundable, but you can transfer your ticket to another name. Simply email [email protected] to notify us of the new name.
