The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) frequently hosts both travel media events and conventions, but this weekend it’ll combine the best of both worlds with an added twist when it hosts the Southern Travelers Explore conference.

From February 25-27, 50 travel media representatives will converge in the Rocket City for the third annual regional Southern Travelers Explore (STE) conference, which will draw a wide variety of media including writers, social media content creators, photographers, videographers, and more.

Described as “an educational vacation with a true Southern experience” by organizers Melody Pittman and Taylor Hardy, the STE conference brings bloggers, CVBs, journalists, and destination marketing organizations from across the nation together for a fun and educational weekend experience. During their time here, attendees will attend educational sessions and small group discussions and browse a marketplace while enjoying all that Huntsville has to offer.

Pittman and Hardy are no strangers to this kind of event: they are the mother-daughter duo behind the Travel the South Bloggers website, an online travel collective highlighting destinations across the southern United States. Previous STE host cities include Tupelo, MS and Thomasville, GA.

“We are so excited to introduce travel writers and tourism professionals from around the country to Huntsville during our 3rd #STE conference,” said Pittman. “Huntsville is a cutting-edge city with a foot in the past and future like no other. We cannot wait for our attendees to learn the future of space exploration and see Huntsville’s vibrant history, as well as introduce them to unique, repurposed venues like Campus No. 805 and Stovehouse. We knew the Huntsville CVB would be fantastic partners in showcasing their city’s impressive achievements while also extending Southern hospitality to our attendees.”

Huntsville has a lot to gain from its selection as the conference destination, which will shine a spotlight on all that it has to offer to leisure travelers. Content creators will enjoy the best of what the city has to offer, using their unique experiences to publish content on their respective mediums, many of which individually garner viewers or readers by the thousands.

In addition to the major attractions, conference attendees seek to immerse themselves in the local culture as much as possible, visiting mom and pop shops, craft breweries, restaurants, and other small businesses that are unique to Huntsville and Madison County.

Conference activities will begin with an opening reception at the Space & Rocket Center and a Saturday evening dining experience at Campus No. 805 and Stovehouse.

The 106 Jefferson Hotel is the official host hotel for the event, providing the primary lodging location for most of the attendees along with the meeting place for the conference’s educational sessions and networking activities.

Attendees will break out into small groups on Saturday afternoon for local tours that will cover specific areas of interest such as art, history, science and nature, music, and craft beer.

Anyone interested in joining the STE Huntsville social media buzz can do so by using the hashtags #STEHuntsville and #IHeartHsv.