Doing business despite fear doesn’t mean the fear disappears before you make the decision. Sometimes it means sitting at an airport gate with every part of you wanting to go home, and getting on the plane anyway.
That’s exactly how my trip to IBTM Americas in Mexico City began.
I was excited about the opportunity. I had prepared for weeks. My meetings were scheduled. My websites were ready. My capability statement was updated. I had researched suppliers, thought through the relationships I wanted to build, packed the blazers, and prepared myself to walk into IBTM Americas as a Hosted Buyer representing Offsite Destinations.
There was only one problem.
I was afraid to get on the plane.
And sitting at the airport before boarding with tears in my eyes, going home genuinely crossed my mind.
The Opportunity Was on the Other Side
Even though flying is a major part of my job, it has never been particularly comfortable for me.
There’s something about being thousands of feet in the air without any control over what’s happening that my brain doesn’t especially appreciate.
And this wasn’t a quick flight.
I was flying internationally to Mexico City, alone, for a business event I’d never attended before.
There were plenty of reasons my mind could manufacture for why staying home would be easier.
But I also knew what was waiting for me in Mexico City.
IBTM Americas brings together professionals throughout the meetings and events industry—including destinations, hotels, DMCs, venues, transportation providers, and other partners serving the global MICE industry.
I wasn’t going simply to attend another conference.
I was going because I wanted to build relationships that could expand what Offsite Destinations could offer our clients.
So I boarded.
And Then Came the Turbulence
The funny thing about confronting a fear is that sometimes you do the scary thing…
…and then the scary thing decides to test you anyway.
About halfway through the flight, we encountered a storm.
For approximately ten minutes, the air got rough.
Not the tiny little bumps you barely notice.
The kind that immediately reminds someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy flying exactly where they are.
But something shifted for me during that flight.
Instead of interpreting every uncomfortable sensation as evidence that something was wrong, I reminded myself of something simple:
Uncomfortable does not automatically mean unsafe.
I didn’t suddenly enjoy turbulence.
I didn’t become fearless at 30,000 feet.
I simply allowed myself to be uncomfortable without letting that discomfort decide what happened next.
Eventually, the air settled.
The plane continued toward Mexico City.
And I landed.
Then Everything Started Happening
This is where the story gets interesting.
Because the trip I seriously considered walking away from became one of the most valuable business experiences I’ve had.
Over two days at IBTM Americas, I sat across from DMCs, hotels, tourism boards, transportation providers, cruise companies, and other industry partners.
And something happened repeatedly.
I’d explain that Offsite Destinations works across corporate retreats, executive offsites, meetings, and incentive travel, and conversations would immediately begin expanding.
We weren’t simply talking about hotel rooms.
We were discussing what destinations could become.
What could we create for an executive team?
What would work for an incentive group?
What experiences could be built around wellness?
What could Baja offer beyond the destinations companies traditionally consider?
What could private aviation add to an executive experience?
What could a cruise or private charter environment make possible?
Those were the conversations I’d flown to Mexico to have.
And they were happening.
A Computer Said No. A Conversation Said Yes.
One particular experience at IBTM reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time:
Relationships matter.
Before the event, I had requested a meeting with Silversea, but the matchmaking system didn’t connect us.
From my side, it looked like my meeting request simply hadn’t been accepted.
At the show, I noticed the Silversea booth across the aisle and saw an opportunity to introduce myself anyway.
So I did.
I explained what I do and the types of clients and programs I work with.
And the conversation changed.
The representative explained that the system hadn’t identified the business match, but after hearing about Offsite Destinations and the MICE business I was building, she immediately saw the connection.
She scanned my contact information and offered to pass it along to the appropriate colleague for my market.
That interaction taught me something important:
Sometimes an algorithm can’t see the opportunity that becomes obvious when two people actually talk.
And that’s exactly why showing up matters.
Then Came the Invitations
As the meetings continued, so did the opportunities.
Conversations with destination partners led to invitations for FAM trips, where I’ll have opportunities to experience properties and destinations firsthand.
One destination partner offered to host me for a familiarization experience.
Another opportunity emerged in Baja around a wellness-focused property.
Another conversation created an opportunity to visit and experience multiple properties.
These weren’t things I walked into IBTM expecting people to hand me.
They developed because we sat across from each other, talked about our businesses, and discovered where our interests aligned.
And then something happened that made the entire trip feel almost full circle.
The Opportunity That Previously Said No
Before IBTM, I had applied to attend IMEX America as a Hosted Buyer.
I was approved. to attend, but not as a Hosted Biyer.
Of course, I was disappointed.
But I kept building.
Then, while I was at IBTM, I met a representative from Millennium Hotels.
We talked.
She learned about my business.
And during that conversation, I was invited to attend IMEX America as a Hosted Buyer through Millennium Hotels.
Read that again.
The opportunity I hadn’t been able to access through the original application came back to me through a relationship.
There is probably a business lesson somewhere in there about rejection.
But I think there’s an even bigger lesson about proximity.
Sometimes you need to get yourself into the room where the next opportunity can find you.
What If I Had Gone Home?
I’ve thought about that question since returning from Mexico.
What if I’d listened to the fear at the airport?
Nothing catastrophic would have happened.
I would’ve gone home.
I would’ve been comfortable.
And I probably would’ve convinced myself that there would always be another conference.
But I now know exactly what I would have missed.
I would have missed the destination relationships.
I would have missed the DMC connections.
I would have missed the FAM invitations.
I would have missed the Silversea conversation.
I would have missed the IMEX opportunity.
I would have missed meeting other industry professionals who may become part of my network for years.
And perhaps most importantly, I would have missed seeing myself operate in this environment.
Before IBTM, I was in the MICE industry.
After IBTM, I had evidence that I belonged in it.
That’s a significant difference.
Doing Business Despite Fear Isn’t Fearlessness
I think entrepreneurs sometimes tell the story backward.
We see someone doing something bold and assume they must have felt confident enough to do it.
Sometimes they didn’t.
Sometimes they were nervous.
Sometimes they doubted themselves.
Sometimes they sat at an airport gate seriously contemplating going home.
They simply moved anyway.
That’s what doing business despite fear has come to mean to me.
It isn’t pretending fear doesn’t exist.
It’s refusing to automatically give fear decision-making authority.
And that lesson followed me onto my flight home.
The return flight was bumpy for much of the journey.
But something was different.
I wasn’t the same passenger who had boarded the flight to Mexico.
I knew what turbulence felt like.
I’d experienced it.
I’d gotten through it.
And this time, instead of spending the entire flight wondering what might happen, I could remind myself:
I’ve done this before.
That’s how confidence often works.
Not because someone tells you that you can do something.
Because eventually, you accumulate enough evidence to tell yourself.
The Business Lesson I’m Bringing Home
IBTM gave Offsite Destinations new relationships and opportunities.
But personally, it gave me something else:
proof of concept.
Not just for the business.
For me.
I can enter unfamiliar rooms.
I can sit across from established industry professionals and have meaningful business conversations.
I can hear “no” and continue building relationships.
I can identify opportunities that weren’t on the original agenda.
I can travel somewhere that makes me uncomfortable because the business I’m building requires me to go.
And yes…
I can get on the plane.
That’s the part I’ll carry into whatever comes next.
Because the next opportunity may be in another city.
It may require another flight.
It may involve another room where everyone seems more experienced than I am.
And there may be another moment when fear gives me a perfectly reasonable list of reasons to stay comfortable.
But now I have a response:
What might be waiting on the other side?
Build What’s Next With Us
At Offsite Destinations, that same willingness to think beyond what’s familiar shapes how I approach corporate retreats, executive offsites, meetings, and incentive travel.
The familiar option isn’t automatically the right one.
Sometimes your team needs a destination you haven’t considered, an experience you didn’t know existed, or a planning partner with relationships that open possibilities beyond a standard hotel search.
If you’re ready to take your team somewhere meaningful, let’s start with what you want the experience to accomplish—and build from there.
Plan your next offsite with Offsite Destinations
Think beyond the boardroom.
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