NTA Announces Appointment Scheduling Enhancement

July 21, 2006

NTA Announces Appointment Scheduling Enhancement
July 21, 2006 –Related to the Annual Convention, tour operators consistently request more control and flexibility with their schedules and opportunity for product development. In response, the NTA Board of Directors has approved an enhancement for the 2006 Convention that will allow tour operators to request meetings with DMOs for two or three appointment times in a row, if they wish.

Appointment times in the Saturday Tour & Travel Exchange® (DMO prescheduled appointments) will be five minutes each. Therefore, a tour operator may meet with the same DMO for one appointment (five minutes), two consecutive appointments (10 minutes) or three consecutive appointments (15 minutes).

The NTA Board is taking a measured approach with this change. These consecutive appointments between tour operators and DMOs will be limited to 20 percent (or about 65 minutes) of a tour operator’s total prescheduled appointments for Saturday.

NTA will retain its innovative, signature open floor, so tour suppliers and DMOs can request additional appointments with operators for the Saturday Exchange during that day’s Appointment Scheduling Session, if they wish.

Appointments during the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday Exchanges will be seven minutes, and tour suppliers will have their prescheduled appointments on these days.

The introduction of this enhancement did delay the launch of appointment scheduling, which will now go live Aug. 1.

NTA will continue to communicate information on this innovation. If you have any questions, please contact NTA Member Services at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444, or via e-mail at questions@NTA.travel.