Travel Exchange ’22: Find your Next
May 31, 2022
“It’s like seeing the future.”
Catherine Prather should know. The president of NTA leads the packaged-travel association where she has worked for 28 years, attending every annual Travel Exchange and watching the future unfold every time.
“When you go to Travel Exchange, you find the people and the ideas that are going to move you and your business forward,” Prather says. “Our members come to Travel Exchange to find their next partner, next tour, next solution, next big idea … their next everything.”
Travel Exchange ’22 is set for Reno, Nevada, Nov. 13–16, and, in conjunction with the International Travel Management Institute’s Symposium, it will be filled with NTA buyers and sellers, tour directors and guides, Tourism Cares leaders, and other industry experts. And still in the works is another collaboration with the World Food Travel Association and its next FoodTreX.
NTA leaders are implementing a number of changes—both big and small—to allow attendees to make the most of their time with colleagues.
“I had discussions with every single NTA board member to kick off the year, and our No. 1 focus was Travel Exchange,” says Debra Asberry, CTP, who chairs the NTA Board of Directors. “Working with staff, we’ve taken each elected leader’s perspective, as well as the input they’ve received from members, and we’ve created a schedule that stacks the most business opportunities into our compact show. Attendees will be able to hit the ground running in Reno.”
Here are some of the Travel Exchange features that attendees will find:
- More time to network, with all-member breaks built into appointment sessions
- Walking time between appointments, so sellers can make the most of their time with buyers
- In-person Sales Missions and Best Pitch are back—and earlier in the week.
- In-person interviews with tour directors and guides, for tour operators seeking to hire certified professionals
- Education with stellar topics and speakers—in seminars, roundtables, and all-attendee sessions
- A single headquarters hotel with great rates, making it easy for members to mingle away from the Exchange Floor
- Sunday afternoon with triple the time of activities on the Exchange Floor, including booth-browsing, Best Pitch, “How to TREX,” a revamped gaming area, and happy hour
NTA is adding new features while keeping TREX staples, such as fantastic (and fun) evening networking events, sightseeing tours, and focused gatherings for buyers, tour directors and guides, sellers, Faith Travel Association members, and more.
“NTA members are all about re-energizing packaged travel using innovative solutions and face-to-face interactions with new and established partners,” Prather says. “And Travel Exchange is where it all comes together.”
Reno will be ripe for business under the Travel Exchange umbrella, where multiday-tour-makers of all types will find new opportunities and connections—plus old friends—in a gorgeous setting. Prather says the door is wide open.
“We invite everyone in the packaged-travel industry to come to Reno-Tahoe. Find your next handshake or hug, your next connection or collaboration … your next money-maker. Find your Next.”
To see what’s coming for Travel Exchange ’22 in Reno, Nevada, Nov. 13–16, click here. Registration is now open.