Tuesday Newsletter
August 23, 2005
Tuesday Newsletter August 23, 2005
August 23, 2005: Volume 25; Issue 27
Convention Guide Will Guide You
Watch your mail for the 2005 Convention Guide, which will be arriving in your mailbox next week. You’ve heard of the "Who’s Who," but this is the "What’s What" for the 2005 Convention. The Guide is an all-inclusive resource, featuring a full schedule of events, information for first-time delegates, profile form guidelines and tips on how to make the most of your Convention experience. Also, be sure to review your delegate information – printed on the inside cover – and let us know if any changes need to be made.
Have questions about your registration or want to sign up for Convention? Contact your Member Services Department via e-mail at questions@ntastaff.com or call 800-682-8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4444.
Better Business. Better Be There.
Appointment Scheduling Pointers
You still have four weeks to do your research and make your final requests before NTA’s appointment scheduling system closes on Sept. 20. Have you logged on and studied the system? Do you feel like you know how to take full advantage of the tools that are available to you? If you answered "no" to either of these questions, there is help close by.
Click here to learn the basics of the system. Learn why it’s important to update your company profile. Discover the search capabilities and how to make them work for you. Check out your shopping list and plan your strategy.
Interactive tutorials about appointment scheduling will be available soon. Look for details in an upcoming issue of Tuesday.
Better Business. Better Be There.
Barbara Bowman Appointed to NTA Board – Special DMO Election Announced
The NTA Board of Directors has selected Barbara Bowman, director of sales at the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau, to serve out the remaining 2005 portion of Wendy Kelman’s DMO term. Wendy recently announced her impending resignation from the NTA Board due to having accepted a position with a supplier, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum located in Baltimore. Wendy’s original term is through 2006.
Barb will serve as the DMO Director until a special election to fill that position in November. Barb previously served on the NTA Board during 2003 and 2004 as a DMO Director.
The Nominating Committee is seeking NTA members that are interested in being nominated for the 2006 DMO Director position which Wendy’s resignation creates. The position will be for a one-year term during which the individual elected will sit on NTA’s Executive Committee. The election for this position will occur concurrently with the other 2006 board elections.
Click here to learn how you can qualify to run for the NTA Board. Interest forms should be submitted by Aug. 30. If you have any questions or wish to obtain an interest form, contact Todd Hamilton at todd.hamilton@ntastaff.com.
Please note that Jean Upton of Saunders Hotel Group of Boston has withdrawn from the election citing numerous business developments that would preclude her from giving the race and the board service her full time and attention.
Northwest Airlines is reporting normal operations following a strike by the Aircraft Mechanic Fraternal Association on Aug. 19. However, some travelers are experiencing some delays. Other airlines are stepping up to assist those passengers affected. NTA Transportation Partner United Airlines will accommodate Northwest Airlines passengers holding paper tickets valid for travel on Northwest Airlines or one of its domestic codeshare partners.
NTA will continue to monitor the situation. Visit NTA Online under "This Just In" for the most recent updates or visit the links below.
Current update from Northwest
Q&A from Northwest
Statement from United Airlines
Bob Everidge Award Nomination Deadline is Sept. 1
The third Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the 2005 NTA Convention in Detroit, and nominations are due Sept. 1. The award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding, ongoing contributions to NTA and its members and can be made by any person employed by an NTA-member company.
Nominations should be made for members who display active dedication to the mission of NTA and seek the best for its members; make extensive volunteer contributions to NTA and its members; consistently conduct himself/herself in a manner in keeping with the ethics, quality and sense of community espoused by NTA; and are involved in the travel industry beyond NTA to further the interests of the association and its members.
Please submit nominations to Ashley Lowe at NTA Headquarters via e-mail at ashley.lowe@ntastaff.com. If you have any questions, call her at 800-682-8886, ext. 4252 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4252.
".travel" Pre-Authentication Deadline Extended to Sept. 22
Pre-authentication for the ".travel" domain has been extended to Sept. 22. Your NTA membership allows you first chance to acquire ".travel" names, and NTA makes the pre-authentication process easy for you. All that’s required is that you complete a short information form and forward us some supporting documents.
Registration will begin Oct. 1 for those members who pre-authenticate by the Sept. 22 deadline. Those who pre-authenticate in October will be able to register in November.
For more information on ".travel," visit NTA Online or contact us at questions@ntastaff.com.
Sign Up for the First-Timer Web Seminar
Don’t forget to register for the Web seminar, "The Basics of NTA’s Convention: How to Maximize Your Detroit Experience," to be held twice in the next three weeks – Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. ET and Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. ET. The seminar features many tips for the first-time Convention delegate, as well as those needing a quick refresher, and will include a question and answer session at the end.
To sign up for the Sept. 1 version of the Web seminar, click here. To register for the Sept. 13 session, click here. If you have any questions about the Web seminar or registration, please e-mail Jason Jones at jason.jones@ntastaff.com or call 800-682-8886, ext. 4279 (U.S. and Canada) or 859-226-4279.
Help Tourism Cares for Tomorrow at Convention
Tourism Cares for Tomorrow is busy finalizing details on all of its events and programs to be held in conjunction with NTA’s Annual Convention and needs your assistance. The two ways in which you can help in Detroit are:
Volunteering to be a mentor – Tour operators are encouraged to serve as mentors to students on Pro-Am Day (Saturday), during which students will shadow you and sit with you during your DMO Exchange appointments.
Donating an auction item – You can support Tourism Cares by submitting an item for the Live or Silent Auctions. To register your item or travel package, click here.
Please contact the Tourism Cares for Tomorrow office at 888-821-5990 or via lisas@tourismcares.org to volunteer or with questions about donating the auction item.
If you haven’t visited the NTA Online Member Forums in a while, now is a good time to check them out. Several interesting discussions have popped up, including how DMOs qualify tour operators for Fam tours and information on the upcoming NTA elections.
The Member Forums are set up so that you can subscribe to receive e-mail notification when a new post has been made. The level of subscription is optional so you can control the frequency and topic of the e-mails you want to receive.
Please log on to member forums to offer your input and keep up with your fellow NTA members. You also can set up your subscription preferences by clicking on the subscribe/unsubscribe icons for that category, forum or topic you want to subscribe or unsubscribe to/from.
Time is almost up to book your spot in our Profile Form notebook. The deadline to purchase advertising space on tab divider pages is Sept. 1. Many state/province and international tabs are already booked so call your account executive today to see if your tab is available. In addition to advertising on a tab, you also can book space to insert your company’s profile form. We will use your double-sided profile sheet to insert behind your state/province or international tab before Convention so you won’t have to worry about taking your sheets to Detroit. The space deadline for profile form insertion is Sept. 15 so make sure we hear from you soon.
Your company can be the focus of every attending delegate each day at Convention. The Convention Daily newsletter will be distributed to delegates all five days; so by placing an ad, you will be seen by all. Spaces are available from full page to 1/6 page. The space deadline for advertising in the newsletter is Sept. 1, so time is almost up! Click here to learn more about opportunities for you to increase your presence in Detroit. Call 800-682-8886, ext. 4238 (U.S. and Canada), or 859-226-4238 for more details or to talk to your account executive.