Appointment Scheduling Starts Tomorrow! | 3Qs with Kim Wright, 9/11 Memorial
September 11, 2012
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Appointment Scheduling Starts Tomorrow!
3Qs with Kim Wright, 9/11 Memorial
Hispanic Caucus Launched in L.A.; Next Stop: Orlando
Pre-CITM Road Show in China to Showcase U.S. Tourism
You Can Pay Lower Shipping Rates. Here’s How.
One Week to Webinar for First-timers
Here’s What Prospects Ask when They Visit Your Web
Industry News and Updates
NTA Job Center
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Appointment Scheduling Starts Tomorrow!
Appointment scheduling for the one-on-one business appointments at Travel Exchange in Orlando opens tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 12, at noon. To make
the most of your time at Travel Exchange, follow these steps:
- Registration numbers are outpacing last year’s, so if you’re not registered yet, register now to join your colleagues at the most diverse show in the industry!
- Update your online profile. Your profile is your most important Convention marketing tool. Make sure it’s up to date! We’ve improved the format, too, to make it easier for you to tell your company’s story. If you need help, email questions@NTAstaff.com or call 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.264.6540.
- Do your research. Spend some time reviewing member profiles to determine who you’d like to sit down with at Travel Exchange—whether in Supplier Exchange or Destination Pavilion appointments or at a social function.
- Watch for the email we’ll send you around noon ET tomorrow with your personal login information and the appointment scheduling link. Your login will be your NTAOnline.com login. We’re sending it to you just in case you’ve misplaced it.
Tips to remember as you make your requests:
- Rank your requests in order of importance.
- Your customized schedule will be created by request priority:
(1) perfect matches
(2) operator requests
(3) supplier/DMO requests - The more requests you make, the greater your chance to receive more appointments. If you only submit 20 out of 60 requests, you only have 20 chances for an appointment to be scheduled, instead of 60!
- View the companies that are requesting to meet with you by clicking on "My Shopping List."
Prescheduling your appointments is just the start. Remember, you have until Dec. 14 to make requests. After that, you’ll have more opportunities to schedule appointments before you leave for Orlando and on site through NTA’s Direct Request scheduling system and on the open business floor at Travel Exchange.
3Qs with Kim Wright, 9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial opened last year on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. A third attempted attack by air resulted in a crash landing in a western Pennsylvania field. In all, the 9/11 attacks killed 2,977 people from more than 90 nations.
During the past year, some 4.5 million people have visited the 9/11 Memorial at the site of the trade center’s twin towers, now a pair of reflecting pools with 30-foot waterfalls. Visitors have come from all 50 U.S. states and 170 countries. Kim Wright, director of marketing and reservations for the 9/11 Memorial, answered three questions about the memorial:
1. What was today like at the memorial?
The 9/11 Memorial hosted a commemoration ceremony for only the family members of the victims of 9/11. As in years past, the names of all of the victims, who are now forever memorialized on the twin reflecting pools, were read aloud. There were also six moments of silence observing the time at which each of the twin towers and the Pentagon were hit, the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pa., and the fall of each of the towers.
2. In the year the memorial has been open, what has surprised you about groups visiting the memorial?
Visiting the 9/11 Memorial is free, but we accept donations during the reservation process. We’ve seen a lot of groups who had previously not made a donation contact us after their visit to make a contribution because the memorial and the importance of honoring and remembering the victims moved them to do so.
3. What suggestions can you give tour operators to maximize their groups’ visit?
Tour operators should take advantage of the resources we provide on our website, 911memorial.org, prior to their groups’ visit. From tips on talking to children about 9/11 to the Memorial Guide app, which allows users to explore the arrangement of the names on the memorial, operators can help put the visit to the memorial in context for the guests before they arrive.
A free Commemorative Guide provides background information on the World Trade Center, the story of the Survivor Tree and more. It’s available on site and online and helps provide visitors with information and an understanding of the significance.
For more information about the 9/11 Memorial, or to start receiving the monthly newsletter, go to the website.
Hispanic Caucus Launched in L.A.; Next Stop: Orlando
The NTA-ASTA Hispanic Business Development Task Force conducted two events at last weekend’s ASTA Expo in Los Angeles: a Hispanics in Travel Caucus and a panel discussion. Both were sponsored by the Mexico Tourism Board and led by Olga Ramudo, task force chair. The sessions generated positive media coverage, including a story in Travel Weekly and a mention in Travel Market Report.
"The task force has a three-fold objective: to provide a voice for Hispanics in the travel industry, to educate NTA and ASTA members about the fastest-growing market for travel and tourism, and ultimately, to get more Hispanics traveling. These events were just the beginning," said NTA President Lisa Simon, who attended the task force sessions. "We exceeded our turnout expectations by more than 50 percent for the Hispanics in Travel Caucus, which demonstrate there is a long-overdue need for this type of gathering in tourism."
The next Hispanics in Travel Caucus is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 22, at Travel Exchange. Other specialty markets in the spotlight during Travel Exchange are faith-based tourism, family travel and adventure tourism.
Pre-CITM Road Show in China to Showcase U.S. Tourism
To provide more Chinese business exposure for the American travel industry, NTA and U.S. Commercial Service, Beijing Office, will jointly conduct an American Tourism Industry Road Show in Xi’an, China, on Nov. 13, prior to the China International Travel Mart. Xi’an, the ancient capital city of China, is now a prominent second-tier city.
"This road show marks the first time a combination of American destinations, suppliers and tour operators will showcase U.S. tourism resources in Xi’an," said Haybina Hao, NTA’s director of international development. "We anticipate a big draw for the media network."
After the show there is an optional tour to the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum (a UNESCO World Heritage site) along with a dinner at a dumplings banquet and the Tang Dynasty Show in Shaanxi Grand Theatre. Participants can then fly to Shanghai on Nov. 14 to prepare for the CITM opening on Nov. 15. For more details please contact Haybina Hao.
You Can Pay Lower Shipping Rates. Here’s How.
NTA Corporate Partner FedEx offers these discounts to all U.S. members on select
FedEx® shipping services:
- Up to 26 percent on select FedEx Express® U.S. services
- Up to 20 percent on select FedEx Express international services
- Up to 12 percent on select FedEx Ground® services
- Up to 10 percent on select FedEx Home Delivery® services
U.S. members can also receive discounts on FedEx OfficeSM business services:
- 20 percent on select printing and copying® services
- 10 percent on select signs and graphics production and on select finishing services
Enroll in the FedEx Advantage Program today and take advantage of this great member benefit!
Visit the NTA Corporate Partner page for more information on this and other member discount programs.
One Week to Webinar for First-timers
If you’re eager to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with Travel Exchange, join us next Tuesday via computer or phone for a free Webinar designed to help you make
the most of your time in Orlando (Jan. 20–24, 2013). This online how-to session, hosted by your friends at NTA HQ, will cover several topics:
- Researching and arranging your business appointment requests
- Understanding different business exchange sessions: Buyer to Buyer, Fast Pitch and Supplier Exchange
- Knowing your role in the Destination Pavilion
- Working the Supplier Exchange and the open floor format
- Maximizing educational opportunities and social networking events
The Webinar is at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Sept. 18. We’ve scheduled another session on Tuesday, Sept. 25, also at 2.
Click Here to register for the Webinar on Sept. 18.
Click here to register for the Webinar on Sept. 25.
And for more information geared to newbies, visit the First-Timers Program page and the Resources page on the Travel Exchange website. Later this fall, you’ll find a version of the Webinar there that you can replay.
Here’s What Prospects Ask when They Visit Your Web
A company website isn’t built in a day, and your site has likely been edited, 
expanded and rearranged several times. You might even be tired of looking at it. But remember that new visitors are landing on your website every week, and they’re arriving with questions, says Lisa Barone in Small Business Trends.
In her article, Barone lists a load of questions that online visitors will have. Her list is a good reality check for the effectiveness of your website. Those questions include:
- What’s your story? Who are you in the market?
- What about product or service reviews? What’s everyone else saying? Am I making a good decision if I commit to this?
- If I’m not ready to buy yet, how can I stay in touch? Is there a blog? A newsletter? Some other way to stay up to date with you?
- Are you fun? Serious? Quirky? Stuffy?
The title of the article is The 25 Questions Your Site Must Answer, but each question leads to several others. Does your website have the answers?
- The staycation trend is waning. According to a recent survey, fewer Americans are staying close to home to save on vacation—from 30 percent to 25 percent in 2009—and the average amount spent on vacations has risen 15 percent in two years.
- The World Travel & Tourism Council is inviting tourism businesses, organizations and destinations worldwide to apply for its Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, honoring best practices in sustainable tourism best practices in four categories: Global Tourism Business, Conservation, Community Benefit, and Destination Stewardship.
- U.S. consumer spending climbed in August to its highest level in nearly four years, most of it attributable to increased spending from higher-income Americans.
Travel Alberta seeks a Business Development Director, Travel Trade USA.
Travel Alberta is the tourism marketing agency of the Government of Alberta that is
poised for its journey of excellence to become Canada’s pre-eminent tourism marketing agency.
As a Business Development Director with Travel Alberta, you support the tourism marketing efforts of Alberta, Canada, within the United States. You establish, maintain and support relationships with travel trade accounts; plan Alberta events and training for travel trade; and promote Alberta through various sales and marketing initiatives and strategic marketing partnerships.
Your knowledge of the tourism industry and ability to work with large organizations will enable you to act with conviction while providing strategic comments on the promotion of Alberta with the Travel Trade market. Your demonstrated business success and travels within the U.S. will enable you to develop new industry relations, utilize existing industry relations and create awareness for Alberta in the U.S. Your energy and leadership will help position Travel Alberta to be at the forefront of Canada’s travel industry by facilitating and assisting in the development of positive stakeholder relations, marketing and service programs.
To apply to this three-year term contract, e-mail a résumé and cover letter to HR@TravelAlberta.com by Sept. 18, 2012.
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