Tuesday Newsletter – July 8, 2008

Volume 28, Issue 27

Tuesday Archives

NTA EVENTS
Appointment Scheduling for Convention Opens Tomorrow
Road Trip! Car Pool to Pittsburgh
NTA’s Profile Form Notebook Links You to Tour Operators

ASSOCIATION NEWS
NTA Sends Second List of Approved China Inbound Operators
NTA Leadership Team, Board Met Recently
Share Your Green Practices at NTA Online
Stay in Touch with NTA Community Via the Family News Page

MEMBER BENEFITS
NTA Members Can Get $1,000 Discount at THETRADESHOW
2008 Tourism Hall of Fame Gala Dinner to Benefit Tourism Cares

NTA EVENTS

Appointment Scheduling for Convention Opens Tomorrow

As the 2008 NTA Annual Convention in Pittsburgh draws closer, it is time to begin researching and preparing your list of appointment requests for the Tour & Travel Exchange. The appointment request system for the Exchange goes live tomorrow, July 16, on the Convention site at noon (ET).

Please keep in mind that:

• You will need your registration number to log on to the request system.
• You can update your request list as often as you’d like prior to Oct. 17.
• The order in which requests are submitted will not affect your scheduling, so take your time, do your research and make your selections.
• Exchange participants will receive an e-mail notification, including their registration number, with a link to the NTA Online appointment scheduling system and an updated list of companies taking part in the Exchange.
• A final list of your prescheduled appointments will be posted on NTA Online prior to Convention.

While the deadline to submit your final request list is not until Oct. 17, it’s a good idea to begin your research now. Creating the best request list possible takes time and effort, and NTA’s request system allows you to research potential business partners through its search features and online profiles. Remember, your business appointments will only be as good as the request list you create.

For more information, contact your NTA Member Services Team at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444.

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Road Trip! Car Pool to Pittsburgh

Through a new initiative, you can car pool to the Annual Convention with NTA colleagues in your area, which will allow you to make new connections, save money and help the environment all at the same time.

In the continuing effort to green the industry, NTA has teamed with SpaceShare to establish a Web site where you can look for information regarding travel to and from this year’s Convention in Pittsburgh. On the site you can post available space in your car, look for people in your area to share a ride with or find people who are arriving to the airport at the same time as you and you can share a rental car or taxi to your hotel.

This program is an addition to the complimentary daily airport shuttle service that will be available throughout the week of Convention. The continuous shuttle times are offered at the beginning and end of each day to ensure smooth transportation during those peak times. For the remainder of the day, the shuttles will run on the hour, every hour.

For more information regarding this initiative visit the Convention Web site. Questions can be directed to your Member Services Team at 800.682.8886 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4444.

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NTA’s Profile Form Notebook Links You to Tour Operators

The Profile Form Notebook puts your company’s information in front of NTA’s nearly 700 tour operator buyers not only during Convention, but all year long thanks to an online component. If you choose to buy a full-page tab advertisement or let NTA insert your company’s custom 8-1/2" x 11" double-sided profile sheet (or both), you will receive:

• Guaranteed presence in front of all operators who attend NTA’s Annual Convention, as the Profile Form Notebook is placed on every operator’s table during the event.
• New for 2008 – Online presence with a virtual Profile Form Notebook, to be housed on NTA Online, that extends your reach to every tour operator all year long.
• Advertisers purchasing a full-page tab advertisement also will receive a hyperlink to their Web site from the online Profile Form Notebook.

Don’t miss your chance to be included in the tool that tour operators can use for itinerary development year-round through the online version. Additionally, thanks to the NTA China Inbound Program, which has brought more than 100 new operators into the association, your reach is expanded to even more potential business partners.

The rates are as follows – Full-Page Tab Advertising: $1,500 and Profile Form Insert: $1,250 (plus 450 inserts shipped to NTA) – and the space deadline for all positions is Aug. 15. To reach your account executive, call 800.682.8886, ext. 4232 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4232.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

NTA Sends Second List of Approved China Inbound Operators

The second NTA approved tour operator list – part of the NTA China Inbound Program – was transmitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce July 10. Since the first list was sent May 2, 68 new companies have been added to the approved list, bringing the total to 160 tour operators.

NTA compiles an approved tour operator list in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the U.S. and China in December 2007. The MOU serves as a framework for promoting leisure group travel from China to the United States. NTA’s tour operator list is the only one currently transmitted to the Department of Commerce and the China National Tourism Administration.

In other China-related news, there is still space available for those who would like NTA to display your materials at the NTA Booth at the China International Travel Mart, Nov. 20-23, in Shanghai. For $500, you can provide NTA with up to 250 brochures to be distributed at our booth. Contact Matt Grayson at 800.682.8886, ext. 4250 (U.S. and Canada) or 859.226.4250 if you are interested in this opportunity.

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NTA Leadership Team, Board Met Recently

Members of NTA’s 58-person volunteer Leadership Team gathered late last week in Louisville, Kentucky, for the second meeting of 2008. NTA’s strategic plan served as a frame for the discussion and work of NTA’s 10 member committees. The NTA Board of Directors also met.

A recap of the Board and committee meetings will be included in the July 22 issue of Tuesday.

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Share Your Green Practices at NTA Online

The July NTA Question of the Month – What green practices have you integrated at your office, your home or into your product or services? – gives you a chance to pass along information to other NTA members about what your company is doing to go green.

Members interested in following the dialogue or sharing their thoughts can do so by logging on to the member forums. To access the password-protected forums, you will need your member ID and password, which were included at the top of the e-mail you received showing the headlines for newsletter articles. If you have not created your password, click the link above to go to the NTA Member Forums and follow the instructions.

Additionally, you can share your thoughts on the first three questions of the month, which dealt with the timing of NTA’s Annual Convention, rising fuel costs and tracking return on investment on leisure groups.

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Stay in Touch with NTA Community Via the Family News Page

One of the main things members say they enjoy most about the NTA Annual Convention is the family feel of the event. A way that you can keep that sense of community alive all year is to keep up with the Family News page on the NTA Web site.

The most recent update to the page included news of the engagement of Experience Columbus’ Amy Tatman. To read this, and recent other postings on the Family News page, click here.

If you have something you’d like to share with your NTA colleagues – milestone birthday, an award you received or some other personal item – please forward it to NTA Communications Specialist Pat Henderson and it will be posted on the Family News page.

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MEMBER BENEFITS

NTA Members Can Get $1,000 Discount at THETRADESHOW

Through a strategic partnership between NTA and ASTA, NTA’s tour operators can receive a special discount at THETRADESHOW, which will take place Sept. 7-9 in Orlando, Florida.

Operators can be part of the new Tour Operator Pavilion by purchasing a counter-top booth, which will be located in a larger, shared space. This is perfect for operators who would like to exhibit at THETRADESHOW but may not have the budget for a stand-alone booth. Pavilion exhibitors with counter-top booths will receive a counter, header graphic, standard bar stool and one complimentary attendee badge. The $1,575 price per company represents a discount of more than $1,000 off the regular booth rate.

The Tour Operator Pavilion will accommodate a limited number of operators, so complete the special booth contract and submit it via fax at 703.739.8717. For more information, contact ASTA’s Kristen Stake at 703.739.6815.

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2008 Tourism Hall of Fame Gala Dinner to Benefit Tourism Cares

Tourism Cares will induct J.W. "Bill" Marriott Jr., chairman and CEO of Marriott International into the Tourism Hall of Fame Sept. 16, at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, at a gala dinner and celebration which benefits Tourism Cares.

The Tourism Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who, among other business accomplishments, have made significant personal contributions to travel and tourism through philanthropic, volunteer and mentoring activities. Marriott will join the ranks of recent inductees who include Dan Sullivan, president of Collette Vacations; Arthur Tauck, chairman of Tauck World Discovery; Gilbert Haroche, co-founder and chairman of Liberty Travel; Bob Dickinson, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines; William E. (Bill) La Macchia, chairman of The Mark Travel Corporation; and John Stachnik, founder and co-owner of Mayflower Tours.

All proceeds from the Tourism Hall of Fame Gala Dinner benefit Tourism Cares and its mission of preserving and enhancing the experience of travel. Through charitable grants to tourism-related nonprofit organizations, academic and service-learning scholarships and volunteer restoration events, Tourism Cares unites the travel industry in education, conservation, preservation and restoration efforts.

For more information about the Gala Dinner, click here.

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