Tuesday Newsletter – June 23, 2009
June 23, 2009
Volume 29, Issue 25
Tuesday’s title sponsor is FedEx
Interested in advertising in Tuesday? E-mail Kelley Burchell at kelley.burchell@NTAstaff.com.
TODAY’S ARTICLES
Tour Supplier and DMO Convention Early-bird Deadline Extended
Want to Hear More from Your Peers?
Opportunity for Exposure on CBS’ "The Early Show" Available
Bring Your CEO to Convention at No Costlier and DMO Convention Early-bird Deadline Extended
Want to Hear More from Your Peers?
Opportunity for Exposure on CBS’ "The Early Show" Available
Bring Your CEO to Convention at No Cost
Two Convention Hotels Offer Free Internet for Delegates
Germany Product Development Trip Previewed in the July Courier
Increase Your Business by Hosting a Product Development Trip
Nominations Sought for Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award
Be Part of a New Sponsorship for Convention: NTA’s Casino Night
Tourism Cares and Globus Provide Grants to American Icons
Tour Supplier and DMO Convention Early-bird Deadline Extended
NTA has heard from many tour suppliers and DMOs that the early-bird deadline of June 23 is a little too early for those who are on a fiscal year budget. To help members take advantage of the discounted fee, NTA is extending the deadline to Thursday, July 9.
With extremely low hotel rates starting at US$58 per night for suppliers and DMOs and the later early-bird deadline, you won’t find a more affordable and effective face-to-face business opportunity than Convention ’09, which takes place Nov. 14-18, in Reno, Nevada.
As an added bonus, tour suppliers and DMOs have an opportunity to attend Convention for free through another special offer this year. You can earn US$500 toward your Convention registration for every non-member appointment-taking operator that you bring as part of NTA’s guest program. Click here for more details on this great incentive.
The early-bird deadline for tour operators also is July 9. Register today and see for yourself how Convention ’09 helps you work smarter.
Want to Hear More from Your Peers?
One of the consistent comments from Spring Meet delegates was how much they enjoyed getting to visit with each other. Whether they exchanged ideas in the crackerbarrel or informally at a social event, these member-to-member conversations were a valuable part of the event.
The June issue of Courier picks up on that theme, as many of the articles allow you to hear from your peers. The magazine includes the following member voices:
- Phil Sheldon talks about his involvement with NTA government relations
- Nicholas Calderazzo, Sally Lane, Marian Deal Smith and Courtney Regan Stewart offer advice on working with receptive tour operators
- Sarah Upton, Mona Wickner and Charlene Dalrymple share thoughts on the NTA Product Development Trip to England
- Rebecca Breeding reflects on a recent Fam tour she took in Washington
- Tom Armstrong comments on the Tourism Cares for Gettysburg project
Click here to read these articles and the rest of the digital version of the June issue of Courier. Be sure to check out the magazine every month, as you will always find member voices, ideas for product development and news on NTA members — ranging from Meet the Member profiles to a list of new members.
Opportunity for Exposure on CBS’ "The Early Show" Available
If you have a group in New York City, don’t forget to schedule them for "The Early Show" on CBS. You can give your clients the experience of participating in the live audience at "The Early Show" and then they get a look at the backstage area where it all happens. This exclusive opportunity is available permanently to NTA tour and receptive operators, as well as area members, such as hotels.
James DiBlasio with Grueninger Tours recently had a group in New York City and had this to say about the experience. " ‘The Early Show’ is a GREAT feature you have. Our contact, Adam, was superb in making sure the group was treated as VIPs, and they got plenty of TV exposure and were able to perform on live TV. Really well done all around."
Click here to complete the form to take advantage of this opportunity or contact NTA Vice President of Communications Catherine Prather for more details.
Bring Your CEO to Convention at No Cost
NTA understands that budgets are getting pinched more and more. And even though, as the NTA contact for your company, you understand the true value of attending the NTA Convention, your company’s CEO might not.
That is why NTA has enhanced its Executive Program to enable you to bring your CEO to Convention for free. Having your boss in Reno will enable him or her to see the kind of business the NTA Convention can help you generate.
As part of the program, your CEO can be on the floor to see firsthand the business taking place in the Destination Pavilion and Tour & Travel Exchange. They also can attend special CEO forums and educational sessions designed with them in mind. And, with the incredible low hotel rates, there’s never been a better time to show your company’s CEO what your presence at the Convention does for your company.
For more information on the Executive Program, click here.
Two Convention Hotels Offer Free Internet for Delegates
NTA and its host city partners are working hard to make your stay in Reno enjoyable, productive and affordable. As a special perk, Circus Circus Reno Hotel and Casino and the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa are offering free Internet access to NTA delegates for Convention ’09.
Circus Circus, a co-headquarters hotel, is five miles from the Convention Center. The hotel is an MGM property and features vintage-style European circus décor with views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and downtown. For a full list of other room amenities, click here.
The Atlantis Casino Resort Spa just completed a $100 million expansion. Guests can choose to stay in the Concierge Tower or the Royal Dolphin Tower at the hotel, which is connected by skywalk to the Convention Center. The Concierge Tower rooms offer spectacular views of the Sierras and the Reno cityscape. Rooms in the Royal Dolphin Tower have dolphin-themed furnishings in two-room suites. To view all the amenities of these room options, click here.
This year’s other co-headquarters hotel is the Silver Legacy Resort Casino. High-speed Internet is available in the rooms for a daily fee. Rooms at Silver Legacy are historically themed in turn-of-the-century décor and the property is located five miles from the Convention Center. For more information on room amenities, click here.
Don’t forget, hotel rates for Convention ’09 start as low as US$54 a night for operators and US$58 a night for tour suppliers and DMOs. For more information on Convention housing, click here.
Germany Product Development Trip Previewed in the July Courier
This October, NTA will be conducting a Product Development Trip to Germany that is combined with the 2009 American Tourism Society conference. The trip goes from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, with the conference taking place the first three days and the Product Development Trip the last three days.
You can learn more about the trip in the July issue of Courier, which includes an interview with Phil Otterson, the ATS president and executive vice president of Tauck World Discovery. In the article, Otterson talks about ATS, the upcoming conference and what members will see on the NTA Product Development Trip. Here are a couple of Otterson’s comments from the story:
"We’ve got a really cool history of 23 years. ATS has never been really big, but we’re growing the association. We have a relationship with NTA whereby we are offering NTA members the opportunity to come to our conference without being a member of ATS. We have branded the post-conference tour as the NTA Product Development Trip. We began that last year in Cairo and welcomed several NTA tour operators who joined us for our conference in Egypt and on the NTA trip on the Nile."
"ATS has one conference a year. Each year the conference is focused on two partnerships that we have — one with NTA and one with Tourism Cares — and it’s also focused on becoming local. … On Wednesday afternoon, we will be participating in the first international Tourism Cares give-back event. We’ll leave the hotel and go to a very beautiful peninsula, the National Park Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft. We will be together planting trees that afternoon on behalf of Tourism Cares, which has been given a ‘climate forest’ plot of land for the event."
The July Courier will be mailed to all members and posted at NTAonline.com at the end of the month.
Increase Your Business by Hosting a Product Development Trip
NTA is accepting proposals for 2010 Product Development Trips. These trips offer NTA member destinations a way to put themselves in front of serious tour operator buyers and offer them unique, firsthand experiences at their destinations. Tour operators reap the benefits of seeing the destination from a localized perspective, as well as exploring new product ideas and meeting with area tour suppliers.
To host a 2010 trip, please send a proposed itinerary with pricing details and registration capacity to NTA Vice President of Marketing Lisa Thompson by Sept. 30. If you’d like to see a list of the Product Development Trips NTA has offered in the past, click here.
Nominations Sought for Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award
NTA members are encouraged to send in nominations for the Bob Everidge Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding, ongoing contributions to NTA and its members. The NTA Board of Directors established the award in 2003 to honor the late Everidge, owner and president of Shenandoah Tours Inc., in Staunton, Virginia, for his lifetime commitment to NTA.
Any person employed by an NTA member company is eligible to make a nomination which, at minimum, should include a brief narrative (approximately 250 words) about the nominee. Additional material may be included with the narrative.
The nomination criteria are as follows:
- Display active dedication to the mission of NTA and the best interests of its members
- Extensive volunteer contributions to NTA and its members
- Consistently conducted himself/herself in a manner in keeping with the ethics, quality and sense of community espoused by NTA
- A minimum of 20 years involvement in the travel industry that included service that furthered the interests of NTA and its members
Nominations for the award, which will be presented at the 2009 NTA Annual Convention, are due by Aug. 7 and should be submitted to NTA Executive Assistant Celeste Moore.
Be Part of a New Sponsorship for Convention: NTA’s Casino Night
Joining your NTA colleagues at Convention ’09 (Nov. 14-18 in Reno, Nevada) is a must and you also can get exposure at this premier industry event through a new sponsorship opportunity.
NTA will hold its inaugural Casino Night Tuesday, Nov. 17, from 7 to 10 p.m. Included in this event are activities, food, spirits and fun, all designed to showcase members and destinations offering casino and gaming product to NTA’s tour operators. Co-sponsorships are available for this fun-filled evening for $10,000, making it an affordable sponsorship that gives you great exposure.
Some sponsorships have already been sold, but a few spots remain for this exciting event that’s guaranteed to get your company major visibility at the NTA Annual Convention and beyond. To become a sponsor, contact NTA Vice President of Sales Karla DiNardo today. For information on additional sponsorship opportunities and benefits, click here.
Tourism Cares and Globus Provide Grants to American Icons
In 2004, Globus began a partnership with Tourism Cares, through which it gives grants for preservation and restoration to American icons at some of the most popular Globus tour destinations. According to Globus President Phillip Gordon, "We at Globus feel a responsibility to preserve the sites that our customers go to such great lengths to experience. Globus supports the preservation and restoration of several of the great icons and attractions of the United States, including national monuments, historic sites and specific points in some of America’s most famous national parks."
The five American icons that were selected to be the 2009-10 Tourism Cares/Globus Grantees are:
- The Bostonian Society for the Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts
- Friends of Independence Hall for Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, Memphis, Tennessee
- Parkway Partners Programs for Louis Armstrong Memorial Park, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Yellowstone Association for Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
"We are honored Globus is continuing its partnership with Tourism Cares for the sixth consecutive year through the Tourism Cares/Globus American Icon Special Grant Program," said Bruce Beckham, Tourism Cares’ executive director. "Their generous support helps us restore these significant sites across our nation, preserving the travel experience for future generations."
For details on these and past American Icon grant recipients, click here.