Voting Begins Now! | 2 Deadlines You Need to Know for Convention
November 1, 2011
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TODAY’S ARTICLES
Voting Begins Now!
2 Deadlines You Need to Know for Convention. (One of them is today!)
Think of NTA’s Homepage as Your Benefit Dashboard
Big Hair, Leggings and ‘Members Only’ Jackets. Oh My!
Display Your Lincoln Highway Destination at Convention ’11
Did You Sign Up for …
First-timers’ Webinar, Part II
2012 Media Kit Hot off the Press
Got News? Share It with Courier
How to Attract New Visitors While Protecting Destinations
Industry News and Updates
Today is the first day for voting in the 2012 NTA Board of Directors election. NTA 
Headquarters has distributed electronic ballots to the primary contact of tour supplier, DMO and tour operator members. Each company is allowed one ballot, and everyone votes according to membership type: Suppliers vote for suppliers, DMOs vote for DMOS, and tour operators vote for officers and tour operator directors.
Online voting will close on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. ET. Members can also vote in person at Convention ’11 in Las Vegas, where results will be tallied and announced.
2 Deadlines You Need to Know for Convention. (One of them is today!)
Sightseeing Tours Deadline: Today, Nov. 1. Don’t miss the fun, the sights and the sounds that only Vegas can deliver. Sightseeing tours take place Monday, Dec. 5, from 2–6 p.m. at Convention ’11 and they’re free and open to all delegates. 
Choose from:
- Shop like a Diva
- Exhilarating Exhibitions
- Las Vegas Scavenger Hunt on Big Red
- Going to the Chapel
A description of each tour is found here. Once you decide which one you prefer, fill out the registration form. Then you’re set. (Don’t forget to pack your camera and maybe an extra memory card!)
Post-Fam Tours Deadline: Friday, Nov. 4. (Pre-Convention fam tours are sold out!) Here are your choices:
Tour operators can register here. DMOs/tour suppliers can register here.
Think of NTA’s Homepage as Your Benefit Dashboard
Want quick access to your member benefits and business-building tools? Head to
the NTAonline.com homepage to find:
- Event information—Everything you need to know about Convention, Contact, Montage and the Grassroots Summit. The industry calendar is also here.
- Other NTA members—Member-to-member connections are your biggest association benefit. Go to the NTAonline.com homepage to conduct member searches, create and download qualified leads lists, update your company profile, and access the Partner2Partner business community.
- What’s New—Member and industry news in timely Headlines stories, press releases, and current and archived articles from Tuesday and Courier.
- Social media—Click on the social media icons to join the conversations on Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In.
You’ll find a tour of the homepage here.
Available ’round the clock, NTAonline.com’s homepage is the best place to start taking advantage of all NTA membership offers.
(Don’t see what you’re looking for on NTA’s homepage? Use the handy search feature box in the upper-right corner.)
Big Hair, Leggings and ‘Members Only’ Jackets. Oh My!
Climb aboard the NTA time machine; we’re heading back to the ’80s!
It was the decade that launched MTV, Pac-Man, the DeLorean, and the Commodore 64 computer. When men donned bulky graphic sweaters and white suits with pastel t-shirts. Women teased their hair to acrobatic heights, topped it off with a giant bow and decked themselves in the brightest primary colors they could find. What were we all thinking? Let’s revisit it to find out! Join us Thursday night at Convention ’11 at The Flamingo Las Vegas to celebrate the best of those bright and bouncy ’80s. (Sponsored by NTA Corporate Partner Aon Affinity Berkely Travel.)
Pack your shoulder pads and plenty of hairspray, then come dance to live and kicky ’80s tunes. Need to get in the mood? Check out the Top 25 Pop Songs of the ’80s.
Display Your Lincoln Highway Destination at Convention ’11
Back in 1913, the idea of a hard-surfaced road stretching from coast to coast across the United States was exciting. And (nearly) 100 years later—it’s still exciting!
The Lincoln Highway spans a dozen states and 3,400 miles, and during its upcoming centennial celebration, the Highway is sure to attract a lot of attention—and tour groups! The NTA Board of Directors has endorsed the 100th anniversary celebration and supports this iconic treasure and all it has to offer along the route.
Tour operators are planning their 2013 itineraries now. If your destination/company is located along the Lincoln Highway, you’re a natural for the Lincoln Highway booth, an exhibitor at this year’s NTA Convention (Dec. 5–9 in Las Vegas).
Here are two ways to help operators at Convention ’11 pinpoint your spot along the Lincoln Highway:
- Brochure distribution ($100): Distribute your brochures at the Lincoln Highway Booth.
- Pop-up banner display ($500): Display your two-foot pop-up banner-and display your brochures-at the Lincoln Highway Booth.
We’ll take care of creating the display and staffing the booth. All you need to do is provide your materials. Ready to participate? Simply complete this form and submit it by e-mail to Karla DiNardo-or fax it in: +1.859.264.6571. Questions? E-mail Karla or call her at +1.859.264.6556.
If you’re coming to Convention and you haven’t signed up for these events … it’s time! (Won’t be in Las Vegas with us this year? You can still participate in spirit!)
NTA and Tourism Cares Give Back to Las Vegas. The holidays are just around the corner, and each year Boys & Girls Clubs across the country fall short of holiday gift donations for kids 10 to 14 years old. Our Give Back project this year will target those kids in the Las Vegas area. Whether you’re coming to Convention or not, you can make a cash donation to purchase holiday gifts for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Henderson to distribute. On site, we’ll wrap donated gifts together on Monday evening, Dec. 5, at the Hard Rock Café-hosted gift-wrapping session. Click here to get involved.
5K Fun(d) Run/Walk/Sleep. Join your fellow members in support of NTA’s government advocacy work at the Wednesday morning 5K Fun(d) Run/Walk from 6:30-7:30 a.m. at Town Square Las Vegas. For just $25 (a donation to NTA’s Government Relations Fund) you can have lots of fun, get in a little exercise and help bolster the voice of the travel industry! Or, if you prefer some extra beauty sleep, feel free to put your $25 down and "Sleep in for G.R." Everyone can participate: walkers, runners, sleepers and even stationary supporters—hey, we’d love a cheering section! If you didn’t sign up when you registered, contact the NTA member relations team so you can come on down and take part in all the fun. All runners, walkers, sleepers and cheerleaders who pony up their $25 will receive a T-shirt to let everyone know that you support your association’s work in Washington throughout the year.
Convention ’11 is right around the corner. Register now!
First-timers’ Webinar, Part II
First-timers (or just those of you who would like a refresher on Convention): Don’t miss Part II of the Convention Insider Webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at noon ET. Part II is a follow-up to the information presented in the September Webinar (available online), with new strategies, tips and insight on:
- How to get more appointments
- The benefits to serving as a volunteer
- The why and how of updating your company profile
- What to bring for the floor
- What to wear in Vegas
- How to get from Point A to Point B (including airport-to-hotel)
Ready to sign up? Click here for online registration.
2012 Media Kit Hot off the Press
"By advertising in Courier and partnering with NTA, we maximize our brand awareness, increase sales and market smarter."
—Elizabeth Baranik, Hard Rock International, NTA member since 1993
The NTA 2012 Media Kit has just arrived: Check it out! Then let it—and NTA Services staff—help you reach NTA’s 1,500 qualified tour operators to build and sustain momentum behind your company’s marketing and promotions through 2012 and beyond. The ’12 Media Kit is full of ideas and ways (including the 2012 Courier Editorial Calendar) for all members to "Drive Revenue and Gain Business."
For more information on promoting yourself within NTA and the industry, e-mail NTA Services or call 859.264.6559.
Got News? Share It with Courier
Does your company have a milestone coming up? Has your organization recently 
hired a new staff member? Have you or your employer been the recipient of an industry awards or special recognition? If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, please let Courier know about it, and we’ll spread the word!
Each issue of Courier includes Community News, which is a compilation of announcements from the NTA membership. Simply send your news to Courier Managing Editor Doug Rentz. Don’t let your good news go unnoticed; share it with Courier! (Click here to see the most recent version of Community News.)
How to Attract New Visitors While Protecting Destinations
Sustainable Travel International is presenting another free Webinar for NTA members. STI Vice President Jon-Paul Bowles will lead "Destination Stewardship: An Innovative Approach to Sustainable Tourism Development" on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. ET.
Destination stewardship is an approach to tourism development that benefits local communities and the natural environment while enhancing economic viability. The focus of this STI Webinar will be on strategies to attract new visitors while protecting destinations; it will include carbon neutral tourism programs, marketing plans and capacity building. Click here to sign up for this free session.
- When it comes to planning holiday travels, nearly four in 10 survey respondents are not influenced by Facebook, Twitter or other forms of social media, believing an easy-to-use Web site and brochure are more important. (They might also be influenced by rising air fares.)
- Spending by international visitors to the United States increased 15 percent—$1.7 billion—during August, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Travel and tourism-related exports now account for one quarter of all U.S. services exports.
- The U.S. Department of Commerce projects a record 64 million international travelers to spend $152 billion during their U.S. stays in 2011, an increase of 13 percent from 2010, with continued growth of 5 to 6 percent a year.
Click here for the Tuesday archive.