Travel agents who are looking to hone their sales and marketing techniques or simply learn new strategies they can employ to grow their agency have a growing list of educational sessions from which to choose at THETRADESHOW (Orlando Sept. 12-14).
“No matter how long a travel agent has been in the industry, it’s always important to keep up-to-date on sales and marketing techniques, as well as new avenues for growth,” said Tom Nibbio, global ambassador for the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. “Whether it’s exploring a new niche, such as gay or luxury travel, or something as basic as enhancing your sales skills, attending the TRADESHOW offers travel agents an unparalleled educational opportunity, in addition to the chance to make business connections that will last a lifetime.”
Business-building topics include:
Achieving Business Excellence: Benchmark Data for Travel Agency Owners and Managers. Brought to you by ASTA. Presented by John Pittman. One of the most consistent challenges that face travel agency owners and managers today is the ability to effectively benchmark against their peers.
Travel agents who attend this seminar will receive an overview of ASTA’s recent studies on Global Distribution Systems and service fees, as well as ASTA’s financial and labor and compensation surveys that show the average ranges of financial and business performance of the travel agency industry.
Participants will learn how to assess the relative strength of their company as it exists today and develop goals for taking their company to the next level.
We Are Welcome Here - Gay Tourism Research & Data. Brought to you by IGLTA. Presented by Tom Nibbio. Gay tourism is no longer a niche; it has grown to be a steady, reliable source of visitors for destinations worldwide. Those interested in knowing more about this valuable market should attend this seminar where they will receive a quick history of gay tourism and what resources IGLTA has to share with travel agents. Among the topics covered will be: niches within this diverse market; reasons for courting the LGBT traveler; how to support the needs of the LGBT traveler; sound advertising and promotional practices; useful publications, media and Web sites; and more.
What Every Travel Consultant should know about Today’s Luxury Traveler. Presented by Tara Gupta, CTC, CTIE. Luxury travel is a term that has been redefined by the recent economic times, where the gap between perception and reality may have widened both for the consumer and the travel consultant. According to industry gurus luxury is no longer about “conspicuous consumption” but about experiences that involve “authenticity.” Travel agents who attend this seminar will learn:
- what this means for travel consultants targeting the luxury client;
- which suppliers and products offer “authentic” experiences and which destinations and experiences offer a “return to life” element;
- how a travel consultant helps to create memories of that change a person from the inside;
- what travel consultants need to know, have or do, to ensure they can serve the changing needs of today’s luxury traveler; and
- how travel consultants align sales and marketing messages to reflect the changing need of the luxury traveler.
Is your Agency Built for Success? Choosing Software and Solutions to Optimize Your Operation. Presented by Hans Hagen. Running a successful travel business takes time, talent and know how. This session will provide best-practice advice on evaluating the software and solutions agencies need to be successful. Travel agents who attend will learn from industry experts on how to assess their options and develop a software and services support platform that will help their agency be a market leader. Topics to be reviewed include: key software and service components of successful agencies; how to streamline an operation to minimize the cost of doing business; when and what to outsource; what technologies that are revolutionizing agency operations; what to ask for in solicitation of services; and Request for Proposals (RFPs) that work.
Sales & marketing-themed sessions are:
How to Make Limited Marketing Dollars Work Like $1 Million Bucks. Presented by Mark McMullen. Those in attendance will discuss easy-to-execute, effective low-cost marketing strategies that can drive revenue. Among the key discussion points will be: what simple strategies can be employed to differentiate your agency; how to target high-potential sales opportunities; strategies to effectively market to both mass-market and affluent customers; and how to engage your preferred suppliers to defray your marketing costs
Strategies to Upsell More Effectively - and Keep Clients for Life. Presented by Mark McMullen
Travel agents who attend this course will learn to identify key revenue-generating upselling opportunities alongside strategies that allow them to upsell more effectively. Among the topics to be discussed will be: why upselling is important; what travel agents should be upselling and which products offer high upselling revenue potential; and the psychology of successful upsellling and the strategies involved.
THETRADESHOW is created and supported by the travel industry’s leading organizations, including: ASTA, ACTA, AirTran, ATA, CLIA, ETOA, IGLTA, IIPT, Las Vegas CVB, NACTA, NBTA, NTA, Orlando CVB, Tourism Cares, Travel Professionals of Color, WRTA, The Travel Institute, U.S. Travel Association and USTOA. Official media partners are: Agent@Home, eTurboNews, JaxFax, Mail Pound, Recommend, TravelAge West, Travel Channel, Travel Press, TravelPulse, TRO, Travel Weekly, USA Today and Vacation Agent.