Tour & Cruise Heads for Tampa
by Martin Deutsch

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These dual shows will highlight compelling networking and educational components for both brick-and-mortar travel agents, as well as the mushrooming home-based agent market. More than 1,200 travel agents from most U.S. states and Canadian provinces are expected to crowd the trade show floor on Friday and Saturday afternoons, and the supplier count is expected to exceed 250 blue-ribbon participants.

Beyond the trade show floor, delegates will have a powerful array of seminars, panels and training sessions from which to choose, as well as the chance to meet top-level executives at the General Session. Partnering with Travel Industry Shows on this far-ranging curriculum are many of the industry's most influential trade organizations -- including the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), The Travel Institute, the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance (NCMA), and the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), which will present several seminars geared toward the home-based agent. Other endorsers include the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), Recommend magazine and MailPound, with more to follow.

Other special activities include a series of shipboard inspections with lunch. At press time, Travel Industry Shows confirmed commitments from Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines. A third major cruise carrier is expected to announce its participation shortly. Sponsored meal functions, a splendid array of prize giveaways and local sightseeing are also on the agenda.

Special hotel rates of $129 at the Hyatt Regency Tampa Bay are available to all delegates on first-come, first-serve basis. With all major airlines and low-cost carriers serving the region and transportation via AMTRAK and Greyhound, delegates can easily access the Tampa Bay area. More information on traveling to this resort metropolis will be posted on the event's travel page.

Based in Pleasanton, Calif., Travel Industry Shows is led by its founder and president Chip Caruso who has more than two decades of tradeshow experience and who launched the CruiseTour World show in April 2003. Martin B. Deutsch, the convention chairman, is the former president of OAG Travel Magazines (including TravelAge West, TravelAge East, and TravelAge Mid-America, as well as Frequent Flyer and travel management daily). He celebrates his 50th year in travel publishing on Dec. 13. Jennifer Fernandez, the trade show manager for this event, has spent more than a dozen years in travel tradeshows and played a major role at both Miller Freeman (now VNU) and Advanstar Communications.

The full weekend registration rate for travel agents is $39, with additional discounting for agents affiliated with sponsor and endorser organizations. For more information, call the Travel Industry Shows Registration Department at (925) 701-0225 and press 0 or visit www.tourcruiseworld.com www.golfandspashow.com. Suppliers interested in exhibiting should contact Jennifer Fernandez at (917) 679-3761 or email jennifer@travelindustryshows.com.

(The Tampa show replaces New Orleans as a venue on the exact same dates, due to the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina.)