Twin Bill in San Jose Spotlights Home Based Agents and Romantic Getaways
by Martin Deutsch

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TIS Convention Chairman Martin B. Deutsch expanded on Caruso's comments by pointing out that the "co-located Honeymoon & Romantic Getaways Show is another unique niche addressed by this innovative trade show operation." He further explained that, when these joint events were held last September in Baltimore, 1,363 travel agents from 44 U.S. states and five Canadian provinces were on hand (as well as more than 250 domestic and international exhibitors). Deutsch also noted that Baltimore, like San Jose, was chosen to deliberately bypass those crowded and overpriced major market cities that have become tired and overused.

The three-day weekend itinerary for these shows will, as always, provide a plethora of accredited training, educational seminars and panels, a general session with nationally sought-after keynote speakers, sponsored functions and, of course, the trade show itself on Friday afternoon from 4 p.m.to 6.30 p.m. and on Saturday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.

A special seminar-panel track on developments in the home-based agent market will be offered by the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), a key partner in this show, and the first and largest of the trade associations catering to this audience. Gary Fee, OSSN's president and founder, said that these home-based shows have "proved their effectiveness and importance in the last three years, beyond a doubt. Further, both the quantity and the quality of the travel agents that these shows attract from coast to coast make them a must-attend activity, not only for home-based agents, but for traditional brick-and-mortar agents as well."

Another critical sponsor is the Performance Media Group (PMG), which includes Agent@Home Magazine, Modern Agent magazine, Cruise & Vacation magazine, and Travel Pulse, a web site with daily updates that has become the primary source of spot news and last-minute news. PMG President Mark Murphy will host his standing-room-only seminar on Friday afternoon; Editor-in-Chief James Shillinglaw will moderate the general session on Saturday morning.

Accredited training modules will be offered by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Travel Institute. In addition, the Niche Cruise Marketing Association (NCMA) will present a three-hour training session. In addition to OSSN, the Travel Institute, CLIA, and NCMA, other key sponsors include the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), Recommend magazine, Bridal Guide magazine, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Global Travel International (GTI), and others to be named.

Suppliers seeking more information on this show can contact Chip Caruso directly at his e-mail address (chip@travelindustryshows.com) or by phone at (925) 701-0225 (press ext. 202 or "0"). Travel agents who wish to take advantage of the attractive early-bird rate of 2 agents for $49 or 1 agent for $35 can register at www.homebasedagentshow.com or www.honeymoonshow.com.

In addition to the Home Based and Honeymoon show/conferences, Travel Industry Shows this year has also scheduled the fourth annual Tour & Cruise TravelWorld show, (in conjunction with the Golf & Spa Show) in Tampa on March 23-25, as well as the following roster of consumer shows with trade components: Houston, Apr. 1-2; Minneapolis, Nov. 11-12; and Philadelphia, Oct. 28-29. The Bay Area Show for consumers was held in February in San Jose. Information on all of these shows can be found at www.travelindustryshows.com or by calling (925) 701-0225 (press "0").

Sign up now and reserve your special place at the Home Based and Honeymoon shows in San Jose on Oct. 19-21. You'll be glad you did!