See You in San Jose!
by Martin Deutsch

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"These dual shows represent the best of their kind, with the Home Based show being the pioneering event in this crucial market and the Honeymoon show setting the pace for the kind of niche activities that travel agents need to bolster their bottom line," says Chip Caruso, president of Travel Industry Shows, which produces these events. "San Jose lies at the heart of the highly popular Bay Area, which includes San Francisco next door, the Napa-Sonoma wine country to the north, and such distinguished resorts as Monterrey, Carmel and Pebble Beach to the south."

The "Learn More, Earn More" focus of this three-day program features accredited training by CLIA, The Travel Institute and the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance, as well as nine cutting-edge seminars and panels of compelling interest and importance to both home-based and brick-and-mortar travel agents from coast-to-coast. Two proprietary seminars are offered by Carnival Cruise Lines and Brendan Worldwide Vacations.

Featured on Friday afternoon in this context is a three-hour Home Based track presented by the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), led by its founder and president, Gary Fee. OSSN has also scheduled its annual National Conference as an all-day itinerary on Thursday, Oct. 19, which includes a luncheon and an evening social event.

(Note: Click here for more details on the OSSN conference.)

The quartet of keynote speakers during the General Session on Saturday morning will target a number of critical travel industry issues. Ahlsmith, who is also president and CEO of the Magellan Travel Group, will address the subject of "Five New Marketing Trends that Travel Professionals Can Use to Grow Their Businesses." Urban will talk about "Giving Travelers What They Expect and What They Don't." Drew will once again titillate the audience with a new version of his "'Til Death Do Us Part" speech (he brought down the house during his talk last year). Finally, Hanrahan will make far-reaching comments about the mushrooming role of home-based travel agents in cruise line marketing strategies.

The General Session will be moderated by James Shillinglaw, editor in chief and editorial director for Performance Media Group, which publishes Agent@Home magazine and ModernAgent's Travel Pulse Daily, as well as Cruise & Vacation Agent magazine. Shillinglaw also will host two provocative panels on Friday afternoon, Oct. 20, focusing on choosing the right host agency and developing great strategies for marketing and selling tours and cruises.

Another highlight of the weekend will be the trade show, which is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, and again from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the San Jose Convention Center. More than 300 top-of-the-market domestic and international suppliers will be on hand to work with the travel agent delegates. At the close of the Saturday trade show, a drawing will be held for a cornucopia of great travel prizes (but just for agents who remain on the floor).

Meal functions include a Saturday morning breakfast sponsored by Contiki Holidays, Insight Vacations, and Uniworld River Cruises, as well as a lunch that same day hosted by Sandals Resorts. OSSN also has put together an unusual post-show fam trip, including a scenic motorcoach ride south through California wine country around Santa Barbara, with lunch and wine tastings, followed by a drive to Los Angeles to board Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas" for a seven-day cruise of the Mexican Riviera.

The headquarters hotel in San Jose is the luxurious Fairmont, which is offering our delegates an extra-special rate of $129 per night. Travel agents flying in from around the country can choose any one of three major airports, including San Jose International, San Francisco and Oakland.

If you want to register for the show, please visit this link and use code 3057 (for a $25 travel agent rate). You can also register by calling Travel Industry Shows' registration department at 925-701-0225 and pressing "0."

"Whether travel agents arrive from around the country by air or drive in locally from nearby communities," says Caruso, "they will find that this trade show and conference weekend represents the best value and the most legitimate programming of any in our industry. You'll be glad you came, because there's something for everyone!"