OSSN E-Agent Newsletter

Selecting the destination for these events is the first process that we have to complete each year. For several years, we have elected to poll the OSSN membership to ask for their preferred selections. This has given us great ideas and direction, of course! In fact, in many instances, this selective poll was all that was used to make the decision on the destination for the next OSSN international conference.

But, there have been other times when circumstances changed and we were not able to make the decision solely on the membership's choice. Whether it was due to civil unrest in a country or the lack of support from a tourist board, OSSN has often been caught in the middle of situations that caused us to make changes to our initial choices! But, in every case, we realized that we made the right choice given the circumstances. When the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001, occurred, we were in the middle of planning our Egypt International Conference. Although we knew it was important to delay the event, we also made the choice NOT to cancel it. It was hosted in 2002 and was a spectacular program! In fact, I still get calls from members who went with us to Egypt stating that it was the best trip of their lives!

There have been many destinations that we wanted to highlight by hosting an international event but then found that the tourism board from that destination was not interested in playing even the smallest role in such an event. We knew that we could host the event even without any participation of the tourism board, but we chose not to do so. If a tourism board does not understand the important role that the home-based professional in the U.S.A. plays in the travel industry today, then we felt it would be better to select a new destination for the event. There are some excellent tourism boards around the world to work with. OSSN has made great contacts through working with these professionals to educate our membership!

There have been conferences when we also learned the hard way that "Murphy's Law" IS an international law! Motorcoaches DO break down in the middle of the freeway in Spain. Agents can get sick and need medical attention while cruising down the Nile. OSSN members can get lost in the Bazaar in Istanbul, not to be found for hours! Agents CAN fall off a table while dancing (on the table) in the Plaka district of Athens, too. (No injuries to report on that event, thank goodness!) But somehow, so far, we have always found a way to smile about it (and maybe even laugh) later!

One of the most challenging areas in planning the OSSN International conferences has been the tedious task of working with airlines for groups of 100-200 agents. Airline ticketing is a tedious task when you are booking ONE person, not to mention trying to accommodate more than 100 people on the same flight. Most of the time, OSSN has worked directly with both international airlines and domestic carriers to accommodate our large international groups. I have worked with some GREAT reservation agents in those group departments AND there are some that don't meet that same description . . . but, regardless, taking care of Passenger Name Records ( PNRs) for this size of group, especially when we allow agents to deviate dates of departure and return dates during our programs, is a real challenge.

Once the ticketing is done, there have been even more challenges to overcome when we strived to move OSSN groups through some of these international airports. OH, my goodness! This is when we MUST acknowledge HOW VERY thankful we have been for the GREAT tour operators that we worked with during many of these events! The chaotic movement that can be found at some international airports is astounding! So, I have now learned that one of my main concerns is HOW well staffed a tour operator is going to be when they meet OSSN conference groups at EVERY airport throughout the entire conference itinerary (if we are traveling to multiple cities throughout the agenda.)

During our conference agendas in many countries, we have traveled many days during the conference by motorcoaches. It is a fun way to get to know other OSSN members. Yes, we HAVE gotten to know each other well -- and, often, we end up knowing a bit too much! Who snores when they nap on the bus during every tour? Who has to have the front seat every day or suffer from motion sickness? Who stayed up TOO late and is NOT going to make it through the tours? I think we have had some of our most educational experiences during those motorcoaching days!

In all honesty, we see that our members LOVE traveling together and experiencing the world together. The OSSN international conferences have become events that so many of you have chosen to attend and support. We know that despite the "glitches" that can occur in any itinerary, you all have learned, laughed, and appreciated each one. It has been a pleasure to seek out these destinations and suppliers to work with in the planning stages.

In summary, I would just suggest that if you are planning any international group travel, you should consider some of the following questions:

What flexibility do you have for name changes and cancellations both on the land portion and the airfare portions of your trip?
Will your suppliers (tour operators, hotels, etc.) ask you to pay in euros or U.S. dollars?
Will your suppliers require any adjustments in pricing if the euro’s value fluctuates during your promotion?
If you are working with an international airline group department, do you have ONE coordinator that you have been assigned to work with for this group?
Have you made sure that you have clarified the difference between cancellations of airfares and cancellations of land portions of the trip, if they differ? (And, they usually do.)
Are you offering insurance that your clients can buy that will protect them for INTERNATIONAL medical assistance -- and does it cover enough to pay for international evacuation for medical treatment if necessary? Does it have a clause for terrorism?
Does the company you are considering to work with have offices in the United States, or will you be dealing with a foreign office during the planning stages of this event? Remember that the time difference makes it VERY challenging to communicate on a daily basis and get quick answers to important questions for your clients.
Can you pay the international supplier with a credit card, thus providing a financial layer of protection for your funds?
Will you have a "group support desk" at every hotel on your agenda staffed by the company you are working with, so your clients know where to get pertinent information and support about your group's agenda?
If you are working with a tour operator, will they have enough staff allocated to your group to easily take care of airport transfers, motorcoach loading, hotel check ins, and luggage distribution on an ongoing basis? (These are tedious tasks that can make or break a group tour when a lot of motorcoach transportation is involved.)

There are so many GREAT opportunities to take groups on international itineraries! We hope that by sharing a few of our insights with you, your next international group will be a great success for you, too! And we look forward to having you join us for another OSSN International Conference in Greece!

(Credits: OSSN)