Join Us in San Diego!
by John Hawks

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This spring event will take place at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, a 40-acre property in San Diego with many dining venues and restaurants, 1,000 guestrooms, and other amenities for the agents who will attend the show.

On Sunday, April 27, Royal Caribbean will offer a major sales workshop in the afternoon for agents attending the show. The next morning (Monday, April 28), two seminars will focus on legal issues for home-based agents and tips for working with airline consolidators.

They will be followed by a ship inspection and lunch aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines vessel “Elation” ($10 fee), reserved for agents who have pre-registered for the full conference and who have submitted the required security information to board the ship. Free shuttles will be provided between the conference site and the port.

On Monday afternoon, you can take part in the certification course being offered by the Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance – earning your Niche Cruise Specialist and other benefits in a single afternoon! – or sit in on accredited CLIA training courses.

After the sponsored breakfast on Tuesday, April 29, the show’s general session will feature travel industry leaders who’ll address critical issues facing home-based agents. The popular Technology Forum will kick off after the lunch break, with speakers who will walk you through the latest programs and tools to help you build your business. The trade show floor opens after the forum for the first time.

Wednesday, April 30, will feature panel discussions and seminars on topics such as golf and spa travel, family and group travel, honeymoons, and more. OSSN will organize another Q&A session with some of its top home-based agents, taking questions from the audience. The trade show floor opens again after lunch, with additional training afterwards by CLIA and the Travel Institute.

More details will be released later about pre- and post-show cruises and other add-on events.

To sign up at the early-bird rate of $49, visit the registration page at www.sdtravelshow.com and make sure you are registered prior to Feb. 15, when rates increase to $69. Special hotel rates starting at $129 are available by visiting the hotel and travel page of the show’s Web site. San Diego is served by a wide selection of domestic airlines, as well as direct service from Hawaii. Amtrak also serves San Diego.

For more information on early-bird travel agent registration and low-cost hotel accommodations, please visit www.sdtravelshow.com. Suppliers wishing to learn more about exhibiting at this event can contact Jim Cloonan at 617-744-1671 or jim@travelindustryshows.com.

(Credits: Travel Industry Shows; Royal Caribbean)