July 2010
Get Ready for Miami!
by OSSN Staff
This conference is already packed with presentations, workshops, and keynote speakers from around the globe to help you take care of business in such a supercharged way that you'll experience greater success in 2010 and beyond. From our opening session with Donnie Dawson (Jamaica's deputy director of tourism) to our hosted luncheon with Sandals Resorts (our special marketing partner), agents at the event will focus their attention on our love affair with our Caribbean partners and their excellent products!
Social media will continue to be highlighted, with a brand-new accredited CLIA course that has never been presented at any previous Home Based Travel Agent Forum. Whether you're already on board the social media "band wagon," or you're still standing on the sidelines, now's the time to learn from some marketing pros in our industry. Alongside the new CLIA class, we're also planning a social media panel of travel agents who'll show you how to use these tools to explode your sales! Two panelists - Jason Beukema of Whet Travel and Margie Johnson of ASAP Travel - will share with you how they've built their agencies using social media. (In fact, Jason just told us that his agency currently markets to more than 50,000 contacts just through his social media marketing strategies!) Denise Vogel (Click of the Mouse) will also relay important strategies for getting attention and building sales through social media communication.
(CLIA will also offer a second accredited workshop, "Selling Successfully Across Cultures," exploring our ability to understand and deal practically with clients from different cultural backgrounds. In today's multicultural marketplace, this presentation promises to deliver important insights and strategies for successful selling.)
Accessible travel has reached new heights, and as a travel professional you have the ability to understand the needs of this market and to increase your sales exponentially by doing so. During this panel discussion, Andrew Garnett (president of Special Needs Group) will discuss how his firm works with agents to make travel safe for their clients. You'll learn what it takes to make travel "accessible" and safe for your clients who have special needs when they travel and how to work with suppliers who've solved these challenges.
Technology is still key to our ability to meet new clients, qualify their needs, and handle their business in a professional manner. During the "Business Tools to Build Success" panel, you'll hear from Tripology (recently partnered with Rand McNally) as a special referral service to connect you with new clients. You'll also learn how CCRAtravel.com can connect you with a great selection of premier hotel partners to make bookings a breeze. And, tying these great services together will be Darla Graber with ITAMS to talk about her ClientEase database product.
While we're "Takin' Care of Business" in Miami, we also want to be entertained with GREAT ideas to take away and put right to use! So, you can't miss the new presentations by Keith Powell, the Business Revivalist, who'll show you how to create a business plan in eight steps, and Anita Pagliasso, OSSN's Western Regional Manager, who's set to help you RENOVATE and REVAMP your marketing strategies. Both Keith and Anita will conduct action-packed, fast-moving presentations that show you ideas they've had ongoing success with in building their own agencies.
Plus, we'll offer lots of seminars and panels covering cruise and tours sales for 2011 and beyond, including:
- Niche Cruise Marketing Alliance's "Specialty Cruises with a Flair"
- "The Profitable Invasion of the Giant Cruise Ships" panel discussion
- A unique presentation on "River Barging"
- A special feature - the "Making Money" seminar by Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines
- "Luxury Cruising"
- "The Turnaround in Tours - Catching the Upswing in 2011" panel
Making changes in your business strategy may require that you "turn up the heat" on your marketing efforts. And, attending the Home Based Travel Agent Forum in Miami this fall is a sure fire way to do just that!
Go to www.homebasedtravelagentforum.com and book now using code 1099.
(Credit: OSSN/TSMG; Hyatt Regency Miami)
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