You’ve been reading a lot in this space recently about our Virtual Luxury Expo, set to debut next week, Feb. 23-24. Two days after that, however, Performance Media Group, parent of TravelPulse.com, also will be the major trade sponsor for The New Times Travel Show, being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, Feb. 26-28. This massive consumer travel show, which has been attended by more than 20,000 in recent years, also has a dedicated day just for travel agents and travel suppliers on Friday, Feb. 26.
The New York Times Travel Show is acknowledged as one of the leading consumer and travel trade shows in the U.S. Celebrating its seventh anniversary in 2010, the show will offer you an opportunity to network with nearly 500 exhibitors, including domestic and international tourism boards, cruise lines, tour operators, hotels and resorts, and other travel-related companies.
The trade-only day, themed “Grow Your Business…and Reduce Your Costs,” will feature a series of educational seminars focused on top destinations, cruises, group travel, meetings and incentives. You’ll also find great networking opportunities at the industry luncheon, which will feature a keynote presentation by Chris Russo, ASTA president and chairman, and the VIP cocktail reception in the evening. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can take advantage of 34 seminars in seven targeted sub-conferences.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. you can visit the nearly 500 booths on the exhibition show floor to do some more networking. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. you can take part in the travel industry reception on the exhibition show floor. The conferences that can help you most include dedicated tracks on Africa, the Caribbean, Cruising and Specialization, as well as the by invitation only Supplier Supported Solutions (S3) Forum.
Focus on Africa: In this conference, you can find detailed information on travel to Africa. At 8:45 a.m., Kathryn Monaco, executive director of APTA will deliver a welcoming address. From 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., another session will tackle “Market Update & Opportunities-Destination Specialization,” moderated by Monaco, and including such panelists as Sthu Zungu of South Africa Tourism, Anna Butler Payette of Seychelles Tourism, Karen Hoffman of Tanzania Tourism, and Leslee Hall of Botswana Tourism.
From 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., a session titled “Unsung Heroes in Conservation and Community Development: How They Have Reshaped the Face of Tourism in Africa,” will feature Marett Taylor of Abercrombie & Kent and Lynne Leakey of the Kenya Professional Safari Guide Association. From 10:30 to 11 a.m., in a session called “Getting There,” David Glanz of Travel Square One will moderate a panel of Africa-bound airlines, which will include Jim Baxter of Emirates, Jessica O'Keefe of Egyptair, Gregg Truman of South African Airways, and Kirti Surendran of Kenya Airways.
From 11 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m., Warren Green will deliver a talk on sustainable tourism in Africa. That will be followed, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 noon, by a session entitled “Marketing Support and Maximizing Relationships,” featuring Sarah Fazendin of the Fazendin Portfolio, Kent Redding of Africa Adventure Consultants, and Caitlin Lepper of Great Plains Conservation. From 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., a session on the “African Safari & Beyond” will feature Tiru Irani or Far Horizons, Yvette De Vries of African Portfolio, and Howie Perlin of Y’alla Tours. Finally, from 1:15 p.m. to 2 p.m. South Africa Tourism will offer a special World Cup presentation featuring Sthu Zungu of South Africa Tourism; Marc Cavaliere of South African Airways, and Terry Von Guilleaume of Destination Southern Africa.
Focus on the Caribbean: If you’re interested in selling more travel to the Caribbean, this conference may be just the ticket to your future success. From 8.45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., Sylma Brown Bramble of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) will provide an overview of Caribbean travel trends. From 9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., a session entitled “Unique Diversities of the Caribbean: Languages, Activities, Interests and Market Opportunities” will feature Doug Kostowski of Travel People, Fernando Abreu of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and Johnson JohnRose of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, among other speakers.
From 10:30 a.m. to 11:15, a session on “Getting There” will feature Andrew Rowe of American Airlines, Noreen Courtney-Wilds of JetBlue Airways, and Lesroy Browne of Liat Airlines. From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a session entitled “Marketing Support & Maximizing Relationships,” focused on online and off-line marketing tools, will feature Paul Zar and Bob Lawrence, both of Travel Impressions.
Focus on Cruising: If you want to get more information on the critical cruise market, you can take advantage of three sessions offered during the trade day. From 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Bernie Blomquist of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) will offer a classroom presentation on “Delivering Great Customer Service,” which incidentally worth 15 credits toward CLIA’s ACC, MCC, ECC and ECCS certification requirements.
From 12 noon-12:45 p.m., I will be moderating a session entitled “Selling the Substance & Style of Small Ship Cruising,” featuring Navin Sawhney of Tauck World Discovery, Diane Moore of Windstar Cruises, Janice Tully of Uniworld, Bo Fridsberg of Hurtigruten, and Ron Santangelo of AMA Waterways. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Michelle Fee of Cruise Planners moderates a session on larger ships entitled “How to Sell the New Breed of Cruise Ship.” This panel will include Camille Olivere of Norwegian Cruise Lines, Ken Muskat of Royal Caribbean International, Lee Robinson of Princess Cruises & Cunard Line, and Dondra Ritzenthaler of Celebrity Cruises.
Focus on Specialization: During this series of panels, you can discover how to better focus your business by selecting a travel specialty. The conference will include detailed presentations and panel discussions on specialties, how to help decide in what you should specialize and how to profit from specialization. From 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., Sandy McDowell of the Specialty Travel Agents Association (STAA) will talk on “How to Change from Taking Travel Bookings to Selling Travel Experiences.” From 9:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., there will also be a session on “How to Profit from Specialization,” tentatively delivered by John Peters of Tripology.
From 9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. a session called “Market Opportunities for Growth” will feature Kevin Wright of the World Religious Travel Association, Jeff Chase of the Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association, Jacqueline Johnson of MarryCaribbean.com, and Tom Nibbio of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. From 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Scott Koepf of NACTA and Sandy McDonnell will offer a session on “Developing a Winning Sales Approach.” From 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a session on “How Social Media Can Help You Specialize” will feature Stacy Small of Elite Travel International (a home-based agent and columnist for Agent @ Home magazine) and Kristy Hall of TwoAndAHalfTravelers.
Supplier Supported Solutions Forum: This series of sessions, dubbed S3 and presented by American Express, is part of a “by invitation only” conference designed exclusively for travel agency owners and managers. The goal is help you learn how to increase sales by building both client and supplier relationships, improve branding of your agency and better utilize available targeted marketing tools.
From 3:30 to 5 p.m., the forum will offer a session called “Tools to Increase Your Sales.” These session will include, from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., “Social Media Solutions” presented by Debbie Maier of MailPound, and featuring John Peters of Tripology and Jennifer Doncsecz of VIP Vacations. From 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., a panel on “E-Commerce Solutions” will feature Maier again, as well as Lawrence Lynch of Travel Impressions; our own Mark Murphy, president and CEO of Performance Media Group; and Marilyn Macallair of Passport Online. From 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., “Targeted Marketing Solutions” will feature Maier again, as well as Lawrence Lynch of Travel Impressions and Doncsecz of VIP Vacations.
If you stick around for the show’s consumer days, Feb. 27 and 28, you can take advantage of several travel seminars hosted by experts in the field, including The New York Times Travel section editor Stuart Emmrich; “Frugal Traveler” columnist Matt Gross; “Practical Traveler” columnist Michelle Higgins; and Jennifer Conlin; longtime contributor to the travel section. Also hosting seminars are WOR Radio host and travel experts Arthur and Pauline Frommer; “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” author Patricia Schultz; NY1’s “Travel with Val” Valarie D’Elia; and PBS “Travelscope: host Joseph Rosendo.
Six cultural stages on the trade show floor will feature live performances from around the world and culinary presentations highlighting international foods and flavors. The stages also will be the hub for giveaways, contests and drawings. Just like the consumers attending the show, you could win trips, travel accessories and discounts.
Registration for the travel industry conference on Feb. 26 is $20 in advance ($30 on site) and includes access to conference sessions, lunch, the exhibition hall and the travel industry reception. There is no charge for accredited travel professionals to attend the exhibition and travel industry reception.
For more information or to register, call 800-322-9332, email info@nyttravelshow.com or visit www.nyttravelshow.com.
James Shillinglaw is editor-in-chief and editorial director of Performance Media Group, LLC, parent of TravelPulse.com, Agent @ Home magazine, Vacation Agent magazine and Virtual Travel Events.