Convention '09
What Members Are Saying
"We're looking forward to strengthening bonds with our current partners and meeting new international partners - as well as a Fam to Lake Tahoe! "
"I always look forward to attending NTA and this year I can't wait to experience the new format."
"I'm excited about attending NTA Convention ‘09 as I believe it will offer me a new selling experience. The Destination Pavilion is a smart idea and should really increase successful interaction between DMOs and operators, be very conducive to building exceptional regional itineraries, and help place unfamiliar destinations on the operators' ‘radar'. The added bonus this year is the streamlined schedule which accommodates those of us with limited time and budgets."
"The new Destination Pavilion will give us a wonderful opportunity to work with our members who also attend NTA, as well as allow us to ‘brain storm' about our region with tour operators and other DMO's in our area. I am looking forward to this new opportunity".
"We are very excited about the new format for the NTA Convention. First of all, producing a new format indicates that our NTA Leaders are listening to comments from all participants and not just viewing the convention format from one perspective.
We are also excited because it seems the new format will give us the best of all worlds -- an opportunity to do the traditional ‘behind the desk' one-on-one appointments, and the new opportunity to meet with people from every geographic area. This is very appealing to us as we do not do the same itineraries year after year. Most of our work is ‘custom' and our destinations change year to year.
We have often times met someone at a luncheon or other social activity or in an appointment from an area that we are planning to tour and they will suggest another person attending the convention whom we need to meet with from that area. Because of full appointment schedules and other convention activities, we never have the opportunity to meet with those other people who could be very beneficial in our tour planning. The new format will allow us to meet with everyone from an area at one time and have a more complete package when we leave the convention.
We are looking forward to the Reno Convention with great enthusiasm and optimism about the new format and getting the best experience from our Convention time."
"I have been attending NTA's annual convention for over 10 years and have never been more excited than I am for Convention ‘09. First, the new format will allow buyers and suppliers alike to streamline their schedule and conduct business in a more efficient and effective way. The Destination Pavilion and Fast Pitch Session are just two examples of this. Second, co-locating with WRTA provides an excellent opportunity to meet with an entirely new market during the same convention. Talk about working smarter. Reno is the place to be in November '09 for better business at an affordable price."
"I believe that the enhanced Destination Pavilion will benefit all attendees, as the new format allows tour operators, DMOs and suppliers to have a more strategic approach to appointments based on geographic location. The State of Bavaria in Germany is surrounded by other attractive countries like the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland and now tour operators can find us all at convention in one location which facilitates their ability to do actual program planning."
"With the economic downturn and its effects on the world of travel, it is more important than ever for us to be with our peers, share ideas and get re-energized to keep "our dreams and businesses alive"! There is no better place for us all to gather, to learn, to share and to grow together, than at Convention!"
"From the perspective of an international tour operator member quite simply I find travelling 5074 miles each way to meet you guys extremely worthwhile and have done for a number of years - face to face is the best way to talk about new ideas and to solidify existing relationships which to date may only be electronic, even with my ugly mug !!"
"Wyoming Travel and Tourism will be attending the NTA Convention in Reno because the face to face interaction and the ongoing personal relationships with the operators have a very positive track record. With the very affordable price tag and such enormous results, we would be doing the Wyoming suppliers a disservice by missing it."
"Destination DC is attending 2009 NTA Marketplace in Reno because it provides our organization the ideal forum to engage our tour operator clients, meet their respective needs, and encounter new operator clients in need of assistance for the 2010 travel season."
"As a business our success has stemmed by taking each segment of our marketing plan and analyzing it independently from an ROI point of view. With hotel rates of $54.00 and a very competitive convention rate this year, when we do our ROI calculation for our attendance, it is truly a no brainer! All we have to do is negotiate $10.00 off a hotel contract, or sell one group using our services to Canada and the South Pacific, to break even. You'd be crazy not to be there!"
"I always go to the convention in order to keep myself informed of the trends in the business, make new contacts and meet with the people I know. This allows me to generate business opportunities and I also have a great time at the same time. The Reno convention will be the starting point of the new convention format and I'm looking forward to familiarize myself with it, because I think it will be easier to meet the people I need to meet."