Maximizing Your Convention Experience
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Maximizing Your Convention Experience
In developing the schedule and enhancements for Convention '09 in Reno, you now have a more streamlined schedule that offers you maximum business with less time away from the office to help you work smarter.
And, while the Convention has incredible networking events and educational sessions planned for every day that make the entire week extremely valuable, NTA recognizes that in this tough economy your budgets might dictate your time at the Convention.
If that's the case, here are some pointers to help you maximize your time at Convention '09!
When to Arrive
With the shifting of sightseeing to Saturday, the schedule for Convention '09 has been streamlined to group business opportunities together for maximizing the time spent away from the office. Select your category below to see how you can best spend your time in Reno.
As an operator, NTA is giving you more opportunities to customize your Convention to how you do business. Below is a summary of how you can maximize your time at Convention '09. Or, check out the Week-at-a-Glance to help map out your Convention experience.
Look for the description below that best describes your goals for Convention '09 to see how you can maximize your time in Reno:
I am interested in operator-focused education and partnering.
Saturday, November 14, is tour operator day. During that day, you'll have access to operator-focused educational sessions, the Buyer-to-Buyer Exchange for operator partnering, a luncheon to network more with your NTA colleagues, sightseeing in Reno for product planning in our host city and FREE access to the World Religious Travel Association's Expo.
In just one day, you can get a lot of business done and create lucrative relationships with other operators at both NTA and WRTA.
I am interested in the operator-focused aspect as well as working with destinations from across the globe for new product planning.
With these goals in mind, operators can come in for three days, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and get a lot of business done.
Saturday, November 14, is tour operator day. During that day, you'll have access to operator-focused educational sessions, the Buyer-to-Buyer Exchange for operator partnering, a luncheon to network more with your NTA colleagues, sightseeing in Reno for product planning in our host city and FREE access to the World Religious Travel Association's Expo.
On Sunday and Monday, you can meet with DMOs from every state, province and many countries in the enhanced Destination Pavilion. To customize your time in the Destination Pavilion, you can block states, provinces or countries in which you don't intend to do business, ensuring your appointments are scheduled with those destinations where you want to plan product. You can even block complete Destination Pavilion sessions to give you more open time to walk through the Pavilion and meet with DMO partners you select.
On Monday, the entire day is devoted to free shopping time for operators to continue developing new products and itineraries on the floor. So, in just three days, you can meet with operator partners and plan new itineraries through DMO appointments and Destination Pavilion shopping.
I am interested in planning complete itineraries and partnering with operator colleagues.
With this goal, you will want to commit to the full week of Convention.
Saturday, November 14, is tour operator day. During that day, you'll have access to operator-focused educational sessions, the Buyer-to-Buyer Exchange for operator partnering, a luncheon to network more with your NTA colleagues, sightseeing in Reno for product planning in our host city and FREE access to the World Religious Travel Association's Expo.
On Sunday and Monday, you can meet with DMOs from every state, province and many countries in the enhanced Destination Pavilion. To customize your time in the Destination Pavilion, you can block states, provinces or countries in which you don't intend to do business, ensuring your appointments are scheduled with those destinations where you want to plan product. You can even block complete Destination Pavilion sessions to give you more open time to walk through the Pavilion and meet with DMO partners you select.
On Monday, the entire day is devoted to free shopping time for operators to continue developing new products and itineraries on the floor. So, in just three days, you can meet with operator partners and plan new itineraries through DMO appointments and Destination Pavilion shopping.
Tuesday and Wednesday you can round out your itineraries by meeting with suppliers in the Tour & Travel Exchange. The five-day schedule gives you the chance to do it all; new operators to partner with, education, product planning and a customized schedule of business appointments!
As a supplier, you can maximize your time by spending as little as two days or as many as four on the NTA Convention floor, based on the goals you have for the event.
If your goal is only to participate in the 10-minute prescheduled appointments of the Tour & Travel Exchange, you will want to be in Reno all day Tuesday and Wednesday.
If you'd like the added appointments of the 5-minute Fast Pitch session, take part in the only Appointment Scheduling session on the schedule and be on the floor to partner with your DMOs during the enhanced Destination Pavilion, you will want to ensure that you are in Reno all day Monday as well.
If you'd also like to be on the floor anytime it is open for business and networking, you will want to participate in both days of the Destination Pavilion on Sunday and Monday.
There are networking and educational opportunities throughout the entire week. However, the new streamlined schedule allows you to customize your Convention. Check out the Week-at-a-Glance for a visual depiction of your Convention '09 opportunities.
As a DMO, you can maximize your time by spending as little as two days or as many as four on the NTA Convention floor, based on the goals you have for the event.
If your goal is only to participate in the 10-minute prescheduled appointments of the enhanced Destination Pavilion, then you will want to ensure that you're in Reno all day Sunday and Monday.
If you'd also like to be on the floor anytime it is open for business and networking, you will want to participate in both days of the Tour & Travel Exchange on Tuesday and Wednesday. You can schedule added appointments for the Exchange during the Appointment Scheduling session on Monday morning.
There are networking and educational opportunities throughout the entire week. However, the new streamlined schedule allows you to customize your Convention. Check out the Week-at-a-Glance for a visual depiction of your Convention '09 opportunities.
Partnering = Success
The enhanced Convention ‘09 lends itself to added partnership opportunities, resulting in more quality business and success for everyone.
For tour operators, the Buyer-to-Buyer Exchange continues the great tradition of operator partnering at NTA. The opportunity to develop lucrative partnerships with not only your NTA operator colleagues but also the buyers of WRTA opens the door to even more opportunity to grow your bottom line.
During the Destination Pavilion, Fast Pitch and Tour & Travel Exchange, operators can partner with their supplier and DMO colleagues to build new product and itineraries that today's consumers want.
For suppliers and DMOs, the enhanced Destination Pavilion offers new partnership opportunities to build packaged travel product for the buyers on the floor. Combining the regional format with NTA's open business floor, DMOs can pull in their fellow destinations or suppliers in their city or region into appointments and help plan itineraries on the floor that will result in more business for everyone.
It's what we call working smarter!
Two Shows, One Trip
With purse strings tightening, everyone is looking for more value. Well, you don't have to look past NTA's Convention '09!
With the co-location of WRTA's World Religious Travel Association's Expo with NTA's Convention in Reno, you can access more buyers and new markets without leaving the convention center.
Buyers of both NTA and WRTA will get FREE access to both shows. For NTA suppliers and DMOs, that means more buyers visiting the enhanced Destination Pavilion. Plus, for tour operators, those WRTA buyers (primarily travel agents) will be invited to participate in the Buyer-to-Buyer session on Saturday.
Sellers at NTA wanting more access to the religious travel market will receive discounted registration fees to access the WRTA show floor. Click here for more details on the WRTA/NTA co-location and how you can benefit.
With two shows, new buyers and new markets to tap all in one place, is there a better value than Convention '09?