NTA's 40-person Leadership Team met July 13-14 in Lexington, Kentucky. The Leadership Team began its meeting as a full group by joining the Board of Directors for a strategic planning session.
Afterwards, the team then split into their committees for a brief time for specific work.
COMMITTEE UPDATES
Communication and Education Development Committee
Reviewed current communications for the 2007 NTA Convention and recommended messages to share with NTA members to effectively promote new programming such as the Destination Pavilion.
Discussed business-to-business enhancements for NTA.travel (the committee will have a follow-up conference call to finish this discussion).
Convention Committee
Discussed and brainstormed enhancements for future Conventions, specifically, ways that would offer additional opportunities for all attendees to do business.
Government Relations Committee
Had strategic discussions regarding ongoing government relations issues and recommended to the board of directors that NTA pursue a short-term strategy to create a Tourism Officer in the Executive Office of the President in support of the long-range goal of creating a Cabinet-level tourism position.
Membership Development Committee
Reviewed results from the Buzz Team Member Recruitment Campaign that netted 23 leads and four new members.
Discussed the need to educate new members about the relationship building process that occurs within NTA. For example, a tangible return on investment can take 12-18 months (or even up to three years) based on the booking timelines of tour operators.
Recommended sites for the 2008 Road Shows to be presented to incoming chairman Bob Hoelscher, CTP.
Offered suggestions to enhance first-time delegate programming at the 2007 Convention.
Strategic Development Council
Established a process that NTA can use for future strategic planning discussions. 
