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Grove, IL � February 2005 � Welcome to the February edition of FYI, brought
to you by Leisure Group Travel, TRAVELtips, Leisure Travel Directory, Goexperience.com
and now Prep Traveler.
ABA
Convention Report: �2004 Best Year Ever�
Predominant themes of this year�s Industry Leaders Panel were creating effective supplier partnerships and individualizing the travel experience for group members by offering a greater degree of flexibility and creating unique, hands-on experiences that travelers couldn�t otherwise experience on their own. Affinity groups such as junior women�s league, red hats, reunions and religious groups are beginning to supplant the traditional tour operator series business as a main source of group visitors. These groups don�t look like, or travel like traditional senior groups, so the development of new types of products and experiences falls in lockstep with this market. Those that are creating this product, and marketing themselves in the distribution channels that reach this audience will undoubtedly prosper. Space
Available: the Dismal State of Convention Center Business
The overall convention marketplace is declining in a manner that suggests that a recovery or turnaround is unlikely to yield much increased business for any given community, contrary to repeated industry projections. Moreover, this decline began prior to 9/11 and is exacerbated by advances in communications technology. Currently, overall attendance at the 200 largest tradeshows languishes at 1993 levels. Many cities have seen their convention attendance fall by 40-50% or more since the peak years of the late 1990s. This sharp drop has occurred across a range of communities, including a number of the historically successful convention locales in the nation. Despite this, in the past decade, public spending on convention centers has doubled to $2.4 billion annually, increasing convention space by over 50% since 1990. Nationwide, 44 new or expanded convention centers are now in planning or construction. This
paper sheds light on the realities of the changing and unpredictable convention
market and provides a cautionary tale for cities hoping to reap its increasingly
elusive rewards.
Okay, so we just got through telling you about how dismal the convention business is...but this is different, because it�s our Inaugural Conference for GO members, and they�re excited to meet with you! The GO show will be the first to bring all segments of the group market together in an educational and networking environment. This 3-day event will be held at the Indian Lakes Resort in suburban Chicago. It�s a unique opportunity to meet with travel planners from tour operators, travel agencies, bank travel clubs, religious groups, hospitals and alumni, all members of the fastest growing group travel organization in America. Trade show booths are just $675 (advertisers save $150), and select sponsorships are available from just $250. Contact our office at 630-964-1431, or link to the GO Show below to learn more about this exciting new event for the group travel industry! Booth Space is Limited, Secure Your Spot Today! CrossSphere
at Crossroads
As the association has expanded into including international members, the old name didn�t properly reflect this direction. And the function of leaders is to lead, since innovative ideas never spring from large groups. But, just as if you were leading your family through a crowd, you need to turn around periodically to make sure they�re still behind you, because leadership requires both a leader and willing followers. It�s clear the leadership here got moving in a different direction than the required majority of the membership. NTA can at least take comfort in the fact that a large number of members are engaged enough in the association to care about the change, including both those against and those strongly in favor. As Chairman Ann Thomas, CTP, was quoted as saying by CrossSphere, �The member feedback from the branding launch reaffirms that CrossSphere members are very passionate about this association. After listening to feedback from the members and the Leadership Team, the board has elected to proceed with a bylaw vote proposing to formally establish CrossSphere as the name following a communications and informational period.� Travel
South Feature in this April�s Leisure Group Travel
We will be attending the Travel South show looking for new ideas and editorial for this article. Keep an eye out for Hutson Lambert, George Lowden or Jeff Gayduk, and remember to stop by our booth for our daily drawing of 4 movie tickets! Contact your regional Sales Manager for details. Make
Your Advertising Plans Now!
We pride ourselves in creating publications that are interesting to read, and help our readers create better group travel products. Check out what�s coming up your area over the next few months and position yourself squarely in front of them: Leisure Group Travel April
�05
June
�05
August
�05
October
�05
Complete 2005 Leisure Group Travel Editorial Calendar Available! Prep
Traveler � Debuts May 2005!
TRAVELtips May
�05
July
�05
Complete 2005 Traveltips Editorial Calendar Available! Request Your Media Planner Today! About
Premier Tourism Marketing
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