| Willowbrook,
IL � December 2005 � Welcome to the December edition of FYI, brought to
you by Leisure Group Travel, Group Travel Directory and Prep Traveler.
In typical end-of-year cleaning fashion, I was sorting through my vertical files and happened upon some �way back� issues of Leisure Group Travel. Boy how things have changed! Paging through old magazines is like leafing through your yearbook. Part laughter and reflection on old times, part �what was I thinking?�
Not necessarily so, according to the leisuregrouptravel.com web poll. We asked planners to estimate their average group size, with surprising results:
Suppliers and destinations often mistakenly equate smaller group sizes to market weakness. While this may be true for some senior-oriented groups that are having difficulty recruiting new members as their base of travelers age, the affinity and special interest group travel movement is all about small to mid-size groups. They don�t travel in large packs because the experience they are looking for isn�t possible in this fashion. Imagine unloading a coach-full of travelers at a nature preserve for a bird watching expedition? �Shh, everyone be quiet!� Or 48 golfers arriving at the same time to play a round? It will take two hours to get the entire group off the tee! How about a participatory cooking demonstration with 55 of your best friends? Better get there early for a good spot! This new wave of group traveler seeks a unique experience and bonding that occurs during specialized experiences. Any company intent on capturing this market needs to adapt their product lines and policies in order to transition this market shift. Editing
Like a Pro
Maybe you had a Mrs. Whipple in your life. If so, you may have unconsciously learned to equate proofreading with editing. It�s good to proofread, of course, but it�s not the same as editing. Editing is the most difficult part of writing and one of the two most essential steps. (The other is organizing your thinking.) Editing means looking objectively at your writing from the perspective of your audience, and then improving it so the audience fully understands it and so that it accomplishes the purpose for which you wrote it. Poor writers often believe that good writers do not need to revise, that letters and reports simply pour forth in their complete and final forms. That�s not true and until a writer gives up this delusion, he or she has little chance of improving. Even the most gifted writers, Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners, edit their work carefully. Read the entire article. Improve
Your Search Engine Rankings
GroupTravelDirectory.com draws more web traffic than any other group publisher site according to Alexa.com, and our highly targeted and important industry portal delivers extremely relevant answers to hundreds of targeted searches daily. The formula for top search engine ranking is as follows: Optimized Web Pages + Quality Inbound Links = Prominent Search Ranking. If you�re not linked from GroupTravelDirectory.com, you�re missing a key part of the equation. Enhanced membership directory listings are just $95 for an entire year�s worth of online exposure (now included automatically for display advertisers of Leisure Group Travel and Prep Traveler!), Premier level participation includes more benefits for just $395. If you�re not here, groups can�t find you... Register directly online. Four
Secrets to Building an Engaging Brand Experience
Driven by the Burger King mentality, today�s customers want to do business their way on their time. They want to make their own choices. As business people, it�s our job then to make sure that, when customers are ready to make their choice, our product or service is their top choice. Below are four secrets to put some spark and imagination into your brand and create an unforgettable brand experience.
Prep
Traveler Doubles in Size, Moves Up Production for 2006
Join in on the youth travel revolution by reaching the most lucrative segments of the market (not just the class trips to MCO, NYC and DC!). Reserve your advertising space now for the Spring edition of Prep Traveler. Visit PrepTraveler.com. Here�s
What�s on Target for Leisure Group Travel
Premier Tourism Marketing is a leading publisher of trade journals, web sites and e-newsletters for the group travel industry, with a total circulation of 53,000 group travel organizers. Readership includes travel planners representing religious groups, banks and credit unions, retirement clubs, special interest and alumni groups, plus tour operators, bus companies and travel agents that serve the market. The firm is a four-time winner of the Mature Media Awards for journalism excellence in travel trade magazines. For more information about the company, visit premiertourismmarketing.com. | Contact: Jeff Gayduk jeff@ptmgroups.com 630-964-1431 |
