I am a Motorcoach . . .
. . . finishing up service of a trifecta of industry conventions. The first two were specifically motorcoach focused: IMG and UMA (last week’s blog). Running alongside those and extending a day or two beyond them was the National Tour Association (NTA) convention. The close relationship between IMG, UMA, and NTA is the fact that tourism is a moving experience. The measurable value my fellow coaches and I contribute to the tourism industry is conduction of its life energy: PASSENGERS.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
They were my first NTA passengers – a half hour early. Like master chess players at opposite ends of a board encompassing the Unites States, Vinette DiGregorio (the East) and Cathy Donahue Parrott (the West) know the board intimately. They see the board, the decisions, the connections, the movements that make up a winning strategy for their touring clients. They are on the same team: Collette – a tour company with nearly a century of experience and products spanning all seven continents. Their opponent you might say is the 24 hour day – how to conquer it, how much to fit in, how to convert it into an itinerary that best suites the needs of the tour participants. Efficient routes with the best sights along the way, hotels with the best accommodations and views, attractions, restaurants, modes of transportation, knowledgeable tour guides, stretching the value of every hour and every dollar, and all things equating to the best travel experience is their craft. It sounds like the where, what, when, and how of getting from here to there, right? Well, it’s actually all about the who. Behind every detail related to this vast diversity of places and activities is a person.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
NEWS IN THE NETWORKING:
“Hi, Travis Lasher.”
“Nice to meet you Travis, Renee Wilson. What part of the industry do you work in?”
“Group Sales Manager, Hotel Edison, New York.”
“No way! I’m right around the corner – Eighth Avenue, between Thirty-Eighth and Thirty-Ninth. Director of Sales for TheRide.”
“TheRIde . . . Oh, wow! You really are right around the corner. We’re at Forty-Seventh between Eighth and Boadway, Times Square.”
“I know where you are. Are you kidding? Hotel Edison . . . legendary! I heard Thomas Edison originally turned the hotel lights on by remote from his home in New Jersey.”
“True story, absolutely. And I’ve been meaning to get over to see you guys and check out TheRide. I’ve heard there’s no better way to see New York City . . . everybody’s talking about it.”
“Definitely. But don’t just listen to everyone else. I’m a little biased, but you have to do TheRide yourself to know how cool it is.”
“Excuse me, but did I hear someone say Times square? Hi, I’m Roxy Cade, Trade Sales Manager, Ripley’s New York, Forty-Second Street.”
“Really . . ? All of us new Yorkers from the same neighborhood had to come all the way to St. Louis to meet.”
“Hey, that’s what I love about NTA events. This is my third one, and it’s always like this.”
Actually, the world is smaller than that. It was one motorcoach in St. Louis that brought them together: me . . . Two Seven Two! For many NTA members, networking is on a par with breathing. And with every introduction I learned about something else worthy of passing along to you. Though they were here representing attractions to which I might deliver passengers, in this case they were my passenger. Here, I’ll introduce you to a few more of them:
Tony Swiecichowski – here from Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco – Sales Manager for Hotel Zephyr, an upscale Industrial Maritime experience with fabulous views of the city by the bay.
Christopher Siravo – Group Tour Coordinator for Newport Mansions and the Newport Preservation Society in Newport, Rhode Island, dedicated to the preservation and presentation of architectural heritage dating back to the Colonial era.
Charlotte Finnegan – Director of Group Travel and Leisure Sales for Visit Spokane (visitspokane.com). Paddling, skiing, hiking, shopping, dining, entertainment . . . the rolling hills of the Inland Northwest.
Karen Dodson – The Strong, National Museum of Play, Director of Group Travel and Leisure Sales. Located in Rochester, New York, The Strong is an interactive collections-based museum attracting over half a million visitors annually through its dedication to the history and exploration of play.
NEWS IN THE CURTAINS: “We’re here before anyone else arrives and after everyone else has gone. We put the curtains up and the convention is officially over when we take them down.”
It was fitting that these were my last two passengers of the week-long convention trifecta. This is what “industry” is, how far it reaches, how many it touches. Because there is an industry there is need for conventions and expos. Thus there is the need for convention producers, Like Modern Expo and Events (Salt Lake City, Utah). Modern Expo and Events employs Guy Stones and Becki Erickson. Becki is the Account Executive who creates the event conceptually and sees it through to the end – from initial sale to all of its unique design and management requirements. She hands the physical construction of the event off to Guy. A convention is an interior decorating endeavor. It is everything from carpet laying and electrical infrastructure to overseeing the work of local contractors or tracking down a missing parcel, and, of course, taking down the curtains when it’s over.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Yes . . . when it’s over . . . another part of the event that requires the services of a motorcoach: getting all of those out-of-towners to the airport. Then, the sad time comes when the door is open and there are no more passengers. That’s when it’s really over. I do hope they invite me to next year’s UMA, IMG, and NTA events, wherever they are held. In the meantime, having transported hundreds of out-of-towners and overheard many laudatory comments about this river city over the past week (and much credit for that goes to the event organizers), I am affirmed in my bias toward St. Louis as a MUST SEE destination. As the sign indicates, we all have something important in common:
Quote Of The Day samples
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence” ― Helen Keller
“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rest his head on his old familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang
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RECORD ATTENDANCE EXPECTED AT ANNUAL BUS & MOTORCOACH INDUSTRY LEGISLATIVE FLY- IN.
Future Washington D.C. Conference Attendees are Rallying Around Highly-Anticipated Agenda. The United Motorcoach Association (UMA) will host hundreds of individual representatives from a variety of the bus and motorcoach industry groups as it plans the largest industry legislative fly in event of its kind. These industry representatives will join together with the common goal of meeting with members of Congress to discuss issues critical to the overall protection of the industry. The event will take place on April 2nd and 3rd in Washington D.C. with the goal for operators to meet face-to-face with as many of their congressional representatives as possible. By the end of these meetings UMA’s goal is to have educated these legislators about the value of the bus and motorcoach industry, its concerns and envisioned solutions. The United Motorcoach Association is the nation’s largest organization exclusively protecting and promoting the interests and welfare of privately-owned bus and motorcoach companies. Members include motorcoach owners and industry suppliers. For more information about UMA, upcoming events, membership, and important legislative information, please visit: http://www.uma.org.