GMOA-AMA-SCMA Regional Meeting

Transcription

1 2015 GMOA-AMA-SCMA Regional Meeting Lanier Islands Legacy Lodge Buford, Georgia August 8-12

2 Welcome Friends! We have been eagerly awaiting your arrival to Lake Lanier ever since we made our announcement as host during your meeting in Shreveport last year. Our planning commitee is rolling out the red carpet and has many wonderful surprises in store for you during the 2015 Regional Meeting. Thank you for the opportunity to showcase our area. The motorcoach tour and charter industry is a vital part of tourism in Georgia, and we value the time you are spending with us and hope to show you some things about our area that are new and exciting for you and your customers. The boards of directors and planning committee have been excellent stewards of the mission you ve set for them. Their diligent planning has resulted in a schedule full of educational and networking experiences you won t soon forget. We welcome you to Lake Lanier, the jewel in Georgia s crown. Warm regards, Stacey Dickson President, Lake Lanier Convention & Visitors Bureau Hotel Reservations Lanier Islands Legacy Lodge 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway Buford, GA Call to make reservations. Be sure to reserve a room by July 8 to receive the group rate of $149 per night. Reservation link is posted on the association registration page. Airport Shuttle Directions from Airport From the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport: Take ramp onto I-85 N toward I-75 N/ Atlanta/I-20. (partial toll road). Take exit #113/I-985 N/Lanier Pkwy/Gainesville to the left onto Atlanta Gainesville Hwy (I-985 N). Take exit #8/GA-347/ Friendship Rd/Lanier Islands Pkwy. In 0.2 miles, turn left onto Friendship Rd (GA-347 W). Take 4th exit from roundabout, and look for your destination on the right. Operator Members of GMOA will provide airport shuttle to those who need it to complete their travel plans. Lake Lanier Islands is about a 45-minute ride from the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. If you would like to participate in the shuttle service, please make your air travel plans to arrive in Atlanta according to the following shuttle schedule: Saturday, August 8: 1:00 5:00 (pickups at 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00) Sunday, August 9: 1:00 5:00 (same as Saturday) Wednesday, August 12: 9:00 12:00 (leave Lake Lanier at 9:00, 10:30, and 12:00) *Be sure to select Airport Shuttle on the registration form. 2

3 Tentative Schedule of Events Saturday, August 8 2:00 6:00 Registration 2:00 3:30 GMOA Board of Directors Meeting All Operator members may attend the board meeting. Note: AMA and SCMA Boards of Directors will meet via conference call the week prior to the meeting dates. 3:45 5:45 Operator Education Sessions 7:00 Early Bird Dinner Event at Woodlands Botanical Gardens Sponsored by Lanier Islands CVB Sunday, August 9 9:00 5:00 Registration 9:30 5:00 Operator Education Sessions including Coach Sales Market Place 3:00 5:00 New Member/First Timer Orientation and Meet the Operators Round Table 6:00 Board Coaches 6:30 Ice Breaker Event: Beach Party Sponsored by Lanier Islands CVB 9:30 12:00 Hospitality after event Monday, August 10 Casual Dress Day for Market Place and Tours. 7:30 1:00 Golf 8:30 5:30 Registration 8:00 8:45 Breakfast 9:00 10:30 Market Place I Blue Dot 9:00 10:30 Associate Session 11:00 12:30 Market Place II Red Dot 11:00 12:30 Associate Session Repeated 11:00 Group Leaders arrive. 12:45 Board Tour Coaches 1:00 8:30 Tour Options (Includes lunch and dinner) 9:30 12:00 Hospitality Tuesday, August 11 8:00 5:00 Registration 8:00 9:30 Breakfast/Speaker 10:00 12:00 Market Place III (Operators & Group Leaders) Blue Dot/Operator Red Dot/Group Leader 12:30 1:30 Networking Lunch 2:00 4:00 Market Place IV (Operators & Group Leaders) Red Dot/Operator Blue Dot/Group Leader Group leaders depart after market place. 6:30 7:00 Reception 7:00 Awards Dinner and Entertainment Wednesday, August 12 8:30 9:30 Breakfast 9:45 11:00 Joint Board Meeting 3

4 Tour Options Tour 1 All Around Lake Lanier Depart Lanier Islands Resort and head into the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with stops at both the Northeast Georgia History Center and Quinlan Center for Visual Arts, as well as shopping along the Historic Gainesville Square. Then it s on to moonshine country for a tour of a working distillery (and maybe a nip of white lightnin hooch). The final stop will be a delicious dinner overlooking Georgia s tallest waterfall at Amicalola Falls State Park. Return to Legacy Lodge by 8:30pm for hospitality and a good night to all. Tour 2 Gardens & Grapevines Depart Lanier Islands and head north up Georgia Highway 365 to the Smithgall Woodland Garden (opening April 2015) where fairie folk and mythical creatures roam the enchanted forest, then its on to Jaemor Farm Market for a peek at their fabulous corn maze and a tour of their row crops on a farm wagon. Next stop is the charming Bavarian Village of Helen where guests will visit a couple of wine tasting rooms, an operating grist mill and an authentic German bakery. End the evening with a lovely dinner at Unicoi State Park s newly renovated lodge, overlooking the scenic blue ridge mountain range. Return to Legacy Lodge by 8:30pm for hospitality and a good night to all. 4

5 Tour 3 Timeless Treasures & A Big Chicken Depart Lanier Islands and head to Cobb County (Atlanta s northwestern neighbor) where guests will get a sneak peek at the new Atlanta Braves Stadium, currently under construction near the Tony Galleria shopping district. Then its on to picturesque Marietta and their fabulous downtown square filled with quaint shops, a historic theater and the Gone With the Wind Museum. Take five in a Brumby rocker and enjoy people watching near the fountain. After a driving tour of the historic homes district (featured annually during the Marietta Pilgrimage), dinner will be served at one of their restored homes. And last but not least, take a peek at the Big Chicken landmark on your return trip to Legacy Lodge. Expect to arrive by 8:30pm for hospitality and a good night to all. Tour 4 Atlanta s Biggest Stars It s off to the movies during this tour of Atlanta s hot spots made famous by hit film and television projects shooting in the Atlanta area. A step-on guide from Atlanta Movie Tours will come aboard the bus for a 2-hour tour of sites from blockbusters like The Walking Dead, Fast & Furious 7, Anchorman 2, Ride Along, and many others. Next make some headlines during your behind the scenes tour of CNN s world news headquarters. Dinner will be hosted in the Velvet Underground at the Hard Rock Cafe where everyone will get the real star treatment. Return to Legacy Lodge by 8:30pm for hospitality and a good night to all. Tour 5 Super Charged ATL Attractions Start your tour of Atlanta s hottest attractions with a peek into the past at the Atlanta History Center and Margaret Mitchell House. Next go behind the scenes at the Georgia Aquarium, and enjoy some quick refreshment at the World of Coke. See the city like a local on board a downtown tour by electric car with ATL Cruzers. They will show you the highlights of Centennial Olympic Park, with dinner as the final stop, where you will meet up with other Atlanta tour guests at the Hard Rock Cafe for an all-star dining event in the Velvet Underground. Return to Legacy Lodge by 8:30pm for hospitality and a good night to all. 5

6 Meeting & Market Place Details Group Leaders Operators are encouraged to invite their Group Leaders, also known as charter customers, to participate in market place when they can meet and visit with associate members. Many trips will be initiated by Group Leaders participating in this opportunity, trips that take the motorcoaches out of the parking lot and out on the highways! There are two Market Place sessions for group leaders and associates. Group leaders are seated and associates have a 5-minute visit at each table. Lake Lanier Islands CVB has created unique familiarization tours for group leaders on Monday, which include dinner. Group leaders should arrive by 11:00 to check in at their hotel and participate in their tour. Please observe the deadlines so appropriate plans can be made for your Group Leaders (Charter Customers) upon receipt of Group Leader registration packet. MARKET PLACE SESSIONS A special Market Place is dedicated to coach sales. It is a time for coach sales representatives to talk privately with the operators about vehicle specific information and operators are expected to visit the coach display. The coach sales Market Place is scheduled Sunday as a part of a full day of operator education. There are four Market Place sessions for operators and associates. Operators are seated and associates have 5-minute visits with each operator. Associates are divided so that only half of the registered associates attend either Market Place I or Market Place II, likewise for Market Place III and Market Place IV. Use your time wisely. If you do not need five minutes, please move on to the next available operator. A bell will ring at each 5-minute interval as a reminder. Operators, bring business cards. This is so important. You should plan to bring at least 300 business cards to pass out during Market Place and during networking opportunities. The Grand Majestic Dinner Theater is sponsoring 3-ring binders for the Operators Market Place. Associates, please bring your handouts 3-hole punched. Plan to deliver your material to the operators in Market Place. Simply leave it with the operators to place in the right tab. If you mark your handout with your membership category, it is a simple task for the operator. If your handout does not lend itself to hole-punching, please put it in a hole-punched acetate folder. DISPLAY BOOTHS GMOA-AMA-SCMA s regional meeting and market place will offer booth space for those associates who wish to bring a display. The displays will be placed convenient to the market place and other meeting events. It is estimated that as many as 15 display booths, space permitting, will be sold at $200 each. They will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis when the announcement is made. Please select the display booth option on the registration form. Display booths present an excellent opportunity for a prize drawing to promote your product as well. You will be responsible for the drawing and delivery of your prize. If you have questions, please contact Julia at the GMOA-AMA-SCMA office, or mmmjulia@embarqmail.com. DRESS CODE Pack for comfort keeping in mind that while you re dressing for comfort, you re a professional. Dress code for all meeting events will be casual except for Market Place, which is a place of business. Logo wear is acceptable. Casual dress is acceptable for Monday Market Place because tours are scheduled following market place. If you have questions or concerns, please call the GMOA-AMA-SCMA office. The staff welcome the opportunity to be of service. If you have special needs, please alert staff prior to the regional meeting. 6

7 GIFTS AND DOOR PRIZES Gifts for the registration bags, group leader bags, or specifically for operators are a good way to get your name in front of the operators and others. It is a good way to get special recognition in printed materials for the regional meeting and afterwards. If you enjoy getting gifts in your registration bag, consider giving a gift. It is fun and it is a nice way to say welcome to the Regional Meeting. Because of the generosity of members in the past, door prizes have become so numerous that it takes a long time to distribute them despite the varied ways that staff has tried to make it a smooth, efficient distribution. Therefore, door prizes will be accepted on a limited basis. Only the first 15 door prizes registered will be accepted for distribution during education sessions. The best thing to do is complete the sponsor form which has been ed to all members. Fax or the form to the association office. If you have questions or want to check the status of registered door prizes, please call Cindy at or at cindy_p@embarqmail.com. REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION Your registration confirmation will be ed to you about three weeks in advance of the regional meeting. Please review the confirmation carefully to make sure that your commitments are correct. If you signed up for a tour and find that your plans have changed, be sure to notify association staff as quickly as possible. Guaranteed numbers are given to host sponsors beginning about two weeks in advance of the regional meeting. The operator registration list will be published in electronic form unless the GMOA-AMA-SCMA office has been notified to send it by mail. AWARDS MARKET PLACE OPERATOR OF THE YEAR for GMOA-AMA-SCMA will be someone selected by the Associate membership recognizing the efforts made to use their product and recognizing the efforts made to be attentive and interested in information presented during Market Place appointments. MARKET PLACE ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR for GMOA-AMA-SCMA will be someone selected by the Operator membership recognizing the efforts of an Associate who has earned the trust and confidence of Operators to provide quality service. MARKET PLACE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR for GMOA-AMA-SCMA will be someone selected by the Operator membership who was most impressive in this year s Market Place in selling to the operators. The Rookie will be a new member or a first time attendee, who has not attended the Regional Meeting prior to GMOA will also present its prestigious Outstanding Operator of the Year and Outstanding Associate of the Year awards. These awards will be presented Tuesday evening, August 11, at the Awards Banquet. NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION Many operators and tour operators will participate in this session. Operators will visit assigned tables for a get to know discussion so associates may learn more about them prior to market place. Veteran Members, including operators and associates, are welcomed in the new member orientation session. Your expertise in the group market over years of experience is priceless when shared with new members or first time attendees. If you are a new member or this is your first time to attend the regional meeting, come join us to learn, not only information about Market Place and the associations in general, but maybe pick up a tidbit of information that might help you, as a new member or a first timer, network effectively with operators, gain their confidence and trust, and gain more motorcoach group business. You may submit any questions you have in advance by calling Linda at or at info@gamotorcoachoperators.org. Audience participation is encouraged and welcomed. GOLF Legacy on Lake Lanier combines a great golf experience with the unmatched beauty of Lake Lanier Islands. Experience friendly service and gorgeous natural surroundings. The golf fee is $80 per participant. 7

8 Thank You Sponsors GMOA-AMA-SCMA are grateful for the support of their Associate members. To date, these members are contributing financial support for meal events, meeting programs, notepads, pocket schedules, badges, registration bags, registration gifts and operator gifts. It is not too late to participate in the meeting as a sponsor. Call Cindy at or fax the sponsor form to The support of Associate Members is essential to implement a meeting that is of the quality to which members have become accustomed. Financial support for events helps keep registration fees at a minimum for all attendees. Sponsorships also give Associates an opportunity to be recognized and appreciated in a special way. We are happy to promote the sponsors by pre-meeting newsletter recognition, signage, program highlights, and post-meeting newsletter recognition. Every effort is made to let the sponsors know how much the members and staff appreciate this meeting support. A special thank you is extended to the following sponsors of the Regional Meeting to date: ABC Companies American Bus Association CH Bus Sales/ TEMSA Dothan Area CVB Kelton Tours Unlimited Lake Lanier CVB and its partners Motor Coach Industries National Interstate Insurance Company Prevost Protective Insurance Company Ridgeland Tourism Commission Ripley s Aquarium of the Smokies Sardo Bus & Coach Upholstery Smoky Mountain Resorts Hospitality Group The Grand Majestic Dinner Theater The National World War II Museum TranSouth Motorcoach United Motorcoach Association Visit Lubbock, THE CVB 8