LEISURE TRAVEL June 2010 Prepared By: Rosemarie Payne, CHME Director Leisure Travel, USA & Canada RECAP Trade Shows/Missions June 2010 6/2-3 AAA Auto Club South Sales Blitz Tampa, Bradenton, Sarasota 6/9-10 AAA Auto Club South Sales Blitz Villages, Gainesville, Ponte Vedra, Daytona 6/13-14 GOGO Vacations Call Center/Destination Training Chicago, IL 6/17 GOGO Team Leader Luncheon Baltimore, MD 6/16-17 AAA Auto Club South Sales Blitz Vero Beach, Ft. Pierce, Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Pompano Beach, Naples, Ft. Myers, Venice, Port Charlotte 6/22 Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber Event Orlando 6/24 Mark Travel Destination Day Orlando 6/25 Hotelbeds.com Destination Day Orlando 6/27-28 Vacation.com Annual Tradeshow - Orlando TRADESHOWS/SALES MISSIONS AAA Auto Club South Florida - Statewide Calls June 2010 ATTENDANCE: PARTICPATION: 4-6 agents per office location Alden Beach Resort, TradeWinds Island Resorts, Hampton Inn Clearwater, Fairfield Inn Clearwater, Sirata Beach Resort DISTRIBUTED: 100 visitor guides, 100 area guides, 100 beach maps The counselors are seeing a trend in closer and shorter vacations with focus on the hotel activities and amenities for families. The AAA at the Villages office coordinates day trips for Tarpon Springs and Ray s baseball games for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. All of the counselors at each office were advised to visit our website to view our current beach web-cams. RECOMMENDATION: This sales blitz continues to be one of the best ways to reach the AAA offices & staff face-to-face. Blitzes are planned for the fall of 2010. STAFFED BY: Gail Yeager
GOGO Worldwide Vacations Call Center Training Chicago, IL June 13-14, 2010 ATTENDANCE: 7 reservation staff, 2 office managers DISTRIBUTED: 10 Visitor Guides, 10 Area Guides This was a last minute opportunity to meet with one of GOGO s largest reservation offices to update them on the status of our beaches. VSPC was able to conduct one on one presentations with the entire staff with the goal of ensuring them and more importantly, their customers, that our pristine beaches are wide open. As a direct result of this trip, VSPC was able to secure a luncheon meeting with the senior management staff and President of the company later in the week. RECOMMENDATION: This was a one-time opportunity. VSPC staff will continue to look for other opportunities with tour operator partners in the future. GOGO Worldwide Vacations Senior Managers Luncheon- Baltimore, MD June 17, 2010 ATTENDANCE: 12 area team leaders and the President of GOGO Worldwide Vacations DISTRIBUTED: 12 Visitor Guides and 12 Area Maps As a direct result from the GOGO meeting in Chicago on June 14 th, VSPC was able to host the senior management team to showcase our new summer television spot. In addition to reassuring the management team that our beaches are wide open, this initiative strengthened our partnership with this valuable domestic account. GOGO Worldwide Vacations delivers in excess of 1 million dollars in room revenue to Pinellas County annually. RECOMMENDATION: VSPC will continue to look for similar initiatives with other key domestic wholesale partners. Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce Reception Orlando, FL June 22, 2010 ATTENDANCE: 30 travel industry & tourism professionals (travel agents, wholesalers, receptive operators) DISTRIBUTED: 50 Visitor Guides, 50 Area Guides
The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber held their third annual Appreciate the Beach reception in Orlando to showcase summer deals and to give an update on the Gulf oil spill. The event included an upscale reception which allowed ample time to network with our guests in a private setting. The attendees included managers from AAA, The Mark Travel Corp., Hotelbeds, along with travel agents from the Orlando region. Overall the event was a cost and time effective way to reinforce our relationships with our key leisure accounts in the Orlando area. RECOMMENDATION: VSPC should continue to participate and support this annual event and provide feedback to make the 2011 event even stronger for the destination. Mark Travel Destination Day Orlando, FL June 24, 2010 ATTENDANCE: 145 reservation agents PARTICIPATION: Sirata, Holiday Inn & Suites Clearwater, Renaissance Vinoy, Sunset Vistas, TradeWinds Island Resorts, Alden Beach Resort DISTRIBUTED: 150 Visitor Guides, 100 Area Guides, 100 Beach Maps This initiative is our annual visit for destination and partner training for the Mark Travel call center staff. The accommodation partners and VSPC set-up a mini tradeshow for the staff in their break room for the morning. This was a great opportunity for VSPC to get the message out that our beaches remain 100% oil free. VSPC invited the staff to visit our website to view the live web-cams of our beautiful beaches in both North and South County. After the training sessions, VSPC hosted a luncheon/networking meeting with four of Mark Travel brand managers and hotel partners. RECOMMENDATION: This is an important annual trip to Orlando for destination training for the call center staff at Mark Travel Corporation. VSPC will continue this trip for 2011. STAFFED BY: Gail Yeager Hotelbeds.com Destination Day Orlando, FL June 25, 2010 ATTENDANCE: 30-40 reservation staff PARTICIPATION: Renaissance Vinoy, TradeWinds Island Resorts, Don CeSar, Hyatt Regency Clearwater, Holiday Inn & Suites Clearwater, Sirata, Marriott Suites Sand Key, Quality Inn on the Beach, Hilton Clearwater Beach, Barefoot Beach Resort, Alden Beach Resort MATERIALS
DISTRIBUTED: 40 Visitor Guides, 40 Area Guides, 40 Beach Maps This is VSPC s annual visit for destination training for Hotelbeds call center staff. Hotelbeds is one of the largest receptive operators in Orlando. Two presentations were given, which included viewing the VSPC destination video. This training provided VSPC and our hotel partners a tremendous opportunity to educate the staff and their customers that the beaches of St. Pete/Clearwater are completely 100% oil free. VSPC also touted the new Chihuly gallery and the new Dali museum, set to open 1/11/11. VSPC also invited the agents to view themselves and send customers to our new live web-cams of our beaches. RECOMMENDATION: This is an annual trip to Orlando for destination training at this key Receptive Operator s call center in Orlando. Approved again in the 2010-2011 budget. STAFFED BY: Gail Yeager Vacation.com Annual Trade Show Orlando, FL June 27-28, 2010 ATTENDANCE: Over 900 travel agency managers and owners PARTICIPATION: Bilmar Beach Resort MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED: 150 Visitor Guides, 300 Area Guides, 200 Beach-Cam Can Coolers This is our third year exhibiting at the Vacation.com s annual tradeshow and conference. Vacation.com is the largest travel consortia in the United States and this is the only opportunity each year to exhibit to their member travel agencies. The show s attendance was up over last year and the quality of the attendees was excellent. There was once again an increase of agents from Canada this year and our primary domestic markets were also well represented. RECOMMENDATION: For 2011, VSPC should expand its presence and attend the entire conference in order to discover more ways in which VSPC can promote our destination to this consortium. CANADIAN MARKET UPDATE 65 guests including tour operators, CAA Niagara & Toronto and travel industry media are confirmed for the VSPC/Busch Gardens 8 th annual Beaches & Baseball event in Toronto 8/6/10. VSPC will host the 3 rd Annual International Leisure Travel Forum on September 8 th at the Renaissance Vinoy. Rosemarie Payne will join the directors from the UK and Central European offices in presenting a Market Update on Canada. VSPC sent out an industry notice regarding the Addison Travel Shows in Canada
October 4-7, 2010. VSPC is negotiating a double booth for this show in the Florida section, allowing up to 5 industry partners the opportunity to attend these important shows without booth costs. VSPC is working with Mike Baginski and the Travel Courier on our annual contest this fall. VSPC will be featured on the cover of the December issue, and in a 1-page spread inviting travel agents to register for a week stay in St. Pete/Clearwater. Sponsors for this contest to be determined. UPCOMING EVENTS Sales Missions July 2010 7/6-9 Philadelphia Sales Mission and Beaches & Baseball Event 7/13-15 New England VIP Dinner Events 7/19-23 New York City & New Jersey Sales Blitz 7/30-31 Travel Agents of Tennessee (TAT) Tradeshow Nashville, TN Educational FAM Trips 9/28 Florida Motorcoach Association 10/2-4 TAM Airlines FAM Brazil 10/5 Co-hosting DeNur Tours Canada FAM Dinner with TradeWinds Sandpiper 10/20-23 Willy Scharnow FAM Germany