EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS

Spotlight Session | Plastics are the Travel Industry’s Worst Nightmare
9–10 a.m.
Speakers: Christian de Boer, Jaya House
Patrick Marsden, MaCher

Plastic water bottles, and other plastic wastes such as straws and packaging, are slowly destroying some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Did you know that more than 8 million tons of plastics are dumped into the oceans every year? And approximately 2.7 million tons of plastic water bottles are used annually, but most are not recycled. It is not too late to reverse course and RefillTheWorld is one movement that is at the forefront of a global effort to dramatically reduce plastic waste. Co-founded by Christian de Boer, managing director at the boutique hotel Jaya House in Siem Reap, Cambodia, RefillTheWorld’s mission is to build a global network of water refill stations by partnering with those in the travel industry to provide travelers and guests reusable water bottles and places to refill them. Join Christian and Patrick Marsden with MaCher for this interactive presentation where you will learn how you can take steps to help reduce and eliminate plastics pollution from your businesses and destinations.

Winning Body Language to Influence and Persuade
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Facilitator: Mark Bowden, Truthplane

With a highly competitive marketplace, superior communication skills will prove more than ever the key to your success. In this session, you will learn the optimal body language techniques that engage, influence and persuade others, motivating them to work and do business with you. Mark will help you to more accurately assess body language so you can better understand the motivations of others. And you will learn how to use and read body language to produce the right atmosphere in the room that will affect the engagement of your audience to add value to every interaction.

Seminar TBA
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Speaker:

Description coming soon.

Master Level | Putting your Body Language Knowledge into Practice
2–3 p.m.
Speaker: Mark Bowden, Truthplane

Building on your knowledge of body language, Mark will dive into greater detail the principles and techniques, and further define physical and verbal structures by which you can deliver your message which will improve your efficacy in moving your listeners through a story toward your end goal. Additionally, you will learn to model body language that your audience will mirror to provoke positive thoughts and feelings for them, as well as help garner intelligence and information for you no matter the context whether it be in sales meetings, pitches, presentations, or trade shows. (Attendance in prior body language session not necessary.)

Seminar TBA
2–3 p.m.
Speaker:

Description coming soon.

Seminar TBA
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Speaker:

Description coming soon.

Ask the Operator for Suppliers
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Moderator:
Panelists:

It wouldn’t be an NTA event without our Ask the Operator sessions! This is a great opportunity for tour suppliers to get answers from operators on those “everything you always wanted to ask an operator but were afraid to ask” questions. Our diverse panel of tour operator members have years of experience in the industry, and they are ready to share their ideas, expertise, and opinions.

Spotlight Session | Managing Up, Part 1: How to Succeed with Any Type of Boss
9–9:15 a.m.
Speaker: Mary Abbajay, Careerstone Group

Whether we like it or not, our bosses have enormous influence over our ability to succeed, thrive, and advance in our organizations and in our careers. Whether you are reporting to a supervisor, middle manager, VP, top executive, or a board of directors, managing up is a skill that we all need. In part one of this this lively and interactive workshop, participants explore proven strategies and techniques to increase cooperation and collaboration between those who have different power levels, perspectives, and workplace preferences. Participants will receive tools on how to navigate “difficult” boss behaviors and adapt to different leadership styles while taking ownership for their own professional success.

Master Level |  Managing Up, Down, and Across: The Power of Adapting
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Speaker: Mary Abbajay, Careerstone Group

Developing robust and effective workplace relationships—with our bosses, colleagues, and our clients–is essential to career success in the travel industry. Working successfully with others requires developing self-awareness and an understanding of how we, as individuals, impact others—both positively and negatively. In part two of the Managing Up workshop, participants take a deeper dive to explore how personality preferences and differences play a significant role in our interactions with coworkers, team members, supervisors, and staff members. Participants gain heightened awareness of their own distinctive personality type, communication style and preferred ways of working with others. This eye-opening and highly interactive session helps participants develop strategies to work successfully with different personality types.

FIT Market Seminar
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Automation and Integration
1:30–2:30 p.m.
Speaker: Michael Schutes, Swift Tourism Digital Media

You have your business’s website, Facebook, and your favorite social channels.  Now what? Let’s see how you can take these and other apps to making your online presence better.  This session will show you examples of what other actions you could be taking to integrate your business online.  From good Ratings apps to Mobile functionality and visibility; Customer Trust to Fraud Prevention; integrating automation from your email platform to your customer list and website.  You’ll hear insights into when and how to use Google to help you get better. And what about good SEO? How has that advanced since its early days and how can we automate it? This session will help you determine what is good for your business and how some simple, inexpensive apps can assist you in building a bigger brand online.

China Market Seminar
1:30–2:30 p.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

NTA Tour Supplier Network Forum
2:45–3:45 p.m.
Facilitator: Alyssa Keshel, American Music Theatre

Join us for a conversation with NTA’s new Supplier Network. Your goal is to have the largest amount of visitors to your place of business and provide them with quality service during their visit. While you might be competing with other attractions, restaurants and hotels for customers or a spot in an itinerary, you are all looking to increase visitation and spending, sop there are synergies to discuss. It’s time to share ideas and best practices with your industry colleagues.

NTA DMO Network Forum
2:45–3:45 p.m.
Facilitator: Monica Hall, Abingdon Virginia CVB

Come learn about NTA’s new DMO Network and join the conversation. After the 4-1-1, attendees will breakout into roundtable discussions on topics relevant to DMOs of all sizes, geography and composition. While you may be competing for the same customers or spot in an itinerary, you are all looking to increase visitation, and there are synergies to discuss. It’s time to share ideas and best practices with your industry colleagues. This session is valuable for the seasoned DMO and first time attendees.

NTA Tour Operator Network Forum
2:45–3:45 p.m.
Facilitator: Michelle Pino, Northwest Unlimited Tours

NTA’s diverse group of tour operator members share many common challenges and opportunities. Join your tour operator colleagues for an interactive and dynamic discussion to gain insights, share concepts for collaboration and brainstorm ways to grow your business. This is your opportunity to talk business, exchange ideas and share opinions and ideas from the best in the business, so come prepared to participate.

NTA Associate Network Forum
2:45–3:45 p.m.
Facilitator: Sue Barbanel, Travel Insured

NTA’s associate members offer an array of products, services, tools and resources that benefit NTA members in many areas. In addition to assisting members, you have the opportunity to be a resource for each other to navigate the opportunities available to you through your NTA membership. Join your fellow NTA associates for an open discussion to brainstorm the ways you can increase your business and partnerships, share industry trends, or best practices.

E-commerce: Selling your Tours and Products Online
4–5 p.m.
Speaker: Michael Schutes, Swift Tourism Digital Media

Are you yet using your website and emails to direct your clients to buying your trips online?   The world of E-Commerce has been speeding along while the tourism sector has been playing catch-up.  Learn about how the methods and apps used in the E-Commerce world can be used to grow you business and make it more efficient.  Find out how you can use “layaway” to attract even more customers, or by providing F.I.T. and Group quotes online you can have your clients pay when and how they like.  Determine what other tips and tricks can be used to help your business. You’ll come away with a better picture of how the best practices of E-Commerce can assist you as well as a good blueprint for beginning to take bookings online.

Legal Seminar TBA
4–5 p.m.
Speaker: Jeff Ment, Ment Law Group

Description coming soon.

Spotlight Session | Understanding the Differences among Generations
9:30–10:30 a.m.
Speaker: Cathleen Johnson, Cathleen Johnson Tourism Consultants

Join Cathleen for an in-depth look at the demographics, travel desires and consumer behaviors of Boomers and Seniors. In this session, you’ll explore the similarities and differences between these generations, particularly when it comes to the influences on their buying decisions, and how you can reach these affluent travelers in your outreach and marketing campaigns.

Master Level | Adjusting Your Business for Changing Audiences
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Speaker: Cathleen Johnson, Cathleen Johnson Tourism Consultants

Research about your target audience is important to growing your business, but once you have the data, what has to change within your organization in order to attract and keep the new Millennial and Gen X buyer? In this session we’ll explore these questions: Do you have Millennial and Gen X employees in the right positions in your company, and are you set up to attract them? How accepting is your management of change needed in your organization to be in the social media mainstream? Does your marketing match your audience? And what about your product offering— does it, and how does it, need to change in order to attract and keep the Millennial and Gen X audience and buyer?

Faith Travel Market Seminar
11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Tourism Cares Seminar
2–3 p.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Improv-ing your Sales: Becoming a More Dynamic Seller Through the Art of Improv
2–3 p.m.
Speaker: Alyssa Keshel, American Music Theatre

Description coming soon.

Ask the NTA Associates
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Roundtable Facilitators: Matt Grayson, Dragon Trail Interactive; Sharon Broo, USI Affinity; Lucas Ennis, WeTravel; Sue Barbanel, Travel Insured; and more to come

Have a question about digital marketing , insurance, payment solutions or technology? This is the session you need to attend to get the advice from NTA’s associate member experts. In this session, associates from similar product segments will host/co-host a roundtable to answer your questions and/or help you with your challenges to work out solutions to your obstacles. These how-to, problem-solving, workshops are you chance to get one-on-one advice from the experts so come prepared to pose or present your questions and challenges.

Sports Travel Market Seminar
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Master Level | Advertising on Facebook and Instagram
9–10 a.m.
Speaker: Catherine Heeg, Customized Management Solutions

Digital advertising has become an effective way to narrow and target your audience but many marketing professionals are leery to take advantage of these tactics because they are unfamiliarity with the systems or not sure the effectiveness of these marketing features. In this session, Catherine will help you be at ease using these systems and will take a deep dive into the advanced features of digital advertising on two popular social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram. You’ll get into the weeds and focus on ways to fine tune your audiences, content and then report on the results.

Hispanic Travel Market Seminar
9–10 a.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Master Level | Social Ads and Video
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Speaker: Catherine Heeg, Customized Management Solutions

Video and social advertising are best friends in the world of travel and tourism. Let’s get into the weeds and explore the strategies and how-tos of savvy advertisers. From audience testing and successful measuring secrets to video creation, marketing finesse and how to narrow and exclude audiences, you will learn how to make the appealing content to reach your target market.

FIT for DMOs Seminar
10:30–11:30 a.m.
Speaker: TBA

Description coming soon.

Spotlight Session | TREX Forum
2–3:15 p.m.
Facilitator:

After a full week of networking, education and entertainment, what can you take away from Travel Exchange that will help you overcome the obstacles facing your business and capitalize on the opportunities? Join this session to compare notes, discuss ideas and insights and share key takeaways from your experiences in Fort Worth.