Tour operators have a message for their DMO partners: We need you now more than…
Pro tips for DMOs
Tips for Tuesday at TREX
North American DMOs
Right now (finish this sentence first), register for Travel Exchange and connect with your state or provincial DMO. Find out if he or she is leading your area’s Sales Mission on appointment-free Tuesday at TREX.
- If your area’s DMO has already committed to leading a Sales Mission, ask to be part of it.
- If that person has not committed to attending TREX, say you’re counting on them to be there, and wait for a positive response.
- If that state or provincial DMO is a hard no, get with other DMOs and form your state or province’s Sales Mission. One of you should take charge and contact Dawn Pettus, NTA’s director of events.
- If you are that state or provincial DMO and you’re ready to lead a mission, contact Dawn Pettus.
- Tuesday is caucus day, too! If you want to share leads with your state or province’s suppliers prior to their appointments, contact Dawn Pettus to let her know; she will nail down a meeting place for you.
Overseas DMOs
Get ready for your close-up. On appointment-free Tuesday at 1 p.m., we’ll begin the first-ever Best Pitch, a lineup of NTA members representing international destinations—either an NTO, a regional or city DMO, or a receptive operator—each giving a brief overview on packaging travel to their country. Your audience will be 20, 40, or more buyers. You won’t be showing video or PowerPoints, but you can hand out collateral and giveaways—and you’ve got four minutes to make your best pitch. The goal is for you to introduce yourself to buyers you might not have met with, so that when they’re ready to offer a new tour, they know who to contact.
PRO TIPS for all sellers
- Lunch on Tuesday: The midday meal will take place on the TREX Floor, providing time for additional networking. So buddy up with a buyer or two.
- Caucus!: At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, state and provincial caucuses will give time for DMOs and suppliers to get together and share leads and strategies.
- More networking: After the formal business sessions are completed, the informal ones begin. Keep shaking hands at the 5 p.m. happy hour and at evening dine-arounds.
- Unelectric: Tuesday presentations won’t include projectors and big screens, so get creative with iPads, printed itineraries, and tchotchkes.