|
Over the course of the past decade, TTNA has been conducting travel agent Workshops throughout the US. In recent years, we’ve expanded the Workshop Series to include select cities in Canada.
As we have received many questions over the years in regards to our Workshop Series, prior to providing you with the results of our 2007 Workshop Series, we wanted to quickly address some of these frequently asked questions!
Q. How does TTNA go about soliciting partners for the Workshop Series?
A. We contact all preferred partners for participation in the Workshop series. This includes our preferred Tour Operator, Hotel, Cruise, and Airline partners.
Q. Who does TTNA invite to attend the Workshops?
A. We send out invitations to travel agents using several different methods:
1. We encourage our participating partners to invite their top travel agents and agencies.
2. We use third party companies to send out geo-targeted invitations to opt-in travel agents throughout the US and Canada.
3. We send out announcements and invitations to our Tiare Agents who are working towards their certification, as well as Certified Tahiti Tiare Agents, advising (and inviting) them to join the Workshop as a referesher.
Q. How are the cities selected?
A. We solicit our participating partners to nominate cities for selection. The cities nominated are then voted upon for final selection by the participating partners.
Q. (From participating partner representatives): Why don’t we receive more information on the Workshops prior to arriving at the venue?
A. TTNA has one main contact for each company for the Workshop series. As we often have about 16 partners participating in the Workshop Series, and quite a bit of information to distribute, it is much more efficient to have one contact at each company – and then rely on that contact to disseminate the information to their colleagues.
Q. Are certified Tahiti Tiare Agents the only agents attending the Workshops?
A. Definitely not! The main point of this program is to increase the number of travel agents enrolled in the Tahiti Tiare Specialist Program. In addition, we do encourage certified Tahiti Travel Specialists to attend the Workshops as a refresher and product update.
Recap of the 2007 Workshop Series
As outlined in previous Partner Updates, a new workshop format was used this year. Feedback from travel agents and partners has been primarily positive concerning the changes made this year.
In previous years, TTNA had held morning sessions which ran from 8:00 AM until about 12:00 noon. The morning sessions included a continental breakfast followed by a presentation from a TTNA representative covering the destination in approximately two hours. Following that presentation, we offered the partners 3 minutes each to present their Tahiti specific product. This was presented to the entire audience at one time.
For 2007, in order to reach more travel agents, and possibly a different pool of travel agents including home based agents, TTNA and our partners opted for an evening series. Each workshop began with a reception at 4:30 PM, allowing retail agents and our suppliers to network with the travel agents while enjoying hors d’œuvres and cocktails. After the networking event, TTNA gave a one-hour destination focused presentation. This presentation included: geography, culture, activities, air service, accommodation, and cruise product.
Travel agents then separated into small, rotating groups that traveled from table to table listening to 8-minute in-depth partner presentations on their respective products. Each workshop concluded with prize drawings generously donated by our participating partners.
An additional benefit of the new format for the attending agents is that these agents complete 2 of the 4 requirements for their Tiare Specialist Certification: the Tahiti Workshop Presentation and a Partner Presentation! The remaining two requirements to become a Certified Tahiti Tiare Agent are: 4 bookings and a FAM trip within one year of enrollment.
We’ve received quite a bit of feedback from travel agents and our partners from the 2007 series! We’ve included a few of the comments below.
"Thank you for the delightful Travel Agent Workshop... it was most informative, good tour operator information and the presentation was very enjoyable. The food was delicious too... The "Tahiti Binder" is absolutely terrific!!!! Mauru'uru roa!"
-Travel Agent
“The format change was well accepted and enabled us to give more one-on-one attention. The cocktail hour was a good opportunity to network (both with the travel agents and our partners). The workshops were well attended, most with qualified agents.”
-Airline
“I have to start out by saying that there will never be a perfect format, but this current one certainly gave the suppliers more individual exposure with the agents. Agent seating arrangement: in some places we had three rows and realize that this was to save time. However, with the high level of noise in the rooms, and the use of laptops for visuals, the third row was too far away.
-Hotelier
“I enjoyed having two vendors per table which allowed vendors to have a “breather” between groups of agents. The presentation was full of great info and the quality of the agents was great.
-Tour Operator
“I liked the inter-active portion of the event, when we presented to a small group of travel agents, it was more personal and better than a regular trade show. I could have used a few more minutes to present all of my properties.”
-Hotelier
“The Workshops were a wonderful way to meet a large number of travel agents in each city as well as have the time to present our company and it’s products. The new format of each supplier having 8 minutes to present to the agents worked well.”
-Tour Operator
“I have to admit that I liked the previous years format better. The problem everyone encountered with the DC training was the size of the room… I think it was great giving the wholesalers the opportunity to talk with the agents. I heard positive feedback from other reps who attended other cities.”
-Tour Operator
“These were my first seminars with Tahiti, and I have to say that the Chicago one was terrific. I felt Atlanta was less enthusiastic. I felt the evening concept was too intrusive having the “cocktail and hors d’œuvres hour and then the presentation…it’s always hard to balance, but I feel the morning seminars would be best with music, posters and excitement from the participants.
-Cruise line
“I really liked the new format, the roundtable gives a more personal approach…the only thing I would suggest is different cities.”
-Tour Operator
“The turnout was not as great as in past years – it was probably the hotel as it was located on the east side (NYC) and not too accessible by the subway and buses… The evening was a bit long and making the same presentation 8 times is the downside of the new format. We prefer to do one presentation as in the past.”
-Airline
“The setup was very well done. The 8 minutes was enough time for me to do my presentation, and I liked the venues. Overall it was very successful!”
-Hotelier
“As always, the workshops were well organized with everyone working together. The presentation and workshop agenda was very thorough from an educational standpoint and held the agents attention… Specifically found the interest level excellent in Boston and Bethesda – it was very worthwhile.
-Hotelier
As usual, we welcome more feedback and input on our Workshop Series that will help us refine and improve next year’s series! We will be sending a survey to all participating partner representatives that attended our Workshops.
A sincere Mauru’uru roa! to our participating partners and to those who spent time helping to make our workshop series successful!
The following details the schedule and attendance of the 2007 Workshop Series:
| May 8 |
Boston, MA |
64 Attendees |
| |
Manhattan Beach, CA |
93 Attendees |
| May 9 |
San Francisco, CA |
76 Attendees |
| |
Manhattan, NY |
74 Attendees |
| May 10 |
Maryland/DC |
74 Attendees |
| |
Seattle, WA |
42 Attendees |
| May 15 |
Altanta, GA |
74 Attendees |
| |
Cincinnati, OH |
22 Attendees |
| May 16 |
Chicago, IL |
60 Attendees |
| |
Dallas, TX |
66 Attendees |
| May 17 |
San Diego, CA |
82 Attendees |
| |
Denver, CO |
70 Attendees |
| May 18 |
Vancouver, BC |
76 Attendees |
| May 19 |
Toronto, ON |
65 Attendees |
| May 20 |
Montreal, QC |
84 Attendees |
Participated Partners:
Accor/Sofitel Hotels & Resorts
Air France
Air Tahiti Nui
Aranui Cruises/CPTM
Boomerang Tours
Bora Bora Lagoon Resort & Spa
Classic Vacations
Club Med
Happy Vacations
Haumana Cruises
Hotel Kia Ora
InterContinental French Polynesia
Islands in the Sun
IslandsEscapes by Goway
Le Meridien Hotels de Polynesie
Pacific holidays
Pearl Resorts & Le Taha'a Private Island & Spa
Pleasant Holidays
Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti
Regent Seven Seas
Star Clippers
Starwood Hotels & Resorts French Polynesia
Sunspots
Swain Tours
Tahiti Legends
Travel Impressions
Voyages Cassis
|
