Spring Forward, Fall Into More Business…

I said something in the last entry about Group Leader Shows, and the scheduling thereof. So I’ll tackle that topic here, and go ahead and rant a bit!

The discussion started when I received a letter from Sam Shea, President of the Maryland Motorcoach Association, confirming that they are moving their annual Group Leader Marketplace back to March, immediately prior to the Pennsylvania Bus Association’s Marketplace. I shared with them all (either on the phone or in letters) that I think this is a bad idea, and I’d love it if some of you would join in the discussion. It all comes down to the Group Leaders…after all, aren’t these shows for them, and to help encourage them to book business with all of us (including the Operators)? Baseline fact — there are only three groups of people that participate in a Group Trade Show: Suppliers, Operators and Group Leaders.

Let’s dig in a bit more. These shows aren’t for us Suppliers. We’re there to sell, not to be sold to (even though that happens, too!). And they shouldn’t be about the Operators. Sure, it’s their buses that bring the Group Leaders to the Marketplace, and it’s their buses that will bring the Groups to their destinations. But these shows are for the Group Leaders, pure and simple. They are the people making the wheels turn and keeping the coaches on the road.

We’ve got to keep that fact in mind, and schedule these shows when they will benefit the Group Leaders. After years in this business, I’ve learned a simple fact. Group Leaders don’t care, except for when they care! For the first six months of the year, except in very early January, Group Leaders aren’t as interested. Their planning for this year is over, and it’s too early to think about next year. But in the second half of the year, they are in planning mode, and very interested in information, itineraries, and planning materials.

Real world example: For years, Maryland Motorcoach had their marketplace in late March/early April.  And, no offense to my friends south of the Mason/Dixon line, it was not good.  Probably 3/4 of the Group Leaders attending were just there for the freebies.  I lost count how many would say “Oh, we’ve already planned all our trips for this year.”  Sorry, but not worth the money, lodging, travel, and expenses to give away some pens.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago…MMA moved their Marketplace to August.  And it was AMAZING!  Almost no “trick-or-treating”!  Group Leaders were asking for our next year’s schedule as soon as they saw who’s booth it was, and before I could say anything beyond “Good Morning”.  They nearly didn’t care about goodies…they were working on planning, and were genuinely interested.

And that’s what’s important…when the Group Leaders are genuinely interested, it means business for us all!  For the suppliers, and moreso for the Operators.  So we need to schedule these events for a time when it’s going to work for our customers…and that’s the last five months of the year! This theory has been borne out time and again, with shows in September (VMA, Fun Tours) and November (NJMCA).  If we hold these shows when they are planning, we all benefit.

I have written and encouraged MMA to reconsider moving their Marketplace back to March.  And I’ve already asked it to be added to the agenda for the next Pennsylvania Bus board meeting.  I’ll let you know if it works, or if we consider to schedule these shows for the wrong reasons.  And if you’d like to send along your comments, I would be happy to pass them along to the powers that be!

“Of course, that’s just my opinion…I could be wrong.”

This entry was posted on December 12, 2007 at 3:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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