“The times…they are a changin’”…

No, I’m not really going to talk about the economy…seems you can’t swing a dead skunk without hitting someone who IS talking/complaining/moaning about the economy.  Is it effecting tourism?

Sorta…people are being far more judicious in the allocation of their funds, but entertainment is still entertainment, and travel is still something we all want to do.  If anything, this is a good time for the motorcoach industry, as we are the most economical (averaging 200+ passenger miles per gallon) and environmentally friendly mode of transportation out there.  If we can just get that word out, we’re going to see results.

Suppliers, it’s just as much our responsibility as the Operator’s!  Do you help spread the word?  Do you know enough about the industry to be able to answer questions when asked?  Do you have a referral list? You should be ready when Gladys calls to bring her group, but doesn’t have a way to get there — “Can’t you just send a bus to pick us up?”  Yes, I HAVE been asked that more often than you might believe.  Do you sell for your partner Operators?

Everything is changing, and will continue to change…we’re seeing the first steps towards shows moving together (NTA and UMA will “join forces” starting in 2011).  It’s just the tip of the iceberg, as I believe you’ll see more of a movement towards consolidation (or co-location, the current buzz word).  While things are getting tight on the Operator side, they are starting to realize that things are getting just as tight on our side (if not tighter)!  Budgets are getting cut, shows are trimmed from plans, and we’ve got to maximize the impact of every penny spent.

And the “big shows” are trying new things…destination pods, shorter shows, combined appointments, longer appointments, shorter appointments, eliminated “mating sessions”.  Is it carved in stone?  Not if I have anything to say about it!  I know we’re all looking for a way to maximize the potential impact while minimizing the expense of the big national shows.  NTA is trying some new ideas, and ABA has their own new twists to an old format.

It’s going to be an interesting year…let’s talk about it!  You can comment here, or send me something on FaceBook or Twitter, and let me know what you think.  What’s going to work?  What isn’t? What do you think about the changes being implemented by NTA and ABA? What are you cutting, and why?  It’s all fascinating, and can be very helpful to those who are still trying to figure out how to deal with all the changes.

This entry was posted on April 20, 2009 at 4:02 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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