December 24, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Wow…what a year!  I’ve been so swamped with ABA MAC, Virginia Motorcoach here in Lancaster, and other activities that I have totally neglected this blog.  My bad, my shame, and I will strive to do better in 2010!

Actually, I may end up moving the whole shootin’ match before too long…1 & 1 Internet, my host provider, is great, but this blog is so restricted and “watered down” that I can’t use a lot of the tools and goodies that the Wordpress platform provides.

But that’s neither here nor there…tomorrow is Christmas, ABA Marketplace is only 20 days away at National Harbor, and 2010 WILL be a better year for us all.  I am totally confident in that fact…if nothing else, it can’t be much worse, ergo it must improve!

But we all agree that the next few years will be, as Spock always said in “Star Trek”, “fascinating”.  We’ve already seen the start of shakeouts, buyouts, mergers and the like, and there’s no reason to think that trend won’t continue, and perhaps even increase in activity!  And it’s not just Operators or suppliers merging or departing us…we may see some major landscape changes on the association and marketplace front as well.  As marketing dollars continue to get stretched to their max, something has to give, and ROI becomes less of an irritating concept, and more of a necessity!

But first things first…my very best wishes for an astounding Christmas, and a blessed and prosperous New Year for us all!  If you’re going to ABA, come look me up in the Orientation Center, or walking around the show floor with my little recorder.  We are going to do a bunch of recording during Marketplace this year, trying to capture some important information for our STAR (newbie) delegates.  The eventual goal…the first ever ABA Podcast!  Wish me luck, and see ya there!

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September 10, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

It’s been an interesting five months, and a very busy one!  That’s why I’ve been absent from this blog.  I’ve been focusing on helping develop some strategies to deal with the changes in our business.  It’s been fascinating (upsetting perhaps, disheartening yes, but still fascinating!).

Groups are dwindling as the older generation begins to leave us.  But the Booomer generation is not ready to take their place on the coaches. What will we do?

The groups that are still traveling are now wanting to book later and later…even adding more people the day before arrival!  What will we do?

Traditional destinations for groups are being asked for new options and opportunities, both places to visit and experiential tourism ideas.  What will we do?

Attendance and income are down across the board.  What will we do?

What will we do?  We’ll find a way to make it work!  The properties that plan ways to survive will do so.  Later deadlines, or more friendly policies, or more flexibility somehow.  Everyone I speak with seems to agree…the problem we’re facing is really something new to us all.

“Group Sales”, in it’s present form, has really only been around for 20-25 years.  Bus companies have been around longer, but the way we currently do things is relatively new.  So we’ve never had to deal with what’s facing us now…a generation shift.  Sadly, the “Greatest Generation” is leaving us, and the “Boomers” are not ready to retire and start traveling in their place yet.  My generation is retiring later, and is still independent.  So what do we do?

Reach out to them!  The Operators that are having success are offering a chance for boomers to ride the coach to a destination at a reduced price, or even for free.  In the process, the boomers are realizing that “taking the bus” is not what it used to be! We have wi-fi, and satellite television, and satellite radio, and DVD’s, and a lot of the comforts of home.  And they don’t have to worry about driving, directions, reservations, planning, or any of that.  The Operators I’ve spoken to who have done this have seen their boomer business increase.

Slowly? Yes. It may even take another year or two! But I truly believe that, once they start getting on board, the Boomers will be even more active than their predecessors were.  We’ve just got to entice them to give us a try.  And it takes all of us, promoting what Motorcoaches offer, how environmentally friendly they are, and how convenient it is to “leave the driving to us”!

Thoughts?  What works for you?  C’mon…share!  We’re all looking for answers, so don’t keep it to yourself!

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April 20, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

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.

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February 27, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

One last day in the Queen City.  It’s always bitter-sweet when the show ends.  I’m looking forward to getting home to Linda and the kids, but I’ve had such a blast, it’s sad to see it end!

More appointments today, and everyone’s highlight, the Broadway luncheon.  As usual, they brought out a great mix of the new (I had NOT heard about “Rock of Ages”, the 80’s Hard Rock musical…what fun!), and the classics (what a surprise…the Lion King preview was not “Shadowlands”!).  Of course, the highlight, as always, was the full cast of Jersey Boys doing several numbers.  Don’t care if I’ve seen that sequence about five times this year…I still get up, dance and clap along.  What a great show!

Maryland/DC/Virginia did a great job in the evening getting us excited about 2010 at the Gaylord National Harbor.  And then it was over, except one last time of craziness in the Westin bar.  It started with Emi and Michelle teasing the boys from Eastern Travel…next thing you knew, Emi was Robert, and Robert was Emi, and everyone was exchanging name tags and assuming another person’s identity.  I think we’ve started a new trend…I already have things arranged for who I will become in 2010.

It was a very funny end to a very good convention.  Was it all a hit?  Nope, but ABA continues to bat right around .900, and that’s an average that is nothing short of impressive.  And there’s ALWAYS room for improvement, and I know that improvement is #1 on Lynn, Vicki and Pete’s list.  In 2010, there will be more new ideas, new activities, and new opportunities.  And that, in a nutshell, is what ABA is all about!

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February 27, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Sunday in Charlotte…and it’s finally appointment time for us Attractions!

I’ve said it before, but the appointments really are not the highlight for me.  I do more “work” in Orientation and at the evening events, but I do enjoy the appointments!  The majority are with people I either know very well, or at least know fairly well.  But there’s still that moment when I can surprise them…either they didn’t know about our other theatres, or our touring company, or something.

But I also had “damage control” to do…one week prior to ABA, a large Dinner Theatre in Ohio closed their doors very suddenly, and it effected quite a few Operators. The Theatre is now bankrupt, and deposits probably won’t be returned to those companies.  So we decided to offer to honor any monies already paid to Carousel if they would move their reservation to us.

Several Operators asked why we were doing it, and that’s a legitimate question.  We didn’t do it for the exposure (although that never hurts!).  We didn’t do it for the increased business (although that never hurts!).  We did it to send the message that, in these troubled economic times, we are still standing strong, and that the demise of one Dinner Theatre doesn’t say that we’re all one step ahead of the bankers!

It’s the same as the other side of the table…when a Tour Operator goes out of business (or a hotel, or a restaurant, or a whatever), it effects everyone.  There is a natural tendency to react to something like that, and to wonder if my favorite restaurant is next.  So my goal was more to say “we’re fine, and we’ll still be here next year”.

Sometimes, you have to take the “bigger stand”, and help send a message.  One Operator that is seriously considering the offer had over $2,000 in deposits and pre-payments to Carousel, but we’ll bite the bullet and work with her if she chooses to transfer the dates to us.  It will hurt, but it also helps solidify our message of strength and consistency.  And you can’t put a price on that!

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February 27, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Back on the floor as Captain again Saturday morning, and it’s really getting quiet in Orientation.  But that’s OK…we’ve done a good job with the Star delegates, and there comes a point when things should slow down.

Today is the Branson lunch…now, I know that the Broadway luncheon gets top billing when it comes to the meals not to be missed, but I’ve come to really look forward to the Branson lunch.  It can be very hit or miss, but there’s always a few stars present, and I still remember the thrill the year we were in Texas.  The show started with Les Brown Jr. and the Band Of Renown (my parents loved them).  The show ended with Andy Williams (my Mom’s absolute favorite singer ever).

This year, the show started with Lee Greenwood, and included a bunch of new talented people from town.  In the middle, Cathy Rigby came out to preview a production of Peter Pan that’s going to be in Branson for the next year (I knew it was a matter of time before she flew over the audience, and she did not disappoint).  Closing was Yakov Smirnov (my Dad’s favorite comedian), so you knew that Lee Greenwood would come back out to sing “God Bless The USA”.  But it was still stirring stuff, and they did a great job.

More Orientation in the afternoon, then another of the events I’ve been waiting for…the party at Lowes Motor Speedway!  Have you gathered by now that I’m kind of a NASCAR Fan? I freely admit to being totally hooked, and I was really looking forward to this event.  We gathered the usual suspects at the coaches, and loaded up.  We were not sure what the full evening plan was, but we knew that Steve had “fastpasses” to jump to the front of the line for pace car rides!  They had given them to Operators during Marketplace today, and he casually gathered some extras in from friends that were not going to the event.  So we were golden!

First stop, the new ZMax Drag Racing venue…beautiful, and I was hoping we’d see a funnycar, or something.  Instead, the buses were running down the track!  Fun, if your driver was into it…ours was not.  He was having serious bus troubles, and I don’t think he wanted to risk anything.  When we pulled off the Interstate, the bus shut down at the top of the exit ramp, blocking traffic for about 3 minutes.  So he understandably took it easy…it was still fun to roll down that long track, and imagine what it might feel like.

Then, up the hill, and the back way into the Speedway…except the bus shut down again at the top of one of the hills, and would not start!  We sat there for what seemed like all night (probably only about 10 minutes), and he eventually got it running again.  We did learn a very important life lesson, though.  If Michelle’s blood sugar gets too low, she turns into a panther with claws fully extended.  Very critical piece of information for future conventions!

Finally, we were inside the track through the tunnel…had to wait a bit for the coaches to circle the track, then it was finally time!  We used the “fastpasses” and hopped into a pace car for a trip around the track.  Now, we only got up to around 95, but it was still thrilling.  So thrilling that we all ended up taking multiple trips!  The very long line thinned out as the evening went on, until you could just walk up and get in a car. Of course, the times I let the girls go, their drivers went triple digits (Emi got up to 105!), but it was still a thrill to be on that track, especially on the high banks of the turns!

Best ride was actually in the LMS Van…because the driver was also the head of maintenance for the track!  He took us around probably 10 laps (most of the cars were doing 2-3 laps).  He explained just about everything we wanted to know, and really helped fill in the gaps of my NASCAR knowledge.  I was able to ask those “stupid questions” I always wanted to ask, but didn’t want to show my ignorance to the NASCAR cogniscenti that I hang out with.

Great event, ABA!  Can we schedule all future Marketplaces near a NASCAR track, so we can do that again?

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February 9, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Friday morning, more floor tours, but this time, I was Captain of Orientation for 2 hours.  Of course, it’s starting to slow down some now, so being Captain isn’t a big deal.

Then it was off to the Sightseeing Tours.  Again, I hear people “poo-poo” the sightseeing as a waste of time, and why don’t met get more business done, and less of “this extra junk”.  You know how I feel about it…I’ve said time and again how much more business I do at the social events than I ever do anywhere else.  Sightseeing tours are the same way.  I remember going on a tour in Texas that I just picked at random.  I didn’t really see one that totally excited me, so I just picked one.  I ended up talking to several Operators in the course of that tour, and one of them is now a regular customer here!

But I was excited about this one…I had been led to believe that it involved something I’ve always wanted to do.  Our first stop was the Richard Petty Driving Experience.  Now, you KNOW what we were expecting, and when the bus pulled off at the exit for Lowes Motor Speedway, we got more excited!  But then we got the bad news…we were going to the Petty offices, not for a ride around the track.  Curses, foiled again!

But the tour at Petty was fascinating, as they had a number of actual NASCAR cars there that were being reconditioned for them to use them in their program.  Emi was excited, as they had both an Elliot Sadler and a Ryan Newman car there (being female, she cannot simply pick a favorite driver..,she has to have two!).  Since they do mostly Dodge and Chevy cars, there unfortunately wasn’t a Carl Edwards car there, but nothing is perfect.  Of course, I was also holding out hope that we would turn a corner somewhere in the garage and find the King himself standing there to greet us, but no such luck on that end either.

From there, we visited the Sam Bass Gallery (NASCAR’s official artist…wow.  I should have spent more time in art class, given what he can charge for a drawing!), and the Hendrick Motorsports complex.  Had some excitement there as well…we were listening to an explanation from one of their staff in the building that houses the Mark Martin and Dale Earnhart, Jr. teams.  When he was done, everyone headed down the hallway to look out on the work floor.  I was wandering around with some friends, and saw a familiar face walk in the front door…Mike Helton, the President of NASCAR!  I didn’t move fast enough, but I found out who can!  Jim Diebel from Hanover Holiday Tours (a staunch supporter of Jimmie Johnson) recognized him as fast as I did, and caught him going back out the front door for a quick picture.  I was going to ask for one as well, but you could tell that he really wasn’t in the mood for that stuff. But I did get to shake his hand, and say “thanks”, so that was neat.

The tour was conducted by Jennifer Parsley from Adventures in Motorsports Tours, a local Charlotte receptive that specializes in NASCAR Tours.  We got to talking, and I found out that her father, Roger, had led the tour the last time I was in Charlotte with North Carolina Motorcoach!  I still remember that tour, as Roger was able to tell some amazing Dale Earnhart Sr. stories, having grown up in Kannapolis with him, and the family is still very close to Martha Earnhart!  Roger was actually on the other coach, and came over to say “hi!”.  Small world, eh?

It just goes to show…if you have something you know very well, find a way to offer it to Motorcoaches!  AIM’s tours can be personalized for anything a group wants, even including meet-and-greets with NASCAR people, a visit to a Pit Crew Training Facility and more.  You can really tell how much they love their work!  And they understand the overwhelming lesson of this year…don’t just sell the Operators.  Jennifer invited a bunch of us to come back down for one of the races at Lowes this year, and she’ll put together a complete package for us.  You know, we may just take her up on that yet!

Friday evening was “relax time” for us…the gang went out to dinner at our annual tradition of a Mexican restaurant (long story…don’t ask!).  We got back in time to join the evening’s activities in progress, and got the best of both sides.  Private time with friends, and networking time with the attendees.  Who could ask for anything more?

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February 6, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Thursday morning in Charlotte dawned early and cold, but it’s back to the floor for more floor tours, and more walking (but only about 3.5 miles today).  It’s the first “real” day of Marketplace, and things are really starting to hop!

But you can feel the effects of the economy…while attendance for the week was on par with past years, people are starting to come more for just their appointment day, and not staying for the week.  Personally, I think this is a mistake, and we need to help our supervisors understand that you might get away with that at some of the other shows, but ABA (and some of the others “big” shows) is different.  I do as much business at the meals and social events as I do on the business floor. So it’s still important to get as much face time as you can at this show.

Kudos to Philadelphia for a great opening luncheon.  I was never a huge fan of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes (and I was surprised how many “kids” at my table at lunch who knew nothing about them!), but they were tremendous!  I knew more of their songs than I expected, and ended up doing a nice duet with Cynthia from Birmingham on one of the songs (she wanted to get up and dance, but the guys on stage had smooth down pat, and I would have looked more of a jerk than usual if I had tried!).  I could have done without Mr. Smith’s welcome, especially when he called attention to how cheap our beloved State is right now, but it can’t all be perfect.  I know that Ryan and his team will do an excellent job in a couple of years in the City of Brotherly Shove!

Back to the floor for more tours, then it’s time for the evening event.  A high school marching band welcomed us to dinner, and NC did a nice job, with some really good food.  But our minds were on something else.  It’s Bowling Time!  All the smack talk comes to an end tonight, as we hopped on the buses (glad I didn’t try to walk down to Strike City, as that’s NOT where we ended up going!  Whoopsie…).  Did we have fun?  You bet.  Did we roll the ball down the lane? Certainly.  Did we stink up the joint?  Of course!  I never promised we’d win, but we had a ton of fun.

For me, the highlight came later in the evening…the entire event was a benefit for Carolina Breast Friends, and the Pink House they’re building to help Breast Cancer patients.  The entire story of Kristy Adams-Ebel was very moving, and her husband continues the work after living a very difficult life, losing a bunch of family members in a very short time span. The whole time Chris, her husband, was talking, I kept thinking of my teammate and hero, Gwen Elmore, who was sitting there at the table with me.  I wanted to go meet him after he spoke, and introduce him to my friend, but we had to keep moving.

During the bowling, to my surprise, Chris came around the lanes, and thanked everyone personally.  So I DID get to introduce him to Gwen, and they had a very nice chance to talk.  It was very moving, and I think they both appreciated it.  I know I did.

That’s what is so important about an event like this.  A city like Charlotte pays a lot of money, and invests thousands of man-hours in planning and implementing something like an ABA Marketplace.  We can (and should) give something back to our host city for all they do for us, yet I would say that only maybe 25% of the people in attendance at Marketplace actually came out and supported the bowling event.  Don’t get me wrong…we raised over $16,000 for CBF, and that’s phenomenal.  But what could have happened if more people had participated?  Maybe next year…

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January 28, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Wednesday at ABA was very busy…I worked in Orientation all day, and did floor tours all day long (9am - 6pm).  I lost count of how many tours I did, but my pedometer (worn as a joke more than anything) clocked nearly 7 miles walking that day!  Not a joke, after all!

As you probably know by now, I love doing the floor tours.  It’s like a mini Seminar program, as I get to not only explain what goes on at ABA over the week, but I get to teach some basics about how to have the most success during the week.  I always love talking to a small group on a tour, and seeing the “lightbulb moment”, as I call it.  It’s like the old cartoons…when someone grasps what you’re saying, and really believes it, you can almost see the lightbulb over their head illuminate.  Their face lights up, the get a half-smile of recognition, and you can see that you’ve helped them understand something important. There’s no better feeling in the world than that.

Besides that, I get to meet new people in Orientation.  It’s the #1 reason why I volunteer, and spend so many hours in Orientation every year.  It gives me a chance to meet new customers for our Theatres!  I meet new Operators, new suppliers, even college students, and they all are potential customers of the Dutch Apple, or one of the Broadway Palms.  But I already talked about that in the post about Tuesday, so I’ll move on to a surprise I received on Wednesday evening…

I was actually taken to dinner by an Operator!  A very good friend asked if I’d like to go to dinner with him and his wife.  It ended up being those two (who’s identity I will not reveal, as I know some who read this blog will immediately ask to be taken to dinner!), Sandee Robinson from Cracker Barrel, and me. And it was wonderful…we talked a little business, but more about the Operator’s expanding empire, and the new opportunities that have come his way.  Mostly, we just relaxed in the company of friends.  I had not spent enough time with Sandee in the past, and I will make it a point to rectify that error in the future.  Thanks, Mr. X and Mrs. X!

And now to bed…tomorrow is going to be a big day, as the Marketplace REALLY starts.  If only I could figure out how to sleep in a strange bed.  It always takes me several days at a convention to get used to the bed…I guess I’m weird that way.

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January 20, 2009 by Chris Harrower, CTIS.

Sorry…I’ve been meaning to sit down and write out my thoughts about Charlotte, and the amazing week we had there for ABA.  But other things have been stealing all my time lately (won’t bore you with the gory details here, but if you’re on FaceBook, you’ve probably already seen most of it!).

But I’ll get started here now, and I have a lot of impressions, thoughts, and insights from someone who spent waaaaaay too much time walking back and forth across the show floor every day.

I arrived in Charlotte on Tuesday, to help with setup for the Orientation Center.  But there was very little to do, as KJ Jordan had gotten in before the rest of us, and was so bored she got 90% of the area setup before we were even in the hall! I got to spend a lot of time with KJ this week, and she’s good people.  I find myself wanting to visit her museum (Virginia Living Museum in Newport News) more than ever.  I may just have to take the family on vacation to that area this year…I KNOW the kids would go nuts over her place.

And that’s one of the things I tried very hard to teach the Star Delegates this year…there is a tendency in us all to focus on those green namebadges. Sure, we’re all there to meet with the Operators, but I’ve lost count how many friends I’ve made over the years with the red, yellow and orange name badges as well.  And they (we?) travel too, and are always looking for new places to visit.

I get a lot of phone calls during the year…”Hey, we’re in town.  Can we come see a show?”  Sure, some of them are asking for freebies, but everyone understands when I give them my employee discount.  And those are people who will advertise for you.

You know from past reading on this blog that I’ve had my “run-ins” with one David Sorge.  Now, don’t get me wrong…we give each other a terrible hard time, but I don’t have many friends in this biz as close as David (and Deanna).  They came to visit my theatre about a year ago, on a long overdue vacation to Lancaster County.  Do you know how many times I’ve overheard David telling everyone and anyone how much he enjoyed his visit here?  And I know he doesn’t just do it for me, as I’ve snuck up on him several times,and overheard him.  I have a walking advertisement for my theatre, and it’s someone a lot of people really respect.

More to come…

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