ASTA: Changing the Way the Travel Industry Meets
ASTA: Changing the Way the Travel Industry Meets
ASTA is changing the way the travel industry meets with the newly revamped Travel Retailing & Destination Expo (Las Vegas, Sept. 11-13), its one-of-a-kind International Destination Expo (Lima, Peru, March 1-3, 2012) and highly segmented member meetings, bringing the industry’s topmost executives together under one roof for in-depth discussion.
“ASTA’s Travel Retailing & Destination Expo is upping the education ante with a complete overhaul of its sessions and speakers, thanks to a redesign by Bruce Tepper, MBA, CTC,” said ASTA CEO Tony Gonchar. “What’s more, no other organization can match our International Destination Expo, which sets the standard for experiential education and presages the next great travel hot spot for consumers.
“Beyond our on-site educational meetings, ASTA’s segmented member meetings, such as our Premium Member Summit and Corporate Advisory Council, gather the industry’s brightest minds together for high-caliber discussions and problem solving. When we come together, no other industry group has this kind of deep leadership experience in one room,” added Gonchar.
Among the new and enhanced features of ASTA’s Travel Retailing & Destination Expo (TheTradeShow) are a fresh take on travel agent education, focusing on high-tech, interactive seminars developed by industry expert Bruce Tepper, and the much sought-after Hosted Buyers program, which this year will offer complimentary registrations or accommodations to qualified agents from Hilton Hotels, the Bellagio, Starwood Hotels, the Aria Hotel and Vdara Hotel.
Going beyond the tried-and-true meeting location, ASTA is expanding its destination roster and for 2012 is moving the show to Los Angeles, and considering other destinations for future conferences.
On the international front, ASTA's International Destination Expo goes beyond the expected with its unique focus on experiential learning and targeted events, offering the best in networking, entertainment and sightseeing opportunities.
When it comes to segmented member meetings, ASTA attracts the top executives from the trade’s leading organizations, be they highly-specialized boutique agencies or multi-level international firms. Through ASTA’s Premium Member Summits, for example, high-level representatives from every spectrum of the industry come together for exceptional networking opportunities, peer-to-peer exchange and in-depth, thought-provoking discussions on some of the industry’s most pressing issues.
ASTA’s Corporate Advisory Council meetings provide a forum in which industry leaders from major travel agency consortia, franchise organizations and independent agencies can focus on the issues that will affect both their business and their customers. Today, this group, which was originally formed in support of positioning ASTA as the “one voice of the travel industry,” leverages its position within the industry to effect positive change for the travel agency community.
