travel agent professional aug 2014

Travel AgentProfessional

August 2014Issue 30

Building a Front PorchOn Your BusinessBy Cindy Bertram

2014 TempleUniversity Awards

go to Rebecca Krick

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=14






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Travel Agent Professional TA

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Ad In

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61 The Winner is Rebecca KrickBy Sue Shapiro

64 Building a Front Porch On Your BusinessBy Cindy BertramCindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

68 Who’s Looking for a $40,000 Sale?By Paull Tickner

12 Remember the Edsel?By Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

16 Three WishesBy Scott KoepfVice President of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express

18 What is Your Favorite Travel Show?By Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

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August

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Travel Experts ................................23

Royal Caribbean Line ....................BC

August 2014 Issue 30

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the firstmagazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abelsran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfa-ther, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they tookthe publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agentindustry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agentsthroughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade showsand three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and HomeBased Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the NealAward, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hit-ting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and stay-ing with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by hisword and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping thatthis new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Tradeeditorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel andthose who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent ProfessionalP.O. Box 120198

Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:

[email protected]:

718.360.3153

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

[email protected]

Bonnie WallingEditor

[email protected]

Alan CohenVice President Marketing

[email protected]

Meet Our Editorial Board

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Scott KoepfVice President of Sales

Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center

www.joinavoya.com/default.cfm?ref=11583

Sherry Laskin, ACCTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

Paull Tickner,Creator of Special Interest Britain

[email protected]

Cindy Bertram,Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

[email protected]

Sue Sh apiro, PresidentShapiro Travel [email protected]

www.shapirotravelresources.com

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

August 2014

The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

This online magazine is dedicated tothe memory of Joel Abels, Travel

Trade's editor and publisher. Joel andhis life's work may be gone, but with

your help it can live on.

Travel AgentProfessional

Travel Agent Professional

Every year Temple University awards a scholarship to a top student in the School of Tourism to honor thememory of Joel and Lenore Abels, the late publishers of Travel Trade Magazine. Ongoing contributions fromtravel agents, cruise lines, tour operators, car rental companies, hotels and tourist offices continue to fund theendowment.

Although only a sophomore, the 2014 winner, Rebecca Krick is already showing qualities that would make heran incredible asset to any travel company looking for a great hire. Of course she's a full-time student but inaddition she's a Resident Assistant on campus, Front Desk Manager, an Events Coordinator, a member of PhiSigma Pi, the National Honor Fraternity as well as President of the American Hotel & Lodging StudentProfessional Organization.

Before applying for the scholarship, Rebecca researched the Abels and came away with great admiration of theway in which they served 45,000 travel agents through their publication. Her future goal is to make the samecommitment to the travel industry working for a hotel chain where her skills of interviewing, educating andleadership can all be employed.

Congratulations Rebecca. Well deserved ! ! !

The Winner is Rebecca Krick

L-R: Bill McCue, Travel Matters, Rebecca Krick, Sue Shapiro and Nick Rago

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August 2014

People tend to do extensive researchbefore booking a trip, and the ways theybook their trips have also changed exten-sively just in the past two decades. With

more options out there, many ask if travelprofessionals will still be around in the fewnext decades. Instead of fretting about that,I think it really gets down to building strongrelationships and “building a front porch” on

your business. By Cindy BertramCindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

The Disappearance of the Front Porch Up until about 40 years ago, people used to makesure they had a front porch on their homes. It wasa way to watch what was going on, speak withtheir neighbors, even see and talk with peoplepassing by.

But then, things changed. What had been the“front porch on the house” evolved into backyardareas and decks – yes, privacy became the key.

We’ve seen the same in business. Technology hasbecome an integral part of the business world, ofcourse, and yes, we really depend on that in thetravel industry as well. We need technology, butalso need to remember that they’re simply tools touse and can’t replace that human touch.

Building a Front PorchOn Your Business

A Front Porch Expert: John Imlay, Jr.Mr. John Imlay, Jr., chairman of Imlay Investments, Inc. hasbuilt some of the most successful software companiesaround. One of his first successes was taking ManagementScience America, Inc. (MSA) from the brink of bankruptcyinto one of the largest independent application softwarecompanies in the world. It was then sold in 1990 to Dun& Bradstreet Corp. for nearly $400 million.

Credited with helping create two of Atlanta’s biggesttechnology industries in the areas of Internet securityand software, Mr. Imlay has won several awards. Healso serves as chairman of the Imlay Foundation, Inc,a nonprofit organization.

During his expansive career, John Imlay wrote thebook Jungle Rules – How to Be a Tiger in Business.

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Its list of 20 rules for success is still as timely today asit was when first published.

The need to build a front porch on a business is criti-cal and John Imlay covers this in chapter 11 of hisbook — “Jungle Rule # 11: Build a Front Porch onyour Treehouse.”

Like the disappearance of front porches on homes,Mr. Imlay notes the same thing occurred in busi-nesses, which became more detached. Without anemphasis on personal contact and interaction, theresult is “a cold, gray, impersonal experience forwhich few people can muster affection, loyalty orexuberant effort, which most businesses need tosucceed.”

He also mentions that you need to keep your bigbus iness smal l . Whi le lead ing MSA, John Imlaymentions they stressed “incessant personal interac-tion.” Top priorities were in-person conversation,human contact, crit ical interaction, and personaltouches.

He notes that throughout his business career hisoffice has always been like a front porch, with lots ofchairs, a couple of sofas, a big table, all designed forinteraction, conversation and person to person.

In the conclusion of his book, John Imlay explains,“There are twenty rules in this book, but there reallyis one message: It’s the people.”

Building a Front PorchOn Your Business

(continued on page 6)

Another Front Porch ExampleTake a look around, and in the travel industry, we’refortunate to have some good examples of executivesand leaders who have “built a front porch.” One isRichard Sasso, president and CEO of MSC CruisesUSA, who’s known for his hands-on approach.

While speaking earlier this spring at a conference,Sasso made some key points. When it comes tobuilding a presence in the North American market,along with growing the number of travel profession-als who work with MSC Cruises USA, he explained,“It’s about the human factor. There is a people con-nection and we’re going to work to take that to thenext level . Our serving you is part of our ‘True

Partnership’ that we first launched nine years ago.”

As part of its major investment in the human touch,MSC Cruises USA more than doubled their salesforce, along with expanding their inside sales team.

Richard Sasso once again emphasized that they arefocused on adding that human factor . Some oftheir latest init iat ives are part of that, from the“Road Show” presentations being done across thecountry to booking incentives, fam cruises and hav-ing the company’s staff being accessible and easyto work with. Yes, they are “building that frontporch.”

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Keeping That Human Touch and Creating the Front PorchWith the travel industry being one that really focuses on our clients, it’s critical to insure we don’t become animpersonal high tech entity minus that human touch, like the online booking sites. And this is where we canshine by building that “front porch.”

How do we do that? We need to make sure that we set up our businesses to interact with people – our clients as wellas preferred suppliers, for instance. We also need to remember that it’s the little things that count, it’s critical to makeinteractions personal, it’s important to do theright thing and remember that relationships arereally in the details. And as John Imlay so aptlyputs it, “Loyalty is the backbone of any relation-ship.”

The Ongoing Front PorchRichard Sasso also made a great point when he mentioned,“You need executives in each touch point to have a happyguest.” When it comes to our own travel businesses, beingable to cover those touch points from the minute we firsttalk to a client, or potential client is where it begins. And byknowing how they liked to be reached and communicatedwith, along with what’s important to them, and knowing their“touch points” is a critical part of creating that front porch tohave a successful ongoing business.

And this is where travel professionals can still excel, andnot become extinct.

August 2014

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Paull Tickner has been designing and operating niche travel programmes for the UK and Ireland for over 30 years.

For more information E-mail Paull at [email protected]

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There’s quite a buzz out there for customised special interest tours and it’s no wonder, when a small,tailor-made group can generate sales worth $30,000 — $40,000 with a healthy commission.

There are at least six major sources for high-yield themed tours that can be marketed to a variety ofspecial interests — such as garden and literary, girls’ getaways, visual and performing arts or churchgroups. Nearly all these groups can be found within 50 miles of your doorstep.

However, even if you know where to find the right contacts and the right products, you still need aneye-catching, conversation-starting itinerary to pull it all together.

Who’s Looking forA $40,000 Sale?

9

Restrict the tour to six nights and seven days. It helpswith the price and might better suit your client’sdiaries. You can always offer pre/post tour extensions;

Travel less, see more: Replace miles of travellingwith short hops and longer, more in-depth visits tosingle sites;

Small is beautiful. Many of your clients will not wantto be part of a large group of people, especially ifthey’ve done such a tour before. Although travellingwith a smaller group of 12-15 like-minded individu-als is more expensive, it’s actually what they’re look-ing for;

Add in value-added stops that meet your client’s specif-ic interests and don’t necessarily cost an arm and a leg;

If you don’t know all the product answers, trust theknowledge, experience and connections of your cho-

sen land operator. Properly briefed, we can usuallydeliver what’s required.

I don’t have the space to go into details of what canput together for all these niche markets, but here aretwo for you to consider.

Firstly, to find clients with an interest in Gardens,Stately Homes and Castles:

Look for specialist clubs and societies interested inherbs, roses, azaleas etc. If you look at www.orchid-mall.com/society.htm you’ll see listed no fewer than245 orchid and similar societies across the USA andCanada. If you look closely for one in your area, youmay see board members whose names you recog-nize. They’ll probably be more than pleased to hearabout an April 2015 trip to London for the EuropeanOrchid Show and Conference;



Before looking some tour suggestions, think about these travel tips:

August 2014

Your contact at the Botanical Garden or Arboretum willknow that as the Chelsea Flower Show changes everyyear, it still has considerable pulling power as a fundrais-er, especially if you top and tail it with visits to a cornerof the U.K. they’ve not looked at before. If Chelseadoesn’t work, we have a number of other very fine butsmaller shows which they will find equally fascinating;

Invite a Master Gardener, a well-known local land-scape gardener, the owner of a popular garden cen-ter or a radio/TV/newspaper gardening personality tobe your pied piper and co-seller of a tour full ofmemorable visits to renowned properties both onand off the beaten track;

Approach a flower arranging club and suggest thatthey visit the spectacular 2015 Magna Flora FlowerFestival in Salisbury Cathedral, preceded by a fewdays in the Cotswolds.

For tours with a literary theme, talk about BookshelfTours with:

The local branch of the Friends of Libraries USA, whomight like the idea of a fundraising Jane Austen tour

based around the annual Jane Austen Festival inSeptember;

The proprietors of a mystery bookstore, whose cus-tomers might be interested in visiting the homes ofSherlock Homes in London, Inspector Morse andLewis in Oxford and Agatha Raisin in the Cotswolds.They can combine this with a few days at either theCrime Writer’s Festival in Harrogate (July) or at theInternational Agatha Christie Festival on the EnglishRiviera (September);

The organizers of your local literary festival, whomight want to put together a trip where guests canrub shoulders with much loved Dickensian charactersat the June or December Dickens Festivals.

You know where the sources for these tailor madetours can be found. I can create UK travel experi-ences with a very high wow factor. Put the twotogether and you come up with the $30,000 -$40,000 sale.

For further information, visit www.customgb.co.uk orE-mail [email protected]

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12We, as travel agents have been referred to as dinosaurs of theindustry, since so few younger people are entering this profession.So we should remember the of the 1950’s.

It was a new and innovative car with unusual features. Its market-ing was the biggest program to launch a new car. The result? Thecar sales were a flop.

Well, compare that to the recent Webinar where NorwegianCruise Line launched their new program, billed as the biggest onethey ever had. You be the judge.

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Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

If you have heard their previous Webinars, you’llknow that they sound much like a bunch of friends ina room together. There’s far too much laughter,some sounding forced. In my opinion, it was distract-ing from the info they were trying to get across.

This time, it was a very serious but an exuberanthour session announcing their new policy. NCL isgoing “all inclusive.” That is their terminology.

Let’s compare it to the way all-inclusives started.When I entered this industry, Sandals was one of thefirst to use the expression. One price covered every-thing – drinks, dining, gratuities – except the spa anduse of some motorized vehicles.

Now, NCL, in their words, is all inclusive – as long asyou pay $899 extra, per person, on top of the stan-dard rate for a 7-night cruise.

One perk for us is that it’s commissionable. The all-

inclusive program includes all gratuities, dining in thealternative venues, drinks, bingo cards, a bottle ofwine in the client’s cabin and $200 toward shoreexcursions per person.

The rules are that both people in a double occupan-cy must purchase the package, which means an extraper-cabin cost of $1,798! If it is a triple or quad, youneed to leave the others behind or else they will paytheir way into the restaurants, excursions, and tips.

That makes the program cumbersome for families trav-eling with kids. Even if the parents want to go to thealternative dining, will they pay $30 or more to take thekids? Will they pay extra for the children to go on theshore excursion the parents are taking at no charge?

This may work for Europe or South America itineraries,but for the Caribbean? I don’t think so. In fact, I haveasked the res agents about their success in selling it, andfrom the few I spoke to, they admit it is a very hard sell.

Remember the Edsel?


13Perhaps another reason it is a hard sell, is that the market-ing department, decided to raise the cost on the cruise tothen offer a 10% discount to those buying the extra add-ons.

Somehow, I thought “all inclusive” means everything isalready included in the base price - sorry for the repeti-tion – not paying $899 per person to make it so.

I wonder if they thought that they could emulate theirparent company’s truly all-inclusive line, Regent SevenSeas. Well, to paraphrase Senator Lloyd Bentsen’s com-ment to Dan Quayle, “I know Regent, and NCL is notRegent.”

I do think that there is some merit to the program, andmaybe it will be adjusted for families, and it may work forplaces other than the Caribbean. But what irks me is theraise in the fare that went into effect immediately beforethis was launched.

And what about a perk that would allow purchasers ofthe program to get preferred status for their reservationsin alternative dining? Don’t give me the comeback that theclients can always pre-book the restaurants. It’s not howpeople think. Too many times after a day in the sun, orsightseeing, they may want to change their plans. If Ibought that plan, I would want to try each alternativerestaurant - and what if I couldn’t get in to them all?

Royal Caribbean has an incentive that based on yourCrown and Anchor history, as you build your status, youget more perks. One perk was complimentary happy hourwith free drinks and snacks in one private bar area.

Well, as the repeat passengers increased, more and moreachieved this status, and it has overwhelmed the cruiseline. First, it meant pouring drinks in paper cups, withmaybe pretzels or nuts served. Now, rather than relaxing


Remember the Edsel?

14

August 2014

in a private area, they are given vouchers for twodrinks to be used in any bar onboard, and bothdrinks must be ordered within two hours. It will onlyget more troublesome as more and more repeatpassengers cruise. I hope they never change theirperk of giving a discount for an upgrade to a balcony!

As long as I have included RCI in this column, whatabout their BOGO offers? Marketing geniuses havemade this phrase successful with supermarkets,clothing stores, restaurants, and now a cruiseline.

But at my local supermarket, their BOGO is exactlythat. If I buy one banana bread the second one isfree. They didn’t mark up the cost to cover the sav-ings, it is the same cost. They can do that with theirminimum everyday markup and be successful. Theyknow it’s the loss leader that brings customers in andthey will buy additional items at regular cost.

Royal Caribbean offers BOGO, but what they didwas to raise the cost on the first cruise before offer-ing 50% off the second person.

I was caught in that trap with group space forupcoming cruises.

What has made it a problem is that the line is mar-keting directly to my clients, people I have broughtto them in the first place. No, I don’t own thesepeople. But what do I say when they call me and saythat a lower rate is now available? Well, with thenew higher rate and 50% off the second, their pricemay be the same or a slight difference than the one Iquoted before.

And have you tried to call Royal Caribbean duringthese promos? Even the phone message says it can

be a wait up to 18 minutes. Or at least that’s whatthey say – it’s really about up to 40 minutes. Can we,as agents, afford those long waits?

Please don’t comment that I should use CruisingPower. There are many instances, like triples andquads, that are not covered, or changing alreadybooked and happy clients, so I have to call.

When the first BOGO ended, I was pleased thatthings were back to normal. But lo and behold, with-in one week of ending, they continued it. Here wego again.

Promos have end dates, why was this one extended?Obviously, it’s either because they didn’t make theirnumbers or it was so successful they decided to sellmore. Don’t they ever realize that people are gettingwise to these promos, and don’t always fell theurgency to book right away, since they know anotherpromo will be coming up?

Oceania Cruises has a good track record for statingthat the promo ends by a certain date and thentelling you what the new promo is after that date.Viking River Cruises tries that in the beginning, butmanages to sneak another one in.

I still have people who think that a cruise will drop inprice at the last minute to fill the empty space. Oh,for the old days, when we dinosaurs were justembryos in this industry, and our clients acceptedthe rates as stated.

For the record, my folks never bought an Edsel. But Ihave driven one, and I thought it was so innovative.I t s demise was that people were not open tochange.

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Scott KoepfVP of Sales Avoya Travel/American Express

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16Three Wishes

A new musical based on an old movie which is based ona much older story has opened on Broadway. Aladdin isa great tale of overcoming the odds and making wishescome true.

The fable is not so far removed from the life of a travelagent. The Magic Lamp, or more specifically, the Genie,grants three wishes to Aladdin. But it is what he learnson his journey, not the three wishes, that allows him toachieve his goals.

So to that end, there are three wishes I think every travelprofessional needs to make and, more importantly, liveout. Surprisingly (not really, if you have read this columnover the years!) each of the three are best representedby a song from the musical!

Just like the opening sequence in the show, travel agents,like Aladdin, must be nimble, smart and prepared to stayone step ahead. In the case of agents, it should be onestep in front of the competition, as compared to Aladdinwho was staying one step ahead of the law. As the(slightly adjusted) lyrics make clear:

One jump ahead of the slowpokes

One skip ahead of my doom

Next time (I’ll ask before I assume)

One jump ahead of the (online guys)

One hit ahead of the flock

I think I’ll (see my clients waving from the dock)

It may feel like you are running with a monkey onyour back, darting this way and that to stay on topof your business but as your competition gets biggerand more aggressive it is imperative that you do stayone jump ahead. This is done through scheduledpreparation. How much time each day do you dedi-cate to sales techniques, marketing skills, productknowledge and working on your business instead ofin your business? Make your wish to become uniqueand indispensable come true by taking time each dayto build your “reason to buy from you.”

The second wish is for those who contact you totrust you. Sounds easy, but all successful sales willoccur because a level of trust has been established.

The truth is that most consumers today do notknow that travel agents exist or what they do.Yet most agents rely on providing good service

17


as the primary reason to do business with them, andyet they don’t explain what this means.

To make this wish come true, you have to craft ascript describing what your ‘good service’ is very earlyin your conversation.

In Aladdin, the Genie wasted no time to expressexactly what role he was going to play for Aladdin (hisnew customer). Like your consumers, Aladdin was abit overwhelmed and confused by this big blue guy, sothe Genie immediately cleared up what his relation-ship would be, as you should, with the following song:

Mister Aladdin, sir

What will your pleasure be?

Let me take your order

Jot it down

You ain’t never had a friend like me

No no no

Life is your restaurant

And I’m your maitre d’

C’mon whisper what it is you want


Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service

You’re the boss

The king, the shah

Say what you wish

It’s yours! True dish

How about a little more Baklava?

Have some of column “A”

Try all of column “B”

I’m in the mood to help you dude


Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three

I’m on the job, you big nabob

You ain’t never had a friend, never had a friend You

ain’t never (never!)

Had a friend, like me!

Never had a friend like me!

The Genie did not wait to show Aladdin what hewould do or that he could be trusted. He simply toldAlladin that he would be a friend like he had neverexperienced before! In our competitive business envi-ronment you don’t have the luxury of waiting toprove how good you are after the sale is made. Youhave to sing to them right away and tell them that“they ain’t never had a (travel agent) friend like you!”

Once you have established trust with your customer,then you can close the sale with the song made fortravel agents. While I do not expect all of you toactually sing this to your clients (although maybe afew of you), this is your opportunity to “romance thesale” and leave them thrilled with anticipation:

I can show you the world

Shining, shimmering, splendid

Tell me, (customer name), now when did

You last let your heart decide?

I can open your eyes

Take you wonder by wonder

Over, sideways and under

On a magic (travel) ride

A whole new world

A new fantastic point of view

No one to tell (you) no or where to go

Or say you’re only dreaming

August 2014

18

By

R

us

ty

P

ic

ke

tt

,

EC

C

Rusty Pickett, ECC

Shellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

What is Your FavoriteTravel Show?

What is your mind set for determin-ing what travel show to attend? I hadn’t reallythought about it until Leo Zabinski, current ASTATreasurer, pointed out that we should all thinkabout the shows we attend with a new mind set.

Traditionally, I picked the show that met my travel schedule foremost, and had the best‘reputation’. But Leo pointed out that there is another dynamic — who does the showfinancially benefit? Virtually all travel shows are conducted both to educate travel consul-tants, and to generate revenue — sometimes significant funds. This observation made methink that I should re-evaluate the value show attendance. Do I really want to ‘fund’ a for-profit company who is accepting my funds for their own corporate vaults? Or do I wantto attend a show sponsored by an association that I am a member of to generate funds sothat my association can add value to my membership. In reality, many of the travel showshave the same group of supplier CEO’s, Senior VP’s, and trade show presentations, aseach supplier knows that to not attend a show may be detrimental to future business.Therefore, many of the shows are quite similar, with only a few tweaks here and there toadd uniqueness, not necessarily value.

As a result, I have now changed my planning for show attendance to attend those showsthat meet my travel schedule, and will benefit me indirectly in that my money will benefitthose professional associations that I am proud to be a member of.

What shows will you attend?


Registration for the OASIS 2014 Sales Meeting is Now Open

OASIS Meeting Adds Another Day of Training

Registration for the fifth annual OASIS Sales Meeting & Get-Togetheris now open. The OASIS meeting will take place Nov. 4 & 5, 2014 atThe New Tropicana. “Our event was held at this hotel last year andour agents loved it!” stated OASIS Vice President of BusinessDevelopment Kelly Bergin. “200 million dollars of renovation hasmade this hotel a gem. It is small with excellent dining venues andthe sleeping rooms are convenient to the conference area. You don’tfeel like you are trying out for the track team to get to a meeting.”

“OASIS has added an extra day to our annual Get-Together becausewe were getting many requests for additional training in addition tosupplier information” Bergin added. The extra day will includetraining on the OASIS proprietary cruise booking system, the Client-for-Life marketing program, best practices, and Q&A.

The OASIS meeting immediately precedes Signature TravelNetwork’s Sales Meeting and Tradeshow which is across the street atthe MGM Grand. Combining the two events gives agents maximumexposure to training and networking. Both events are free to attend.“We want as many agents as possible to attend which is why we donot charge for these events. And this is the perfect time of year toattend these meetings” Bergin said. “It helps set the stage for the nextyear’s selling season which is right around the corner. Agents returnhome with new enthusiasm and ideas” Special rates at each hotelare available for participating agents.

This year’s meeting will include OASIS Agent reward announce-ments; CLIA’s Dwain Wall will explain the new membership plans;Catherine Heeg will drop in to talk about social media marketing;supplier workshops; a big announcement about website develop-ment and a Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau luncheon.

Highlights of the Signature meeting that OASIS Agents will be able totake advantage of include the new technology pavilion, the DianaNyad (Cuba to Florida swimmer) keynote speech, and Mega prizedrawings.

Showcase

OASIS, the Outside Agents Sales Integration System, is a division of Smart Travel Group of Boca Raton, Florida.For more information about OASIS Agent visit www.OasisAgent.com or contact Kelly Bergin at 800-613-8380extension 120, or by email at [email protected]

About OASISOASIS is a division of

Smart Travel Group, Ltd.

Headquartered in Boca

Raton, FL, Smart Travel

Group is the holding compa-

ny for a variety of travel relat-

ed businesses. Founded in

1987 as Palm Coast Travel by

CEO Lee Smolinski, the com-

pany has expanded to

become one of the leading

online cruise agencies in the

U.S. Palm Coast Travel, the

agency division of Smart

Travel Group, is a full service

travel agency. It is a member

of Signature Travel Network,

Iatan, ASTA, NACTA, ARC,

OSSN, CLIA, and PATH. For

more information please con-

tact Kelly Bergin 561-393-

7274 ext.5120 or

[email protected] or

visit ww.OasisAgent.com. -

August 2014

Enlisting Veterans to Join its Ranks One of Several Initiatives in Support of Service Members

Enterprise Holdings Hires More Than

4,000 Military Veterans Since Joining

100,000 Jobs Mission Coalition

Enterprise Holdings announced today that it hasadded more than 4,000 military veterans to its staffsince joining the 100,000 Jobs Mission coalition in2012.

The 100,000 Jobs Mission brings together companiescommitted to hiring U.S. military veterans and militaryspouses. Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operatesthe Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car andNational Car Rental brands, is one of 165 companiesassociated with the organization. Recently, the 100,000Jobs Mission announced that it has hired more than161,000 U.S. military veterans since its 2011 inception.

Enterprise has hired nearly 1,000 military veteranssince the beginning of 2014. “At Enterprise, we arealways looking for smart, talented, ambitious individualsto join our ranks,” said Pam Webster, assistant vicepresident of talent acquisition at Enterprise Holdings.“Military veterans have had a lot of success within ourcompany, and we will continue to recruit and hire evenmore former service members in the years ahead.”

Enterprise’s commitment to the military goes backnearly six decades. The company is named after theUSS Enterprise, one of the aircraft carriers companyfounder Jack Taylor served on as a U.S. Navy pilot dur-ing World War II. It is widely recognized as the mostdecorated warship in U.S. military history.

Today, Enterprise Holdings’ support of the militaryfocuses on three key areas – recruitment and hiring,local operations and community relations.

Earlier this year, Enterprise Holdings updated itscareers and recruitment website to feature informationabout its military heritage and ongoing support of veter-ans. The website includes employment opportunities fortransitioning military personnel, veterans, members of

the National Guard and Reserve and military families.

Enterprise Holdings not only established this robustmilitary-focused careers and recruitment site, but also anonline internal resource group for employees with mili-tary experience, where they are able to come together,share experiences and network across the company.The site also highlights the extraordinary stories of sever-al Enterprise Holdings employees with military experi-ence.

Enterprise Holdings was also designated a TopVeteran-Friendly Company by U.S. Veterans Magazine,“Best for Vets: Employers” 2014 by the Military Timespublishing organization, Most Valuable Employer forMilitary 2014 by CivilianJobs.com and a 2013 MilitaryFriendly Employer® by Victory Media, publisher of G.I.Jobs.

Support of active military personnel is demonstratedby the recent agreement with the Navy ExchangeService Command (NEXCOM), which selectedEnterprise Rent-A-Car as the contracted rental car vendorat 18 Navy Exchange (NEX) locations nationwide. Thepartnership provides these locations on-base access tocar rentals, truck rentals and car-sharing services – pro-viding a comprehensive transportation solution to meetdiverse travel needs of service members. Even before theNEXCOM agreement, Enterprise was already serving50 U.S. military bases.

The Enterprise Holdings Foundation, the company’sphilanthropic arm, donated $250,000 to the FisherHouse Foundation, a non-profit organization that pro-vides free or no-cost lodging to the families of veteransreceiving treatment at military medical centers. Thedonation is being used for the operations and additionof comfort homes on the grounds of major military andVeteran’s Affairs (VA) medical centers.

Showcase


Enterprise Rent-A-Car Offering

$9.99 Per Day Weekend SpecialFriday Through Monday Rentals Begin

On Sept. 5

Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the world’s largest rental car

brand, kicked off the fall travel season by announcing its annual

$9.99 per day special weekend rate. The offer begins Sept. 5

and runs through May 18, 2015, at the majority of Enterprise’s

U.S. neighborhood locations.

“The $9.99 offer makes a weekend escape both attainable

and affordable,” said Steve Short, vice president at Enterprise

Rent-A-Car. “Enterprise makes the American road trip a lot easier

with 5,500 offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the

U.S. population, and we pick you up at your home or office.”

Customers can enjoy weekend rates of $9.99 per day on

economy and compact cars when renting Friday through

Monday. The rate includes 300 free miles per weekend. Similar

savings are offered on larger vehicles, and unlimited mileage

packages are also available at most locations. Additionally, up

to two extra days can be added to the Friday-through-Monday

rental at a discounted rate. Programs exclude airport locations.

Enterprise operates not only as a key provider for insurance

replacement vehicles, weekend getaways and special occasions,

but also as a local transportation alternative. For example, many

consumers rely on mass transit during the week or simply cannot

afford to purchase or maintain a vehicle on their own – so they

often depend on local Enterprise rental service and take advan-

tage of its great value.

Visit www.enterprise.com for more information on Enterprise’s

weekend special.

About Enterprise HoldingsEnterprise Holdings and its affiliate

Enterprise Fleet Management togetheroffer a total transportation solution.Combined, these businesses – whichinclude extensive car rental and car-sharing services, commercial truckrental, corporate fleet managementand retail car sales – accounted for$16.4 billion in revenue, employed78,000 and operated 1.4 millionvehicles throughout the world in fiscalyear 2013. Enterprise Holdings,through its regional subsidiaries, oper-ates the largest fleet of vehicles in theworld through a global network ofneighborhood and airport locationsunder the Enterprise Rent -A-Car,National Car Rental and Alamo RentA Car brands. Enterprise FleetManagement provides full-service fleetmanagement to companies and orga-nizations with medium-sized fleets.Other transportation services marketedunder the Enterprise brand nameinclude Enterprise CarShare,Enterprise Rideshare, Enterprise CarSales and Enterprise CommercialTrucks. Enterprise Holdings is thelargest car rental company in theworld as measured by revenue, fleetand employees.

About Enterprise Rent-A-CarFounded in 1957 and known for an

extensive network of locations, greatvalue and outstanding customer ser-vice, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an inter-nationally recognized brand that wasranked on BusinessWeek magazine’sannual l is t of “Customer ServiceChamps” for four years in a row.Enterprise won Budget Travel maga-zine’s 2010 and 2011 Readers’Choice Award as their favorite rentalcar brand for customer service aroundthe globe.

For more information about Enterprise Holdings, visit http://www.enterpriseholdings.com

August 2014

National Car Rental Offers Free Rental Days

Through Annual “One Two Free” Promotion

National Car Rental, the award-winning rental car brandfor business travel, is launching its annual One Two Free®promotion for registered Emerald Club members. Rentersreceive one free rental day* for every two qualifyingrentals** of a mid-sized or larger vehicle (for two or moreconsecutive days). This year National has increased theopportunities to earn promotional points by adding optionssuch as a GPS or by renting through Emerald Club’s newlylaunched Priority Service in Mexico. Members can earn upto 50 free rental days by participating in the promotion,which begins today and includes an earning period throughJan. 31, 2015.

“This year’s ‘One Two Free’ promotion makes it easierthan ever for Emerald Club members to earn free rentaldays,” said Rob Connors, assistant vice president of brandmarketing for National. “National has added new rentaland non-rental bonus-point activities to the program to offerour loyal customers more participation options.”

Each qualifying car rental completed during the “OneTwo Free” promotion is worth 300 points, with a free dayawarded once an Emerald Club member earns 600 points.Additional bonus points can be earned through both rentaland non-rental activities, including:

• Renting any size vehicle in Mexico (one-time bonus of300 points upon completion of a rental)

• Adding a GPS to a car rental (one-time bonus of 250points upon completion of a rental)

• Adding the Fuel Service Option to a car rental to pre-pay for a tank of gas (one-time bonus of 250 points uponcompletion of a rental)

• Referring up to 10 friends to join the Emerald Club and“One Two Free” promotion (300 points per referred individ-ual upon completion of a rental)

• Downloading National’s mobile app (one-time bonus of

25 points), and using it to book up to four rentals (75 pointsper completed rental)

• Utilizing Facebook social sign-in to connect toNational’s “One Two Free” promotion site (one-time bonusof 50 points)

• Participating in the Emerald Reserve service — for mem-bers who require a specific car class, such as a convertible,SUV, minivan, etc. — at Emerald Aisle locations (one-timebonus of 25 points upon completion of a rental)

To refer a friend for the promotion, members can sharethe “One Two Free” registration link via email, Facebook orTwitter. Participating members receive 300 bonus pointswhen a referred friend becomes an Emerald Club member,registers for the promotion and completes a qualifying rentalby Jan. 31, 2015.

Customers can join National’s Emerald Club atwww.emeraldclub.com/Free and immediately take part inthe “One Two Free” promotion. There are no fees to join,and members enjoy expedited service at airports and freeupgrades in National’s “Emerald Aisle,” an exclusive sectionof the lot where members can select any vehicle as long asthey reserve a mid-sized car.

Current Emerald Club members can register for the pro-motion at www.emeraldclub.com/Free. Free days earnedfor qualifying rentals through the “One Two Free” promotionare awarded in addition to a member’s chosen rewardsearnings (frequent traveler miles/points or rental credits).

Emerald Club members may track and redeem the freerental days they earn through “One Two Free” between todayand June 15, 2015, by visiting www.emeraldclub.com/Free.Up to three free days can be redeemed per rental at any time,including weekends. In keeping with the speed and conve-nience of the Emerald Club rental experience, National noti-fies participants about their free rental days via email.

Showcase

Emerald Club Members Can Earn Free Days by Renting Vehicles, Participating in Bonus Activities

For more information about National, visit www.nationalcar.com orwww.facebook.com/NationalCarRental and follow @NationalPro on Twitter.* Earned free day may be redeemed to cover base rate for a rental day but excludes taxes, governmentally-authorized or imposed sur-charges, license recoupment/air tax recovery, concession recoupment fees, airport and airport facility fees, fuel, one-way rental charge,additional driver fee, or optional items, which shall be the responsibility of the renter.

** A qualifying rental is the paid rental, via the Emerald Club, of a mid-sized or larger vehicle at participating locations in the 50United States, including the District of Columbia (excluding Canada), for a period of two or more consecutive days during the promotion.

Over 40 years of travel industry success Full staff of personal business consultants Unique protected territory system Excellent preferred supplier relationships Award-winning suite of marketing programs Social media tools Powerful technology solutions Proprietary cruise booking engine Website and mobile solutions Meeting and incentive resources Hotel program with rich amenities A full suite of corporate travel solutions Over 19 travel brands servicing you daily

We invite you to learn more about why our

The TRAVELSAVERS Difference.

Auto Europe Offers A-ROSA 2015 Crusies, Larger Selectionof Options, Early Booking Savings

Auto Europe in conjunction with David MorrisInternational, is offering A-ROSA Cruises for 2015 withnow over 200 departures including Rhone/Saone, Rhine,Danube, Moselle and Main rivers in Europe. 2015promises to be the year of choices on A-ROSA Cruises inmany areas designed to allow guests the freedom tomake their vacation one that fits their lifestyle and prefer-ences that day.

A sample of these increased options for 2015include: Guests choose what to drink with A-ROSA’sopen bar policy, not just wine and beer, and choosewhen they enjoy a drink starting in the morning untilthe wee hours of the night, not just during lunchand/or dinner. Guests also choose their own excur-sions to fit their activity level and interests, no excur-sions are “assigned” to them. In addition, guests canchoose to enjoy their dinner two ways; from a 4-course, plated service or a more casual, yet sumptuousbuffet with cooking stations Also included for 2015 is

pre-paid gratuities, port taxes and fees, and compli-mentary Wi-Fi. All offers subject to change withoutnotice

Fares have been reduced on many of the 2015 sailingsand with their early booking incentives, save $1000 percouple when you make a 2015 reservation by December31, 2014. In addition, singles save more as every sailinghas waived Single Supplements in at least one categoryand up to three children sail free with just one adult(Ages 2-15).

Auto Europe services over 10,000 car rental locationsin over 135 countries worldwide. In addition, throughtheir tour division, Destination Europe, they offer sched-uled airfare to Europe with over thirty carriers and service3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels.

For additional information, detailed itineraries, andalso pre and post sailing savings on car rental services,chauffeur meet and greet at the pier and hotel services,contact Auto Europe at 1-855-552-7672

Fall Packages to Spain From $1,017, France $1,057 and Italy from $1,207

Customize Your Holiday With Economy, Premium and Luxury OptionsAuto Europe is offering customized packages to Spain,

France and Italy to suit every traveler with Economy,Premium and Luxury options. These services are offeredthrough Auto Europe's tour division, Fly International.

Economy packages feature round-trip coach class airfare, 3nights at a 3 star hotel and a 3-day economy class car rental.Premium packages offer an upgrade including round trip pre-mium economy airfare, 3 nights at a 4 star hotel and a 3-dayintermediate size car rental. For the upscale traveler, theLuxury packages include round trip business class airfare, 3nights at a 5 star hotel and round trip private chauffeur trans-fers.

For example, packages to Barcelona, Spain start at:Economy $1017, Premium $1957 and Luxury $3627.Packages to Paris, France begin at: Economy $1057,

Premium $1739 and Luxury $4799. Rome, Italy packagesstart at: $1207 for Economy, $2019 for Premium and Luxurystarts at $4259. Hundred of additional city pair packages arealso available or can be custom built.

All package prices are per person based on two peopletraveling and based upon New York departures. All fares aresubject to availability and can change without notice. Faresbased on departures on September 1, 2014 through October31, 2014. Hotel prices include taxes and breakfast.Additional city taxes may apply and will be paid locally. Allcar rentals are based on manual transmission including VAT,unlimited mileage, in Spain and France, Italy includes CDWand Theft Protection as well . Advance purchase and mini-mum stay requirements may apply. Fares are subject to avail-ability and are subject to change until payment is received.

August 2014

1 . 8 0 0 . 2 2 3 . 5 5 5 5 • w w w. a u t o e u r o p e . c o m39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112

August 2014

TRAVELSAVERS WorldwideIndependent Network Expands

Into Romania

TRAVELSAVERS Worldwide IndependentNetwork (TWIN), a leading global travelmanagement company, has expanded itsEuropean presence in Eastern Europe withthe addition of Danubius Travel. This marksTWIN’s debut in Romania.

“We’re delighted to welcome DanubiusTravel into the TWIN family,” says RickMazza, President and CEO of TRAVEL-SAVERS Worldwide Independent Network.“It offers the superb level of service theclients of our agencies need, the overseasexpertise they expect and a suite of servicesthey want to help with travel budget man-agement. It all makes Danubius Travel aperfect complement to our organization.”

“TWIN is an ideal partner for us,” saysCiprian Popescu, Managing Director ofDanubius Travel. “The power behind theorganization is second-to-none. It providesus with the ability to tap into the expertiseof travel professionals in more than 30countries, allowing us to provide an evenhigher level of service, which in turn resultsin greater profitability.”

Danubius Travel is not only a reputableDMC offering a wide range of services, but

it also has a strong corporate departmentwith a comprehensive business travel pro-gram. Its program includes ticketing, trans-fers, budgeting tools and M.I.C.E. services.

TWIN (TRAVELSAVERS WorldwideIndependent Network) is a global travelmanagement company that provides end-to-end travel solutions for corporate clien-tele of all sizes. TWIN has an in-countrypresence in key regions around the worldincluding Argentina, Australia, Brazil,Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica,Denmark , France, Germany, Greece, India,Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Macau,Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway,Oman, Romania, Russia, Scotland,Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey,United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom andthe United States. Leading travel manage-ment companies participate as licensees inthis powerful network. TWIN provides theinfrastructure, technology and resources tohelp them find new accounts, servicemulti-national accounts locally, obtain for-eign business from other members, takeadvantage of inbound business, coordinatejoint RFPs — and provide business travelerswith the most efficient and professionaltravel assistance available.

Showcase

To find out more about how to become part of the TWIN global network, independent travel agencies can visitwww.twintravelmanagement.com, email [email protected], or call 516-624-0500 x5080.

ROYALCARIBBEAN.COM

THE SEA KISSES EVERY SHORE.WE TAKE THE RELATIONSHIP EVEN FURTHER.

The sea is calling. It whispers your name, inviting you to a place more beautiful than anything you’ve seen. Where light dances on the waves, and the gentle sound puts you at ease. Where you can enjoy a piña colada, a massage, ice skating and rock climbing all in one place. Only Royal Caribbean International® delivers the one vacation that’s a full sea of possibilities.

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