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Members Drive ABA By Peter Pantuso President & CEO, American Bus Association Industry pros conduct business at ABA Marketplace.
E
very year at Marketplace I’m always energized by the enthusiasm displayed by attending delegates. But even more telling are the comments I receive from delegates on the networking floor, at the educational seminars, or during the evening events. Nearly all of our members, regardless of the main thrust of their comments, include the theme that they are telling me this because they feel that ABA listens like no one else does.
• Receptive operators have their choice of appointment session days;
• An operator-to-operator business session allows operators to do business with each other directly;
• The show features a shorter, more concise schedule, meaning less time away from the office;
• Two super-session educa-
ABA listens, all right. And we are constantly seeking input from
tional seminars have been
all of our members about the is-
added Friday, Jan. 15 – one on
sues facing them, the products
“Tour Trends For Group Travel”
and services we offer, as well as
and another dubbed “Product
the most recent show, so we can
Development Runway” – each
improve our value to the mem-
of which is designed to give
bers. In the days after Market-
delegates more value and
place each year, we have a full
takeaways that can be used
staff debriefing to go over what
upon returning to the office;
went well, what went superbly, what needs tweaking to make it
Marketplace is the year’s must-attend event.
• A longer Product Pavilion, from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday,
better, and what we can offer next year
tal Region Marketplace at Gaylord
Jan. 16, featuring 600 operators mak-
– and in the coming years – to make
National from Jan. 15-19, ABA is offer-
ing decisions affecting fleets with total
Marketplace even better. We want to
ing many improvements designed to
coaches numbering more than 20,000
get the information downloaded from
increase your ROI for your business.
– the perfect exhibit opportunity for
our craniums while it’s still fresh in our
Here are some:
product and service suppliers and
• Sellers have an 11 percent in-
equipment manufacturers to show off
who traveled across North America to
crease in appointment slots, up to 58
their wares to a pre-qualified group of
get to the show to do so.
from 52;
operators they need to see.
minds because we owe it to delegates
The result, we hope, is a better Marketplace show each year, and that all we do for you improves on an upward trajectory. And at the 2010 Capi-
• Lodging and attraction appointment sessions have been combined;
• Lodging and attraction sellers have been given an open business floor;
ABA listens to members to make Marketplace the one “must-attend” group travel & motorcoach tourism event of the year – and as we finally begin to emerge from this long recession, we know many members can choose only one show. And we listen throughout the year so ABA is the “must belong to” association. Which is why we’ve gone that extra distance to ensure the one choice is ABA and Marketplace. We listen, and we take what we’ve been told face-to-face to implement better
The Capital Region's Gaylord National Hotel hosts the Jan. 15 -19 ABA Marketplace. 4 December 2009
programs in place. LeisureGroupTravel.com