Walking the walk at THETRADESHOW

Attending events, conference, and exhibitions can often be very hectic and frazzled with all there is to do and see in a compact period of time. THETRADESHOW is making the participation of the travel agent uncomplicated and streamlined at its event being held from September 12-14, 2010 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

This travel retailing and destination expo will provide agents with opportunities to meet with exhibitors at the event and so much more. The best way for agents to plan for the “so much more” while walking the show floor is to know what will be happening where and at what time. These general points will help participants get ready for the event.

TRADE SHOW FLOOR SET UP (http://www.thetradeshow.org/exhibit_hall.cfm )

The trade show floor is divided into 12 sections based on destination and type of business so attendees can easily meet with exhibitors who they want to help expand their business. For example, travel agents can visit the Caribbean section and meet with companies such as the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and Royal Resorts or stop in the cruise section and meet with representatives from all the major cruise lines, plus CruiseOne and Expedia Cruise Ship Centers. Among the exhibiting destinations are Puerto Rico Tourism, Brazilian Tourism Board, and the Turkish Culture and Tourism Board. The trade show floor will also have sections spotlighting exhibitors from Florida and Orlando. ( http://www.thetradeshow.org/exhibitor_list.cfm )

TRAVEL AGENT/EXHIBITOR MATCHMAKING

Travel agents who are interested can advance their business building by meeting with representatives from any of the 200+ exhibiting companies through the exclusive match-making appointment system. Setting an appointment with an exhibitor allows agents to meet one on one with a representative and gives them the opportunity to ask their most important questions and learn ways they can increase their sales through their products and services. Based on an attendee’s profile, which includes the places they send clients and where they do the most business, the computer system will generate a list of recommended companies for a travel agent to meet.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

– THESHOWSTAGE

Sunday, September 12

• Performance Media Group

• Amadeus

• ASTA Travel & Tourism Awards

Monday, September 13

• Travel Weekly

• Panel TBD

– PRESENTATION PAVILIONS

Sunday, September 12

• 2:30 pm – 2:50 pm: SeaWorld (Pavilion 1)

• 2:30 pm – 2:50 pm: Performance Media Group (Pavilion 2)

• 3:00 pm – 3:20 pm: Travelport (Pavilion 1)

• 3:30 pm – 3:50 pm: Avis (Pavilion 1)

• 3:30 pm – 3:50 pm: TRO (Pavilion 2)

Monday, September 13

• 11:30 am – 11:50 am: Experience Starwood’s Travel Professional Program (Pavilion 1)

Are You A Starwood pro? – Brought to you by Starwood Hotels & Resorts – Chris Austin: Find out how you can become a Starwoodpro. Austin will take you on a virtual tour of the company’s travel professional website, www.starwoodpro.com . New for 2010, Starwood is adding destination modules to its ProLearning platform. Austin will share some of the highlights of all the available modules, explain how you can earn access to Starwood’s lowest travel professional rates, and highlight all the resources Starwood has created for it travel professional partners through starwoodpro.com. And win an exciting Starwood Resorts giveaway so you can experience one of the nine brands and 1,000 properties in 100 countries around the world.

• 11:30 am – 11:50 am: World Religious Travel Association (Pavilion 2)

• 1:00 pm – 1:20 pm: Get Resourceful (Pavilion 1)

Brought to you by Hilton Worldwide – Peter Maltby: Are you aware of the many available resources? Get useful ideas and tips on where to get the inside scoop on Hilton Worldwide and its many brands. Dive into online training, product information, news and tips, special rates, and how staying loyal pays off. One lucky attendee will get to experience a 2-night stay in any Hampton Inn in the US simply by participating in this seminar.

• 1:00 pm – 1:20 pm: Performance Media Group (Pavilion 2)

• 1:30 pm – 1:50 pm: Auto Europe – The International Car Rental Service (Pavilion 1)

Brought to you by Auto Europe – Joe Maniscalco: Learn of the many benefits when booking your clients with Auto Europe and Destination Europe. It starts with access to the industry’s largest car rental fleet with over 4,000 locations worldwide, to a reservations and customer service department open 24-7-365, free toll-free customer service worldwide with prices guaranteed in US dollars. Receive the latest information on our programs including transfer & chauffeur drive services, Peugeot buyback leases for long-term rentals, GPS, cell phones, and much more. With Destination Europe, one call does it all. Your client can have all of their travel handled from airfare to hotels to car rental and beyond. Partnering with over 30 airlines and more than 30,000 hotels worldwide Destination Europe will deliver all of your clients needs.

For more information, go to: www.thetradeshow.org .