Eighteen of the 20-member group met during NTA’s Travel Exchange in December 2017 at San Antonio, but the secret is definitely out. Also convening during the convention were 55 members who attended the inaugural meeting of the Tour Supplier Network and 70 members who gathered for the second session of the DMO Network.
“The involvement and the high level of conversations were fantastic,” said Morgan Maravich, NTA’s manager of industry and member engagement. “After the Tour Supplier Network session, even the most experienced members said they were taking away new pieces of information. And when the DMO Network session ended, the group broke out in spontaneous applause. They were just so grateful this initiative is getting off the ground.”
Courier talked with three NTA members who hold a leadership role with their respective networks.
Courier: The Owners Network was formed a decade ago to give tour operator CEOs a way to share information and discuss business ideas. What makes it work so well?
Hoffmann: Our meetings are an opportunity to sit down with people who do business in the same industry and discuss things you wouldn’t normally talk about in your office. You can sort out stressful situations with peers who understand. It’s like having your own set of consultants, and for a small company, that’s a huge resource. I came back from our San Antonio meeting with an idea that could make thousands of dollars; I put it in motion as soon as I got home.
Courier: How many owners are involved?
Hoffmann: We’ve grown this group one owner at a time. We started with five or six, and now we have 20 members. And once somebody joins, they don’t leave.
Courier: Is there a cost?
Hoffmann: There’s no charge for belonging, but we do pay a fee for a third-party accountant to compile financial information we submit anonymously. That analysis gives us financial benchmarks we can each compare our company to.
Courier: And you meet in person, right?
Hoffmann: Yes. We usually meet twice a year, and it’s always on a Friday so we can steal a portion of the weekend and not miss as much time in the office. Everybody invests real currency and time to travel to meetings, but the payoff is unbelievable. I’ve been an NTA member for 28 years, and this is by far the single-best benefit that’s come along.
Courier: Tell me about the first meeting of the Tour Supplier Network.
Berry: There were 55 suppliers—more than any of us expected—representing sectors such as retail, passenger vessels, museums, hotels, restaurants and events/festivals. What impressed me most, though, was the number of first-time attendees who took the brave step to join in.
Courier: How did you structure the session?
Berry: We set up the room with round tables and had people sit at tables based on specific criteria that we determined in advance. The first grouping was based on type of supplier, and to give you an idea of the diversity, the members at the passenger-vessel table ranged from a family-owned boat in Alaska to Jodi from Norwegian Cruise Line. The second grouping was based on geography—Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, etc.—and the final grouping was based on the number of full-time employees.
Courier: What did you observe?
Berry: First, the group discussions allowed for a lot of networking with people they probably would not have spoken with otherwise. And breaking into specific topics helped steer conversations. Also, we created an environment where people could have detailed discussions. Weather and its implications was a popular topic when we broke up by region. I also heard the passenger vessel group talking about new laws and how those laws impact their sector of the industry.
Courier: How do you see this group moving forward?
Berry: The consensus was that this network is needed. I saw a lot of business card exchanges, which I take as a great sign of connection. We are planning a program for the day after Contact, and we’ll also start a LinkedIn group for the Supplier Network. And I want to find a way to keep the discussion going on various topics, but we haven’t finalized anything yet.
Courier: How did the DMO Network get started?
Itel: In talking with owners about their network, and with NTA staff, I knew it would make sense for DMOs to organize ourselves, too. We see each other once a year at Travel Exchange, but things come up during the rest of the year. There are opportunities we’ve been missing that we can discover when we get together.
Courier: How was your session in San Antonio structured?
Itel: We had a designated topic—and a moderator—for each table, and attendees made their way to each topic around the room. The topics included partnerships, budgets and how to make the most of your NTA membership. The people at my table took a lot of notes and shared a lot of ideas.
Courier: Was there anything that surprised you?
Itel: The discussions themselves were surprising. I had envisioned that DMOs would sort of align according to the size of their destination and discuss their issues and successes. What I observed, though, was that large DMOs were learning from small DMOs and vice versa, and the idea sharing generated very positive take-aways for everyone. I was also surprised that the participants were so engaged with the topics, which was very exciting.
Courier: What’s next for the DMO Network?
Itel: The group will meet again in Charleston after Contact, and we are working on an online meeting as well. We have also started a platform on Facebook so people can communicate year-round. We now have a network of colleagues we can reach out to, and this will really fill a void that this segment of the industry has been looking for. This network is something NTA does really well: Add a benefit I don’t have to pay for.
Top photo ©everythingpossible/Adobe Stock
