ASTA to Hold First Virtual Business Conference

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. April 27, 2009

ALEXANDRIA, VA, April 27, 2009 - ASTA is pleased to announce its first Virtual Business Summit, geared to helping its core membership-travel agents-utilize the many resources at their disposal to create successful agencies and strong brands in a challenging economic climate. Exclusively for ASTA members, this virtual conference will be held May 20, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

"The conference takes ASTA's commitment to educating its members in how to best position their business in this economic environment to a new level," said ASTA President and Chair Chris Russo. " By attending one or all of these sessions, ASTA members will be armed with valuable industry information they can use to protect and grow their business. As an agency owner myself, I'm looking forward to the chance to learn more about each of the topics presented."

Whether ASTA members have questions about how to brand their agency or are thinking about implementing a progress fee model at their agency, the subjects covered in the Virtual Business Conference will prove beneficial for all travel agency owners and managers.

The conference sessions are as follows:

---|. Changing Your Future by Upgrading Your Business Model. Presented by Nolan Burris . ( 2:00-2:45 p.m. ET) Agencies need to develop and implement a progressive fees strategy. This presentation addresses critical issues related to upgrading a business model to successfully use fees and will cover how to use ASTA's new online program, the Travel Agency Consultancy Fee Course. This 14-part multimedia course includes Webcasts, interactive spreadsheets and a downloadable course book and walks ASTA members through the steps needed to upgrade their business model.

---|. Money, Money, Money and More. Presented by speakers from the Small Business Administration and SCORE (TBA). ( 3:00-3:45 p.m. ET) Managing a travel agency today is not always easy, but there are external resources, including SBA loans and SCORE, a nonprofit organization offering free business assistance to small business, that can help travel agency owners and managers navigate their way. In this session, representatives from the SBA will lay out in clear terms the loan programs available to the owners of small travel agencies who are facing cash shortages or wish to plan ahead for future needs. SCORE representatives, meanwhile, will review the counseling and mentoring services available to small-business owners and entrepreneurs, and other free resources to help them manage the economic downturn. This session is a must for travel agency owners wanting a comprehensive overview of the resources available to them to help them weather the economic downturn and succeed in the long term.

---|. What Every Businessperson Should Know About BRANDING. Presented by Mary Fran Love, Esq. ( 4:00-4:45 p.m. ET) Branding is not just for large organizations-everything and everyone can be a brand. Mary Fran Love, an expert in brand management, will entertain and inspire attendees as she uses the basics principles of trademark law to reveal how understanding simple trademark laws and concepts can help people succeed in business. She takes this concept one step further and shows how applying those laws and rules to how we conduct ourselves in business will have the same results for the individual - a strong brand, positive goodwill, and high consumer recognition.

Each session will be 45 minutes long and include time for questions. ASTA members will need to register separately for each session. Members are encouraged to sign up early as space is limited.

The mission of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) is to facilitate the business of selling travel through effective representation, shared knowledge and the enhancement of professionalism. ASTA seeks a retail travel marketplace that is profitable and growing and a rewarding field in which to work, invest and do business.