Fourth Annual THETRADESHOW Receives Broad Acclaim

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. November 13, 2009

Alexandria, VA - In September, thousands of travel professionals gathered in Las Vegas to attend the fourth annual THETRADESHOW. The event drew broad acclaim from suppliers and travel agent attendees alike and provided further evidence that this event has become the premier retail travel business event for the travel industry in North America.

“THETRADESHOW this year was able to provide even greater value in terms of stronger education sessions and new seminars and tracks that provided everyone with tools we could implement immediately upon returning home. These tools will help us grow our bottom line and strengthen our market position with respect to the competition,” said Chris Russo, president and chair of ASTA, one of THETRADESHOW's managing partners. “I'm already looking forward to next year's event.”

While the THETRADESHOW offered agents the chance to meet and network with more than 750 suppliers, it also offered suppliers an opportunity to present their products to agents in new and unique ways. Among the new events this year were a supplier-only education track, an exhibitor reception and the Hosted-Buyer Program. Of her experience with the Hosted-Buyer Program, Velma Chen with Chen-Martin Travel (Santa Clara, Calif.) said: "The hosted buyer experience … was terrific! … It really reinforced the fact that resorts do value the travel agent partnership and as a result I was able to attend a great tradeshow/conference and share all that I learned with my staff. Thank you for organizing this!"

Another first for THETRADESHOW was the ASTA YPS Panel, sponsored by Sabre Travel Network. This education session, led by members of ASTA's Young Professional Society (YPS), provided those industry professionals 40 and younger with advice on how to gain credibility and grow their business while enhancing their professionalism and business acumen. The audience featured a mix of both domestic and international agents and included ASTA members and non-members.

"The ASTA programs available at THETRADESHOW provided updates and insights into what ASTA has done and is doing for my business. They were a valuable use of my time as I walked away with methods to strengthen my company," said Kari C. Thomas, CTC, of Will Travel, Inc. (Langhorne, Penn.)

"The ASTA programs available at THETRADESHOW provided updates and insights into what ASTA has done and is doing for my business. They were a valuable use of my time as I walked away with methods to strengthen my company," said Kari C. Thomas, CTC, of Will Travel, Inc. (Langhorne, Penn.)

To learn more about each event, view photos and learn what other attendees had to say about the three-day networking and education event, please visit THETRADESHOW Highlights or, for more information, visit THETRADESHOW.org. Next year's event will be held in Orlando, Sept. 12-14.

THETRADESHOW is created and supported by the travel industry's leading organizations, including: ASTA, ACTA, CLIA, ETOA, IGLTA, NACTA, NBTA, NTA, The Travel Institute, U.S. Travel Association and USTOA. Official media partners are: Agent@Home, eTurboNews, JaxFax, TravelPulse, Recommend, Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, USA Today and Vacation Agent.

THETRADESHOW (Travel Retailing and Destination Expo) is a 3-day, in-depth networking and educational event. Global and inclusive, THETRADESHOW unites under one roof travel suppliers and buyers from all over the world, representing every segment of the travel and tourism industry. It is the trade show event for travel decision makers. For more information on THETRADESHOW, please call 1.866.870.9333, visit THETRADESHOW.org or e-mail [email protected]