Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008 - (Page 10)

PUBLISHER’S Note FOR THE AGENT Fall Into Place Getting out of your home office and attending events like the Home-Based Travel Agent Expo can help your business I am always asked if I could live anywhere, where would that be? My answer is always the same: A state that has four seasons. I feel four distinct climates are not only healthy, but they enable you to enjoy a different sense of place while staying where you are. You can experience a snowy holiday, the first warm day of spring, a hot summer day on the beach, a crisp fall day with trees bright in color. And anytime I get bored, of course, I’d want the ability to jet off to the climate of my liking. The ability to get out of the home office is also a healthy idea for home-based agents, not only for sanity’s sake but also for knowledge. Successful home-based agents, like any agent, must recognize their weaknesses, and turn them into strengths. To me, an obvious strength is the ability to meet suppliers. In typical brand-name agencies, suppliers come by to keep offices “in the loop,” or meet at cocktail receptions to share business cards. A home-based agent might not get to meet these suppliers, or receive an invitation to the cocktail reception. Most of all, without a brand-name agency, you lack recognition for your clients upon arrival at a destination. These things will hurt you in what I call the “knowledge and recognition” game. If you want to find new ways to turn your weaknesses into strengths, I recommend coming to the Home-Based Travel Agent Expo. You will meet more suppliers in two days than a brick-and-mortar agency will all year. And, most importantly, you will be able to forge relationships that will get your clients that extra attention from all the travel suppliers with whom you do business. Trust me, it will all fall into place! HB John McMahon Group Publisher jmcmahon@questex.com 212-895-8243 HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENT EXPO Date: December 2-4, 2008 Location: Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas Registration: Visit www.home basedtravelagentexpo.com The Home-Based Travel Agent Expo can help agents turn their weaknesses into strengths by letting them network with one another and meet valuable suppliers all in one place 10 Home-BasedTravelAgent O CTOBE R 2008 http://www.homebasedtravelagentexpo.com http://www.homebasedtravelagentexpo.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008

Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Publisher’s Note Your Lifeline Agent Profile New Technology Industry News Hot Deals Charging Fees Cover Story: Divers’ Destinations For the Traveler - Cruise - Groups For the Agent - Cruise - Groups Top Hotels in Italy For the Traveler - Destinations - China For the Agent - Destinations - China For the Traveler - Destinations - Caribbean For the Agent - Destinations - Caribbean For the Traveler - Destinations -Las Vegas For the Agent - Destinations - Las Vegas Home-Based Agent Expo New Products

Home Based Travel Agent - October 2008

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