Those attending NAJ’s RTO Summit next month (Nov. 15-16) in Orlando, will experience an “International Digital Day”–the first day of the two-day event—aimed at providing traditional tourism sales staff with sufficient fundamentals so that they will be able to offer input on international direct-to-consumer market initiatives through Brand USA or their international reps.
Delegates will hear from Steve Paganelli, TripAdvisor’s head of destination marketing, on how to use the site’s data-driven options to help DMOs isolate target source countries for tactical advertising programs. The Summit, which attracts Orlando-based and Florida-based receptive tour operators that specialize in Latin American source markets, also features Mya Surrency—she is a former vice president of tourism marketing and development for Visit Jacksonville—who will discuss “the art of social selling to people who don’t want to hear from you until they need you.”
Both Paganelli and Surrency are well known, in-demand presenters “who have received high ratings for their presentations at previous editions in NAJ’s RTO Summit series,” explains NAJ founder and CEO Jake Steinman. The program for the first day of the two-day Summit—the second day comprises one-on-one business appointments with receptive operators—includes other elements aimed at bolstering the digital skills of tour and travel sales and marketing professionals.
Agenda for Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016: RTO Summit Orlando “International Digital Day”*
Online media marketing ideas for International Tour and Travel Professionals.
In Partnership with Destination Academy by TripAdvisor (DATA)
9:00-9:30 am: How We Use Online Tools to Generate Demand to Tour Operators? While relationships with buyers continue to be important, there are new online tools and tactics that can be “bolted on” to help drive demand to tour operators’ websites in a measureable way. Presenter: Florian Herrmann, CEO, HMS-Global
9:30-10:00 am: Q: Where’s the Best Place to Hide a Dead Body? A: The Second page of Google? How to Use Google Predictive Analytics to Forecast International Intent to Travel to Specific Destinations from a Variety of Source Countries. Presenter: Laszlo Horvath, CEO, Active Media. Horvath is a worldwide authority on international Search Marketing techniques and will demonstrate the process in real time.
10:00-10:25 am: Key Travel Trends from UK, Germany and France: Our partners at TripAdvisor will be releasing the most recent version of their European Travel Monitor research including how inbound hotel bookings have been affected by Brexit and the Euro. Presenter: Steven Paganelli, Head of Destination Marketing and Latin America, TripAdvisor
10:25-10:45 am: Should you use YouTube and Facebook Videos to Market to International Audiences. The Role of YouTube and Facebook has grown l to two major media channels that are ideal for converting sales. With a sharp rise in search for travel content, management of a channels and quality video content allow you to create, own and control video that can easily be presented in multiple languages.
Presenter: Robyn Levin, CEO, R Levin Marketing
10:45-11:00 am: Tricks of the Trade Part 1: Tricks and Tips to help traditional tourism sales professionals use the latest digital tools to access new media in key overseas markets. How tour and travel sales professionals can work the PR media, bloggers and influencers international trade shows.
11:00-11:10 am: Tricks of the Trade Part 2: What Do You Do When You’re Approached to Buy Advertising at Trade Shows. Presenter: Susan Wilson, President, Susan Wilson Marketing, who has over a decade of experience conducting international outreach for tourism DMO’s and attractions and who’s current and former clients include Grand Canyon National Park Lodges, CityPass, Westfield Shopping Centers, TravMedia, Tuolumne County/Yosemite.
11:10-11:30 am: Coffee Break sponsored by TourOperatorLand.com
11:30-11:50 am: How to Increase your Website and Social Media Traffic from key International Markets by understanding the media landscape. Presenter: Frank Vertolli, Co-founder of Net Conversion which he founded in 2007 with long-time colleague Ryan Fitzgerald. Under their travel industry leadership and experience, Net Conversion provides results-oriented paid digital marketing and comprehensive analytics services to a focused list of long-term, primarily Travel & Hospitality clients including Universal Studios. Blue Man Group, The Orlando Magic and Nassau Paradise Island.
11:50-12:10 pm: The Power of TripAdvisor for International Online Marketing. More than a review site, TripAdvisor has data-driven options that can help international inbound travel marketers isolate targeted source countries for tactical advertising programs that are surprisingly affordable. Presenter: Steven Paganelli, Head of Destination Marketing and Latin America, TripAdvisor
12:10-1:50 pm: Enjoy Lunch on Own
1:50-2:10 pm: I Chat, You Chat We all Chat for We Chat. How tourism professionals can use the power of We Chat, a Chinese App with 810 million users that is a cross between What’s App, Twitter and Tinder. Presenter: David Becker, CEO, Attract China.
2:10-3:10 pm: How will Brexit, the Strong US Dollar, Brazil’s bumpy economy and Terrorism affect international arrivals in 2017-18. A panel of receptive operators discuss the exchange rate’s impact for 2H 2016 and their insights beyond. Moderator:Florian Herrmann, NAJ Group; Invited tour operators: Uri Argov, CEO, Tourico Holidays (i); Jay Santos, Managing Director USA,TrendTravel USA; Pabs Raghava, CEO, Tours Limited (i); Gisa Kuserow Hansen, GM Florida, AlliedTPro (i)
3:15-3:30 pm: Coffee Break sponsored by TourOperatorLand.com
3:30-4:30 pm: Collaborative Product Development Ideation Roundtables. Attendees will be divided into roundtables, each of which will feature product development discussions among participants and the receptive assigned to that table. Receptives will then be asked to rotate to a different roundtable after 30 minutes. A facilitator from NAJ will be designated for each roundtable.
4:30-5:30 pm: 3-Minute MICE Presentations by Suppliers. (for suppliers who signed up for this)
* Last update Oct. 4, 2016
For a list of the tour operators who will be taking part in the Summit, visit:
http://www.rtosummit.com/rto-summit-mice/rto-summit-mice-tour-operator-attendees/.
