Monday, Jan. 9
Education Schedule
9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
301: The PDA Power Program: Palm, Pocket PC or Blackberry Users
Speaker: Randall Dean
Sponsored by Mississippi Division of Tourism
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You know which apps are fun, but what apps and functions will help you turn your Droid, iPhone, and/or BlackBerry into a productivity workhorse? In this session, we’ll discuss the apps that help take your SmartPhone from “cool” to “critical” when it comes to productivity, time, project, people, and e-mail management as well as “remote” productivity.
302: Doubling Your Effectiveness: Using Both Sides of Your Brain in Selling Situations
Speaker: Jan Hargrave
Sponsored by Louisville CVB
This workshop is designed to identify your preferred method of thinking and to maximize your creativity and productivity in any sales situation. You will also learn to increase your ability to solve difficult problems as you get in touch with the powerful insights that are stored deep within the hemispheres of your brain.
303: From Exceptional Service to Exceptional Experience
Speaker: John Kennedy
Sponsored by Turning Stone Resort & Casino
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In these challenging times, our competition has changed. We are in a wants versus need economy. And let's face it; we are in a needs-based industry. Our competition is now the wallets and wants of our customers and we need to step it up a notch or two. From great service to great experience, let John Kennedy bring you to the level of expectation your team needs to know and your customers demand to receive.
304: DMO Representative Meeting
Speaker: Alf Nucifora
Join your DMO colleagues for an engaging dialogue on the state of your industry segment. Alf will help you pinpoint the most pressing issues, challenge you to be open and honest in your discussion, and collectively produce relevant strategies that you can take back to the office.
11 a.m. - Noon
305: Tour Trends
Speaker: Bill Geist
Sponsored by Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism
From the ever-volatile economy to the evolution of what is important to today's traveler, keeping a keen eye on the trends that power consumer choice has never been more important. Tourism Trend analyst Bill Geist offers his take on how to capitalize on these changes to develop new experiences opportunities that resonate with today's consumer.
306: Generations Working in Harmony
Speaker: Karen McCullough
Sponsored by Rhode Island Tourism
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Generation Y (people under 30) is revolutionizing the workplace by creating their own culture...and demands. Do you wonder what ever happened to dress shoes, panty hose, and phone calls? There is a workplace SHIFT taking place that is stimulating new ways of thinking, communicating, and doing business. Many of us Boomers never thought that this would happen, but today as Gen Y continues to enter the workplace they are influencing and even changing corporate cultures and the way we do business across the world.
307: Groupon…Hero or Heretic?
Speaker: Alf Nucifora
It’s a new sales model that’s proliferating like wildfire, but will these ubiquitous “deal of the day” channels capture long-term consumer loyalty and reconfigure the traditional mode by which seller and buyer interact with each other? In this timely address, seasoned marketing professional and perennial Marketplace presenter, Alf Nucifora delivers a detailed analysis of the popular and unstoppable online ecommerce “deal” companies that are capturing consumer sales, market share and customer loyalty, together with their applicability to the travel industry. The short-term marketing of travel packages and experiences through channels including Groupon, Jetsetter, Gilt City, etc. will be discussed together with appropriate recommendations for the motorcoach industry and marketers.
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
308: Group Travel University: Riches in the Niches
Speakers: Jeff Gayduk and Joe Veneto
Presented by Premier Tourism Marketing
Savvy destination marketers must align their product development strategy for affinity and niche traveler segments to achieve success in today’s Group Market. Join Jeff Gayduk, publisher of Leisure Group Travel and Joe Veneto, the Opportunity Guy and experiential tourism expert for an insightful discussion on niche and affinity market trends. Discover how to engineer new experiences that will entice niche and affinity travelers to your destination and generate results.
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
309: Understanding the Importance of Nonverbal Communication
Speaker: Jan Hargrave
Sponsored by Louisville CVB
It’s a scientific fact that a person’s body gestures give away his true intentions. Actually, over 90 percent of all face-to-face communication is nonverbal. Therefore, the silent body language often reveals more than the spoken word in conveying true feelings and attitudes. Clear, practical and fun, this seminar offers a wealth of detailed information concerning the “hidden messages” of those around you as well as yourself. Jan Hargrave’s fascinating presentation gives you the advantages you need to make in-depth character assessments, as well as an increased ability to develop ethical nonverbal behaviors in all professional relationships.
310: Quitting is Not an Option
Speaker: Connie Merritt
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Every champion you meet will tell you there was a day, a moment, and an hour when they decided they wanted to quit but had to find the will to stick with it. These are rapidly becoming the toughest times most of us have ever seen. Connie helps organizations and individuals understand how to take the necessary actions to make decisions to meet their challenges by leading and inspiring and not retreating into the paralysis of “just holding on.”
311: Negotiation Coaching: Getting to Yes
Speaker: John Kennedy
Sponsored by Turning Stone Resort & Casino
Click Here for Haundot
With everyone counting his or her dimes and dollars, the need to understand the successful process of negotiation is paramount today. With the best folks going back for two to three rounds of negotiation, how do you hold your ground, hold your price and hold your head high is a teachable skill. Join international author, speaker, and strategist John Kennedy as he brings you up to speed on the negotiation highway.
4 - 5 p.m.
312: One Bold Voice - Two Shaky Knees (How to Deliver a Speech)
Speaker: Vicki Hitzges
Sooner or later, everyone will be called upon to speak in public. It may be to make a sale, address a tour group, speak to superiors or peers in a formal meeting. Competent speakers lead organizations. They also discover they feel confident themselves. In this presentation, even the shiest person will feel more comfortable speaking in public and develop a crucial leadership skill.
313: Stand By Your Brand
Speaker: Karen McCullough
Sponsored by Rhode Island Tourism
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Everybody’s talking about Branding. Branding is more than an advertising buzzword—today, your brand it is the core of your business and the heart of your culture. This program shows you how to instill your company's brand (message and promise) to your employees. Each time an employee interacts with the public, via e-mails, face to face or on the phone, they impact how the public feels about your organization. Empower your team, and create brand champions. Rediscover what makes your business one in a million.
