Meetings, Events and Education

ABA's Meetings, Events and Education department provides members with networking opportunities and programs to enhance careers, sharpen skills, expand expertise, and stay current with industry trends.

American Bus Marketplace

ABA's Marketplace [1] is THE place to network and enhance your group travel business. The one-of-a-kind show offers seven-minute prescheduled appointments, where motorcoach operators obtain information and create business relationships with Travel Industry and Service Supplier sellers.These face-to-face appointments are the core of Marketplace week.

2008 Marketplace CDs [2]
2007 Marketplace CDs [3]

Education

The Education Department at ABA is responsible for creating, promoting and managing a well-balanced curriculum for the Certified Travel Industry Specialist (CTIS) Program, as well as the Education Seminars at the American Bus Marketplace. These continuing education programs help to enhance careers, sharpen skills, expand expertise, and stay current with industry trends, and is a core ABA service. To help produce an Education program, every year ABA forms a Marketplace Education Subcommittee, to develop topics ranging from personal development to business management, operations, sales and marketing. Members anticipate industry trends and emerging issues for potential development. Nearly 50 hours of professional development seminars are offered during Marketplace week. Seminar tapes of the sessions are available for purchase for the year following a Marketplace event:

>> Certified Travel Industry Specialist Program [8]
>> Marketplace Education Seminars [9]

Top 100 Events in North America

ABA's Top 100 Events in North America [10] is an annual compendium of the best events for group travel in the United States and Canada. Each spring, a committee of ABA-member motorcoach and tour operators selects the Top 100 Events for the subsequent year; the list is unveiled in September. Winners are chosen from hundreds of celebrations, festivals, fairs, commemorative events, and more that have been nominated by state tourism offices and local and regional CVBs. From among the winners, ABA names the Number One Event for both the United States and Canada.