2004 Summit Conference & Gala

Top receptive tour operators and suppliers from around the country gathered in New York at the New York Hilton on February 11 -12, 2004 for the Receptive Services Association 2004 Summit Conference and Gala.

During the two-day conference, representatives from the leading destinations, attractions, hotels, restaurants and travel service companies in the United States networked with the country's top inbound receptive tour operators.

The highlight of this year's event was the North America Destination Showcase. This was the first time, a destination showcase was incorporated with supplier venues. Forty-seven suppliers from across the United States and Canada participated.

The conference included the ever-popular Marketplace, where nearly thirty receptive tour operator members met one-on-one with supplier members. At the Marketplace there are two sessions of 15, seven-minute pre-scheduled appointments.

Roundtable discussions for supplier members were held concurrently with the Marketplace. A range of topics were discussed including; receptive operators tariffs, Web advertising, and marketing budgets.

Ron Crossland, vice chair of tompeterscompany! opened the conference with his keynote address, "Beyond Surviving - Thriving." Ron's presentation provided information on how to assess the brand abilities of your firm in order to make it a true professional services firm to thrive in the new market economy.

Nick Calderazzo, of RMP Travel, the Summit Conference Education Chair, summarized, "In the past couple of years our education focus was really about surviving the next two or three months. Mostly we concentrated on where the business was and how to keep it. Now that we have all lived through and survived the worst of times, we can look beyond today to rebuild a solid foundation for tomorrow. This year's summit helped us all look to the future as one with possibilities and gave us some tools to thrive, not just survive."

Following the Wednesday keynote session were three breakout sessions encompassing a wide variety of topics from the basic "Receptive 101", and "Motivating Employees" to the more future-focused "Experiences - The Next Generation of Travel Products." The "Receptive 101" session provided basic information to supplier company attendees who are new to the inbound tourism industry. Suppliers learned the dos and don'ts of working with receptive tour operators.

Lee Schissler of Carillion Inc. provided an informative session on "Motivating Employees." Attendees learned how managers can effectively motivate employees through recognition and encouragement.

In his presentation, "Experiences - The Next Generation of Travel Products," Joe Veneto, of Opportunities Unlimited, focused on understanding the values, lifestyles, and motivations of travelers to create new ideas and solutions for the next generation of travel products.

The Summit Conference included the fourth annual Silent Auction. Supplier venues provided an array of prizes including premium get-away packages to city and resort sites.

The Summit concluded with the 2004 Stanley Awards Gala - "Evening of the Shanghai Moon." Along with the presentation of the Stanley Awards, this black tie affair provided attendees with an evening of networking, fine dining, and dancing.

The Stanley Awards honor those associate members that do an outstanding job in working with RSA receptive tour operators. The awards are presented biannually. The 2004 winners were:
Excellence in Sales and Marketing Hotel Category, The Intercontinental Barclay New York; Excellence in Sales and Marketing Non-Hotel Category, Corning Museum of Glass; Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Operations Hotel Category, Empire Hotel Group; Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Operations Non-Hotel Category, City Pass; President's Award for Cooperating with RSA Receptive Tour Operators Hotel Category, Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group; President's Award for Cooperating with RSA Receptive Tour Operators Non-Hotel Category, San Francisco CVB and the Stanley Fisher Award for Outstanding Travel Professional of the Year Robert Chafey, Cendant Corporation.

The awards were presented to the 2004 winners by the 2002 winners. The 2002 winners were:
Excellence in Sales and Marketing Hotel Category, Omni Hotels; Excellence in Sales and Marketing Non-Hotel Category, Restaurant Associates and Court of Two Sisters; Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Operations Hotel Category, Starwood Hotels; Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Operations Non-Hotel Category, Academy Bus
President's Award for Cooperating with RSA Receptive Operators Hotel Category, Hotel Beacon; President's Award for Cooperating with RSA Receptive Operators Non-Hotel Category, Liberty Helicopters and the Stanley Fisher Award for Outstanding Travel Professional of the Year, Barbara Friedman, Omni Hotels.

The annual Summit Conference continues to be the industry's must attended event. It's the perfect opportunity for industry representatives and association members to come together, network and learn about industry issues.

RSA extends it's appreciation to the Education and Event Committees for all their hard work in providing a successful Summit conference & Gala.