MONTREAL -- ASTA
began testing its new restructuring plan, under which the Society
will have two membership categories.
Those in the core
membership group, paying $250 annually, will receive a range of
basic services, and those paying $2,500 for premium status will
receive the basic package plus a collection of custom
services.
In the first test
phase, ASTA officials said they were working with 30 agencies --
both ASTA and non-ASTA members -- to get a better reading of
agencies real needs and preferences.
As part of the
project, ASTA led a group of 20 agents to the World Travel Market
(WTM) last week in London, on a business fam, said Bill Maloney,
ASTA executive vice president and COO.
Calling the group
the International Buyers Club, Maloney said ASTA will enroll the
agents in the Meridian Club, which grants a number of privileges to
buyers and assists the agents in defining their goals at WTM and in
working the WTM trade show floor to best effect with those goals in
mind.
This is
envisioned as an option for premium category members.
Maloney said ASTA
aims to do the same thing this March at ITB in Berlin.
Meanwhile, the
current test phase -- during which the 30 guinea pigs will
participate in online surveys, interviews and conference calls --
will end Jan. 31, after which ASTA will launch beta testing
involving a greater number of agencies.
To contact
the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to Nadine Godwin
at [email protected].