ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- ASTA retooled its 70th annual World Travel
Congress, slated for Sept. 24 to 29 in Las Vegas, by streamlining
the trade show, adding more educational seminars and shortening the
general session in an effort to inject a dose of adrenaline to the
venerable convention.
ASTA said it hopes to improve upon last year's congress in
Strasbourg, France, which Society officials said drew a
disappointing 1,500 agent attendees, only slightly more than the
1997 convention in Glasgow, Scotland.
Additionally, 550 trade show booths were sold, about 100 less
than in Glasgow.
Hotel rates
• Bellagio: $132 per night.
• Bally's Casino Resort: $90 per night.
• Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas: $138 per night.
• Golden Nugget: $74 per night.
• Las Vegas Hilton: $94 per night.
• Luxor: $90 per night.
• Mandalay Bay: $104 per night.
• MGM Grand: $104 per night.
• Mirage: $104 per night.
• Monte Carlo Resort: $55 per night.
• Paris: $104 per night.
• Treasure Island: $95 per night.
But this year, with a nod from lady luck, ASTA is ready to bet
that some 6,000 people will attend the congress in Las Vegas.
"We want this so much to be a different congress," said Kristi
Long, ASTA staff director of education, one of the principals
involved in developing this year's convention.
"We want this to be a powerful congress, where things are
happening quickly, where information is at your fingertips. Where
you come away feeling 'Wow, I can't believe I got this much
information in one location.' "
Long said this year is the earliest ASTA has ever completed the
contracting and scheduling for the congress, leaving ample time to
focus on marketing the event, including promoting it via the
Internet, at www.astanet.com/congress.
Indeed, so much has changed that ASTA's promotional literature
confidently boasts, "If you think this is the same old ASTA World
Travel Congress, think again."
"Anyone who was frustrated [by last year's congress] in
Strasbourg because it was held in two separate buildings will find
[the Las Vegas Convention Center] is very convenient because [the
facilities are] all under one roof," said Long.
"The plan is to go from the trade show right to the general
session."
To start the congress off with a bang, ASTA slated a show
featuring Motown vocal group the Temptations on the first night
rather than at the traditional awards ceremony. ASTA chapter
dinners will follow the show.
"Opening night ... will be like no other in ASTA's history,"
ASTA president Joe Galloway said in a statement. "The lengthy award
ceremonies are a thing of the past."
Instead, the awards presentation will be spaced out over three
days during the general session, Long said.
General session speakers include former U.S. Sen. George
Mitchell, who played a key role in brokering a peace settlement
between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; motivational
speaker Larry Winget, and technology futurist Elliott Masie.
"We are doing our best this year to shorten our general session
so that is not long and arduous," Long said. "So we will try to
keep them to about an hour and a half."
In another change, the trade show, traditionally held over three
days, will be condensed to Monday and Tuesday from 12:30 p.m. to
5:30 p.m. each day.
Long said ASTA aims to encourage attendees to visit the trade
show quickly and not put it off.
Another new feature, known as product briefings, is designed to
give agents product updates. Briefings on such topics as luxury
cruises, motorcoach tours, special interest suppliers, hotels and
car rentals have been slated for Wednesday and will be repeated
several times during the day, Long said.
Additionally, agents will have more than 40 workshops to choose
from, with such topics as selling sporting event tours, advertising
in local markets and how to prevent credit card fraud.
But a key factor to the success of this year's congress might be
Las Vegas itself.
Las Vegas typically ranks as one of the top five domestic
destinations booked by agents, according to the Hot Spots surveys
conducted jointly by ASTA and Fodor's.
However, Long said, many ASTA agents haven't been to the city
recently.
"In a poll that we did, we found many of our members have not
been back to Vegas in seven to 10 years," Long said. "With all of
the new properties in Las Vegas, the city has changed
significantly."
ASTA believes its members will find congress has, too.
Getting There
•
American Airlines: AD75 positive space
travel for full time agents.
•
America West: Positive space zone fares ranging
from $125 to $235 for all attendees.
•
American Trans Air: AD75 positive space travel
(ATA's scheduled service flights only); one companion allowed.
•
Amtrak: Free coach from any Amtrak city for all
ARC/IATA travel agents.
•
Continental: AD75 positive space travel for all
attendees. Zone fares from all Continental on-line points in the
U.S. to Las Vegas for $250 roundtrip.
•
Delta: AD75 positive space travel for full time
agents.
•
Funjet Vacations: Roundtrip fare of $150 for
departures from Chicago (O'Hare and Midway), Cleveland, Detroit and
Dallas/Fort Worth (depart Sept. 23 to 24, return Sept. 28 to 30).
Roundtrip fare of $150 for departures from Atlanta (depart Sept.
25, return Sept. 29).
•
National Airlines: Roundtrip fares ranging from
$49 to $99 for all ARC/International Airlines Travel Agent Network
agents.
•
Southwest Airlines: AD75 space available travel
for ARC/IATA agents.
•
Sun Country: $99 roundtrip fare from
Minneapolis/St. Paul to Las Vegas for ARC/IATA travel agents.
•
TWA: $174 roundtrip base fare for ARC/IATA
travel agents. Agents in Alaska or Hawaii or those not staying a
Saturday night are eligible for a AD75 discount on coach fares.
•
United Airlines: AD75 discount ARC/IATA travel
agents.
•
US Airways: AD75 discount for ARC/IATA travel
agents.