TESTIMONIALS FROM THE NAJ SUMMIT WEST 2008

COMMENTS FROM SUPPLIERS :

"It was a wonderful show with more than 60 operators in attendance.  This is a great opportunity to connect with the operators before contracts go out for the 09-10 season.  It allows the suppliers an opportunity to find out what new programs are in the works for the next season.  The operators in attendance represent our best clients and the speakers were very informative this year and having them speak about the various topics and trends is extremely helpful from their perspective.  The attendance is always great due to the proximity to the airport and contributes greatly to the success of the show.  The show also saves my company time and money.  It would take me 21 days to have the same amount of contact with my operators.  Thanks for all you do for tourism."
Lisa Cully, Best Western Hotels

"The appointments went very well and I felt I had plenty with 20 total.  Some were a bit too short when I met with operators that were friends that I had a lot more to share with.  Some meetings, namely with the Japanese accounts, were plenty long as there was not a lot of great things happening in that market to discuss.  Most meetings provided good insights as to the market opportunities and conditions as a whole. I felt the general mix of suppliers from around the west coast was very healthy for both the buyers and other suppliers.  There was not too much from anyone destination so that brought a good mix to the events."
Ivar Hottenton, Planet Hollywood



" Thank you for hosting such a productive show.  My marketing dollars and time were spent wisely by attending the NAJ West Summit.  I met and gave one-on-one presentations to 15 of the top tour operators on the west coast all in one day and at one location by simply attending the NAJ Summit. Had I not attended the NAJ Summit and attempted to call on these accounts at their own offices, it would have likely taken 2 days of work to confirm the calls,  4 days to conduct the calls and been a logistical nightmare as we know how time consuming it can be navigating oneself around Los Angeles!"
 Justin Bird, Hotel Terra, Jackson Hole Wyoming

"As a first-time attendee to the Summit I found it to be quite effective. Any time you attend a trade event and you end up booking business on the spot – well, that’s a good show…and I found myself doing that a lot in between my appointments. Your ratio of buyers to sellers is excellent and the overall size of the Summit allows many great opportunities to truly get to speak with your clients or to conduct research into business opportunities with new, potential clients. Based on my results this show definitely paid for itself and I would anticipate attending again in 2009. Thanks to you and your staff for bringing your road show to the West Coast….job well done!!!"
Scott L. Hartcorn, Shilo Inns

COMMENTS FROM TOUR OPERATORS:

Thank you and appreciate the invitation to your summit. We were able to gather additional information for the Group Bookings as well as the FIT program with the different suppliers we have met. These suppliers and Destination companies will now serve as our main contacts for any future inquiries from Japan.
Bobby Valenciano, H.I.S.

Thank you so much for the update. I forwarded the information within our company. Congratulation for a great event yesterday!
Alex Eick, Americantours International

This was a great way for me to meet so many new suppliers in one place. I’m interested in attending your New York show, too. Let me know when you have a list of suppliers. Deleyse Langdale, Operations director, Virgin Holidays.