NTA WORKING FOR YOU
3 questions with Jay Smith
NTA chair issues challenge to Just Bring One
WHEN JAY SMITH was introduced
as NTA chair at Travel Exchange
’17 in St. Louis, his incoming
remarks included a battle cry for
2017: Just Bring One! What exactly
does he want you to bring? We
caught up with the Sports Travel
and Tours owner at Destination
Capitol Hill and asked him to
share his vision.
Q: How did Just Bring One get started?
A: I was looking over my notes from the board meeting in
Québec City last summer before Contact, and at some point I
wrote at the top of my notes, “Just Bring One.” I can’t tell you
exactly why I wrote it, but I thought to myself that if every
member just brought one more new member to NTA or if they
got just one colleague to attend Travel Exchange and experi-
ence the show, the possibilities for everyone involved in NTA
would be so much greater.
Q: What do you want to accomplish with this campaign?
A: Of course, just from a numbers standpoint, I want to grow
the membership and increase convention attendance because
that would make us a stronger, healthier organization and
open up new business lines. But I really want to keep the
buzz going. We had a strong, positive vibe coming out of St.
Louis, and I want to maintain that energy, that enthusiasm,
going into San Antonio in December. And by bringing a new
member into NTA or to Travel Exchange, we can show who we
are, what we’re about and how together, we really can go fur-
ther. So yes, it’s a membership campaign, but it’s also about
sharing and introducing the NTA brand to as many folks as
we can to ensure sustained success.
Q: How will Just Bring One
help NTA members?
A: Every NTA member at
Travel Exchange represents
a unique experience. The
more connections we make,
the more hands we shake,
the more product options
there are and the more
market experts we have, the better it is for each of us and our
travelers. So Just Bring One ... bring a new member to NTA
and to Travel Exchange. Don’t be afraid to tell your story and
share how NTA has benefited you and your business. NTA is
about relationships, and building on our already strong, diverse
membership encourages more collaboration, new markets and
fresh ideas for everyone.
NTA is making it worth your while to Just Bring One. Refer a
prospect who joins NTA between now and Oct. 1, and you’ll get
$50 per new member. Plus, you’ll get an additional $50 for each
one who signs up for Travel Exchange ’17 in the same time
frame. Just Bring One for an easy $100 in your pocket! (Or NTA
can credit you $100.)
Send your member referrals to NTA’s Debbi Alley at
[email protected] or call +1.859.264.6544.
“I was able to have one-on-one appointments with actual decision makers,
which was very important to me. I believe that you have to get out there,
network and be seen or you run the risk of being forgotten.”
—Portia Conerly, Arlington (Virginia) Convention & Visitors Service, Travel Exchange ’17 St. Louis attendee
Deadline for deep discounts nears
Circle July 14 on your calendar.
If you’re a tour supplier or DMO who didn’t attend in St. Louis, you
have until July 14 to receive a $300 early-bird discount when register for
Travel Exchange ’17 in San Antonio (Dec. 14–18). And if you
attended Travel Exchange in St. Louis, July 14 is the last
day you can receive half-off registration fees for the
San Antonio convention.
Visit NTAonline.com/convention and sign up today
to experience the one show where 80 percent of NTA
tour operators can only be found—Travel Exchange.
TREX Checks
What: Travel Exchange ’17
Where: San Antonio, Texas
When: Dec. 14–18
Web: NTAonline.com/convention
NTAonline.com
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