New Education and Web Tools

by Dori Saltzman, April 16, 2012
TRAINING
CEUs To Be Awarded for Medical Travel Conference Attendance
Travel Institute members who attend the Well-Being and Medical Travel Conference, co-sponsored by Travel Market Report, will earn 10 CEUs (continuing education units) toward their CTA or CTC. The two-day conference will provide in-depth education for agents about all aspects of wellness travel and spa vacations, as well as selling to and servicing medical travelers.

Webcasts Provide Hands-On Productivity Training in MS Office
ASTA will host three Microsoft webcasts featuring hands-on productivity training in the use of PowerPoint, Word and Outlook. Upcoming dates are: May 16, 9 am (PT), PowerPoint 2010 Distribute and Integrate Presentations; May 16, 11 am (PT), Word 2010 Control Content and Layout for Your Documents; and June 13, 11 am (PT), Outlook 2010 Customize the Appearance of Your Email Messages and Share Outlook Content with Others.

Hawaii CVB Brings Show to East Coast in April
The Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau will present its destination show in three East Coast locations in April. Dates and locations for the shows, which feature a tradeshow and dinner, are: April 23 (6-8:30 pm), Paterson, N.J.; April 24 (6-8:30 pm), Long Island, N.Y.; and April 25 (11:30 am-2 pm), McLean, Va. To register, contact Brandon Goda, bgoda@hvcb.org.

CLIA Sets TrainingFest 2012 Dates
CLIA will bring its two-day TrainingFest program to 11 cities in the U.S. and Canada, starting in July. Agents who participate earn up to 70 Cruise Counselor credits, allowing them to fast-track their way to CLIA Cruise Counselor Certification. The cost ranges from $45 for one seminar ($55 for nonmembers) to $110 for four seminars ($150, nonmembers). Trade show attendance only is $10 ($15, nonmembers). Cities and dates for TrainingFest 2012 are: Houston, July 12-13; New York, July 19-20; Las Vegas, July 26-27; Washington D.C./Arlington, Aug. 2-3; Atlanta, Aug. 9-10; Chicago/Rosemont, Aug. 16-17; Orlando, Aug. 23-24; New Orleans/Kenner, Sept. 6-7; Los Angeles/San Pedro, Sept. 13-14; Vancouver/Surry, B.C., Sept. 20-21; and Toronto, Ont., Sept. 27-28. For more information, visit www.cruising.org.

Travel Impressions Offers Social Media Webinars
Travel Impressions has launched Social U by Travel Impressions, social media webinars that provide “60 Tips in 60 Minutes.” The webinars will be held quarterly, in groups of three. Agents can choose from beginner, intermediate and advanced-level webinars. Videos of this quarter’s series, which focused on Facebook, can be found on Travel Impressions’ Facebook page, where agents can also register for upcoming webinars.

TOOLS
New Agent-Supplier Social Network Goes Live
A new social network for travel agents and suppliers – agentSNAP (www.agentsnap.com) – aims to facilitate B2B communications and collaborations. The social media site is free to agents and suppliers. Similar in style to Facebook, agentSNAP features wall posts, private messaging, chats, location check-ins, status updates, photo uploads and tagging, video posts, friend selection, and more. Suppliers and agents can post any event, such as trade shows, webinars, conferences and FAM trips, including links to their sites or registration pages. 

Oceania Offers Co-Branded Website for Agents
Travel agents can now create their own co-branded Oceania Cruises website featuring the line’s itineraries, fares, availability and special offers. The site can be customized with the agency’s logo, contact and profile information, quote forms and more. All contact information gathered from prospects is confidential to the agent and/or agency and is not shared with Oceania Cruises, which maintains the site to ensure its accuracy. To create a site, visit http://cms.worldvacationsgroup.net/signup/oceania/ and fill out the request form. Agents will be notified when the site is live, usually within 48 hours. There is no cost to participate.

Travel Bound Intros Searchable Blog, Resource Site
Travel Bound has launched TravelTalk, a blog and resource site for travel sellers. The blog features daily updates on new hotels, sightseeing tours and transfers in more than 150 countries. It also includes agent resources such as booking tips, training signups, downloadable brochures and staff recommendations. The blog is searchable by destination, product type, post dates and special interests, including culinary, luxury, shopping and pre- and post-cruise options.