Travel Agency Organizations

Expand your business connections through travel agency organizations
By Linda C. Ray Travel agency associations offer an abundance of business opportunities and positive exposure for your business. In addition to the usual members of the travel agent associations, you will have opportunities to meet and get to know other members of the travel agent group, including business and government agency leaders that support the travel agent association and its members.

Affiliation with travel agency organizations provides lobbying and networking opportunities that can be immensely helpful to your own business interests, while you support the industry. Membership in a travel agent organization often means access to information and contacts that can be important to your own company. Local organizations for travel agents offer even more chances to network with local business leaders in your community. Approach your membership in organizations for travel agencies from a variety of perspectives.

1. Expand your network through travel agency associations

2. Support the industry by participating in travel agent associations

3. Stay informed with travel agent group publications

Develop business contacts in travel agency organizations

Travel agents organizations hold regular meetings, seminars and conventions for members and interested parties. At travel agent association events, as well as through various committees in which you can participate, you will have numerous occasions to socialize and network with other business people who support and work within and for the travel industry. The business leaders you meet could offer a number of trade opportunities for you and your company.
Try:  The American Society of Travel Agents has been serving the travel industry for more than 75 years and is still going strong serving travel agents, the travel industry and consumers. The National Business Travel Association is a global association for travel agent industry management professionals.

Demonstrate your interest by joining travel agent organizations

If you want to do business with travel professionals, you will want to show your support while building relationships with national and local leaders in the industry. You often can do this best by participating in travel agency associations with both your presence and your financial support.
Try:  The Travel Industry Association represents the whole travel industry and promotes every kind of travel to and within the U.S. To get a foothold in the corporate travel industry, try the Association of Corporate Travel Executives where you can meet many of the people who lead the way in the travel agent group.

Keep your company in the loop with travel agent organization publications

While you may not have time to participate in a trade group or volunteer on a committee, you can take advantage of membership in travel agency organizations through the myriad of publications they put out. By keeping up with the reports and news in the industry, you can pick and choose which events will be most beneficial for you to attend while keeping updated on changes or news that affects travel agent organizations industry-wide.
Try:  Read up online about the continuous flow of news you find through membership in the Interactive Travel Services Association that covers the online travel industry. Another travel agent group that you can keep up with through online publications and an online tradeshow is the African American Travel Conference.

• Join committees in travel agency associations to develop closer relationships with others who could be helpful to your travel career and provide sources of business for your company.