BEST PRACTICES FOR THE STUDENT YOUTH TRAVEL INDUSTRY (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly)

1. BEST PRACTICES FOR THE STUDENT YOUTH TRAVEL INDUSTRY (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) Presented to Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, Transportation – Saturday, August 29 Destination Marketing Organizations - August 31 2009

2. Agenda Identify goals Define “best practices” Make new friends and share success stories Hear from the experts – The Actives (The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) Establish a SYTA Best Practices Draft

3. GOALS • To impart information relative to conducting successful business in the student youth travel sector • Spark one new idea for each of you to take away • Meet one additional person you did not know before you stepped in the room • 4) To create a “best practices” draft for SYTA • 5) Have Fun

4. BEST PRACTICES A Definition “Best practices are methods and techniques that have consistently shown results superior than those achieved with other means, and which are used as benchmarks to strive for.”

5. Student/Youth Tour Company Needs Destinations • Hotels • Attractions • Restaurants • Motorcoaches

6. Student Tour Needs - DMOs • The ability to adapt facilities/services for student needs • Dedication to cater to the student/youth market ALL THE TIME • Be consistent • Patience; build program over time • Provide Active with tour itineraries • and new ideas • Send out leads/help source needed services/facilities (i.e. transportation) • Organize fam tours, site inspections • Dedicate resources for student youth sector

7. Student Tour (grades K-12) Highest Priorities - Hotels • Student friendly & helpful staff • Large number of concentrated double-double rooms • Affordability and direct billing • 1/20 comp ratio • Pre-arrival check-in • Ability to turn off phones • No bars in rooms • Motorcoach access and parking • Ability to turn off premium cable TV channels • Provision of rooming list before arrival • Adequate stairways/elevators for large groups • Breakfast with area large enough for entire group • Interior corridors

8. Student Tour (grades K-12) Lower Priorities - Hotels • Upscale appearance • No balconies or atriums • Sealed windows or windows with stoppers • Long straight corridors/hallways • Full American breakfast • Large sleeping rooms • Vanities outside the bathrooms • Indoor swimming pool • Large meeting space • Lounge on site • Onsite laundry facilities • No charge for baggage

9. Hotel Good • NEVER WALK! • Emailed room floor plan 3 days in advance • Hand –written note/welcome gift to teacher, escort, other • Extend pool hours • Hotel staff contact information • Extra copies of rooming lists for all group leaders • Pre-keyed rooms/packets • Meet and Greet upon arrival/daily • Made special arrangements for injured student • Adapting billing cycles to meet client needs

10. Hotel Bad • No notice of hotel under construction • Solicited business then never returned inquiries made by operator • Didn’t staff restaurant properly – escort and client had to help serve • Promised no-smoking rooms but instead offered rooms with air-filtration machines in smoking rooms

11. Hotel Ugly • Returned call 2 weeks after inquiry • Hotel sales staff made promise upon booking; no evidence in file upon arrival • 15 rooms, 3 floors – enough said! • Using outdated images/collateral • Promoted “outstanding beach” eroded – no concessions • Promising shuttle but didn’t make arrangements – still charged client

12. Hotel Really Ugly (then turned really good) • No notice of hotel under construction; sales manager gone • DOS helped find replacement hotel, more upscale AND unaffiliated with his hotel brand • CONVINCED OWNERS TO PAY DIFFERENCE and secured long time commitment for business

13. Student Tour Needs- Attractions • Student/youth friendly and helpful staff • Large group capability • Easy check-in • Interactive activities connected to education • Good group management environment • Quality entertainment • Able to deal with large group communications issues • Educational components • Able to deal w/ short attention spans • Location near other major attractions • Group friendly briefing/meeting area • Multi-media/multi-sensory • Technology driven

14. Attractions - GBU • Provide separate entrance to avoid public lines • Abundance of restrooms • Gift shops with abundance of fairly priced merchandise • Tour guide tuned into audience age level • 1 Comp per 10 students

15. Student Tour Needs - Restaurants • Student/youth friendly & helpful staff • Quick turn-around (45-60 minutes) • Location/accessibility • Non-smoking group area • Minimum wait (10 minutes) • Variety of entrée choices at single location • Food courts; buffets • Atmosphere/novelty • Easy in/easy out motorcoach access • Serve quality food, proper portions • Sensitive to dietary/allergies; able to provide suitable substitutions • Provide value

16. Restaurants - GBU • The Good • Allowed to pre-order or off the menu • Served after order, didn’t preset • Value priced • Color coded entrees • Comp’d driver and escort • The Bad • Overbooked restaurant • The Ugly • Corporate sent expired vouchers/not recognized by franchisee

17. Restaurants – The Really Ugly (but then turned very good) • Students left hungry; small portions • and poor service • TD ordered pizzas to avoid complaints • Restaurant DOS refunded meal price • AND paid for pizzas • AND EARNED TRUST AND REPEAT BUSINESS!

18. Student Tours Needs - Transportation • Student/youth friendly drivers • Experienced drivers • Driver cell phones/direct communication access • Strong safety record • Clean equipment • Competitively priced • Late model coaches • Amenities on board

19. Transportation - GBU • The Good • Make up for cancellation or other or other portion of itinerary • The Bad • Mechanical failures/poor maintenance • The Ugly • Mechanical failure results in delay, excess driver time and unsafe conditions • Service quote request resulted in invoice for payment

20. Transportation (Really Ugly) • 3 buses paid in full; 12 hours out, only 2 arrive • Company provided no help in securing 3rd • 2 buses arrived two hours late; old and non-professional drivers over hours • Had to replace two buses at arrival • Company kept full payment + booking fees • Kicked out of ABA in 2006 but still promote itself as member

21. In General - GBU • Suppliers who go all the way • Keep in contact • Deliver on promises • Make the time to spend with client when on location • Don’t send client contact information to others unless approved by Active • Be timely in response or pass on to someone who can • Communicate with client when account person moves on or changes roles, infrastructure changes, etc. • Step up to the plate to resolve unexpected issues or mistakes • Don’t be rude • BE HONEST

22. SHARE YOUR SUCCESS STORIES

23. BE THE GOOD NOT THE BAD OR THE UGLY