Presented by Peter Pantuso Pittsburgh, PA September Creating a Destination Event: Attracting Bus Tours to Your Festival/Event

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1 Presented by Peter Pantuso Pittsburgh, PA September 2013 Creating a Destination Event: Attracting Bus Tours to Your Festival/Event

2 WHAT ARE MOTORCOACHES? Provides a variety of services Enigmatic, Diverse, and Independent How do you find them? What can they do for you? How can you reach them? How can you make them an ongoing partner?

3 These are Motorcoachs! Elevated Passenger Deck Baggage Compartment Feet Long Carries Passengers Still evolving...

4 US Passengers Carried Annually (In Millions in 2009) Motorcoaches Planes (Domestic) Amtrak

5 Motorcoach Industry Trends Flexibility in Trip Customization. Moving away from Group-only to a la carte Following the cruise model Intermodal Capability and Connectivity adds to success of the industry Capitalize on the point-to-point service Safe

6 How To Bridge the Gap (B2B)? Build relationships with operators. Leverage your networks. Operators don t do much business with strangers. Operators often subcontract or partner with other operators. Most quality operators belong to at least one association. Understand what it means to be motorcoach/group-friendly. Driver (or Group Leader) Comfort Parking Expedited Entry Money Talks! Partnerships, Incentives, Tiered Pricing

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8 Provide Tools to Bus Operators to Promote Your Destination Ad Slicks Videos/CDs/DVDs Flexible service Sensitivity Support Cooperative advertising Good stories Bus Wraps

9 The Economic Impact of Motorcoach Tourism One overnight visit is worth nearly $12,000 to a destination. This includes meals, lodging and shopping. The motorcoach industry directly supports nearly 800,000 U.S. tourism jobs. 35,000 vehicles in the industry drive the economy and demand goods and services. Motorcoach travel and tourist demand generates more than $55 billion annually in economic transactions.

10 ABA's Top 100 Events in North America - annual listing of the best events for group travel in the United States and Canada. Top 100 launched in 1982 to help motorcoach and tour operators plan itineraries. Top 100 Events receive worldwide attention via the media-- television, radio, and print--such as USA Today and CNN. 10,000 copies of the Top 100 Events in North America distributed to all of its members and to thousands of travelers worldwide.

11 Event Nominations Process Nominations are accepted from February-May via online submissions. All current ABA members may submit nominations for free. Non-members can submit one event for a nominal fee. Official State/Provincial Tourism Offices: 7 Nominations ABA members (all categories): 3 Nominations ABA non-members (all categories) 1 Nomination

12 Event Nominations Process Types of Events Festivals, fairs, celebrations, commemorative events, parades, exhibits, etc. are among the types of events that are nominated for the honor to be among the Top 100. Non-Eligible Events Museum exhibitions are limited to rare, one-of-a-kind traveling exhibits thus excluding regular or rotating collections.

13 Nomination Process Nominating companies submit the name and contact information for the event online. The nominator or the nominee is then able to complete the survey of questions that provides the judges with the necessary information to make their decisions.

14 Event Dates Frequency of Event Event Attendance Fees Parking/Access Nominations Survey Nomination Survey Questions Include: Other Area Attractions Incentives for Groups Food/Amenities Descriptions Group Friendly Information

15 Judging Process: Evaluating Events The judges - ABA member motorcoach and tour operator companies evaluating events strictly from a group tour and motorcoach perspective. 1. Does the event have wide appeal to motorcoach and tour groups? 2. Is the event near other attractions that allows tour operators to create a package? 3. Does the event have adequate parking and group accommodations? 4. Is the event worthy of media coverage and is it the finest that area has to offer groups?

16 Judging Process: Other Key Questions Does the event have a history of drawing groups? How many? Is the event motorcoach friendly? How does the event treat bus drivers and group escorts free admission? A dedicated driver area? Prize drawings for drivers bringing the most groups? Do you have dedicated parking areas for motorcoaches? Free? Are embark/disembark points close to the event entrance? Can nearby hotels accommodate a motorcoach group? Can the event handle passengers being dropped off 55 at a time?

17 Are You Sure You re a Motorcoach Friendly Destination? Do you have motorcoach parking? Is there somewhere for the driver to rest away from the motorcoach? If an on-site lounge is unavailable, do you provide complimentary meals or drinks for the drivers? Is it easy for motorcoaches to maneuver in and out of the parking facility? Will the group have to walk far? How many bus parking spaces do you have? How is this communicated? Communicated through a greeter, available online, or via telephone hotline? Can you provide directions to nearby fueling, dumping or maintenance facilities? Don t Forget About the Driver!

18 Event Selection The judges narrow down the nominated events to the Top 100. While the Top 100 Events are not ranked, ABA does highlight the Top U.S. Event for 2014 and the Top Canadian Event. The judges make selections from the nominated events for the following award categories. Top 100 Top US Event Top Canadian Event Annual Events Events to Watch

19 Event Selection: Annual Events Annual Events and Significant Events (IKEs) receive separate recognition. Committee reviews and votes annually to elevate/remove events to this prestigious status or to remove events that no longer meet this level of distinction. This allows us to publish IKEs, and offer 100 other events for creating itineraries.

20 Event Selection: Events to Watch Events to Watch - the newest part of the Top 100 Events in North America. Highlights events and festivals that were not selected as a Top 100 Event but were great examples of new motorcoach-friendly events, or events that have recently become group-friendly, and show great potential to become future Top 100 events.

21 Public Release Selected nominators and nominees will be confidentially notified via in June to confirm all event information for the Top 100 publication. Official public launch take place in September. The Top 100 gives an event and its community an important boost in visibility among planners and travelers. The event is a potential magnet for tourism dollars throughout the travel industry.

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23 Public Release Selected Events are sent press release template to use for local media outlets. ABA sends mass press release to industry trade media. Publication distributed in tandem with ABA s Destinations Magazine. Publication is available in print and online. Social Media release.

24 ABA Leveraging Social Media

25 ABA s Marketplace ABA s Marketplace brings together motorcoach and tour operators, itinerary planners and other bulk buyers of travel and tourism services; the powerful decision makers who determine where North America s 28,000 group tour buses stop for meals, lodging, shopping, and entertainment. DMO s have a maximum of 58 appointments. Appointment-taking Sellers move from Buyer to Buyer (330) every seven minutes. DMO rep. meeting. 40+ Education seminars, luncheons, city tours, opening and closing celebrations, and 14 networking events. Pre/Post FAM Tours and Sightseeing tours. Executive Day Pass.

26 GroupConnect.com

27 Other Enhancements made on GroupConnect.com

28 A Focus on Safety Motorcoaches are the safest form of surface transportation There have been 67 motorcoach accidents with onboard fatalities between 1999 and 2009 that have resulted in nearly 250 passenger fatalities. Of the formally investigated motorcoach accidents, 54 percent of bus passenger and bus driver fatalities over the past decade were caused by bus companies that were either operating illegally or with significant safety problems Priority #1 Get the illegal, unethical companies off the road. NOW!

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30 A Focus on Safety ABA supports US DOT s Motorcoach Safety Action Plan (7 priorities). Require electronic on-board recorders on all buses Prohibiting texting and limiting the use of cellular telephones on buses. Installation of seat belts on motorcoaches. Develop roof crush performance requirements. Develop requirements for stability control systems to reduce rollovers. Enhance oversight of carriers attempting to evade sanctions. Establish minimum knowledge requirements for people applying for authority.

31 Thank you! Peter Pantuso, CTIS President & CEO American Bus Association 111 K St. NE, 9 th Floor Washington, DC Phone: (202) ppantuso@buses.org