Archive for January, 2011

ITMI Symposium 2011 Atlanta Highlights

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Greetings from Atlanta!!

The 2011 ITMI Symposium in Atlanta has just come to an end and I am pleased to share some of the highlights of this extraordinary event with you.

Pre-Symposium FAM tours sponsored by the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and PDJ Global motorcoaches provided an opportunity to tour the Atlanta History Center, the Georgia Aquarium, the world headquarters of the CNN Studios and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Center.

Hilmar Cheese delivered mountains of cheese for a wine and cheese tasting event and movie night on Sunday evening.

On Monday evening, the beautiful Crowne Plaza Hotel Ravinia welcomed attendees with a delicious array of food and beverages at an elegant opening night reception.

Symposium speakers offered participants a variety of useful tools and insights. Paul Davis, CEO of MyTourGuide.com explained how mobile technology is revolutionizing the travel and tourism industry. He also invited tour directors to use his free technology platform to earn passive income by developing their own mobile tours.

Using Civil War figures as an example, Tim Lowry helped tour directors refine the art of storytelling, to ensure an optimal experience for their tour groups.

Catherine Heeg used case histories to help attendees understand how to leverage the power of social media to increase their visibility and search engine ranking, so that they can attract customers and prospects via the Internet.

In “Thinking Like a Magician,” Joe Turner entertained the audience with highly creative and useful problem solving techniques. Joe also presented “Memory Mojo,” a session designed to instantly improve one’s memory.

Dr. Patrick Allitt from Emory University got a standing ovation when he humorously addressed the historical significance of tourism and its impact upon the consciousness of travelers.

Symposium included lively interactive discussions wherein tour directors shared their first-hand knowledge with tour operators, so that they can more effectively design offerings and programs that appeal to the ever-changing tastes and expectations of travelers.

An insightful presentation was given by Paul Cronin, a respected travel attorney and Greg Takehara, Sr. V.P of the Berkley group. They addressed licensing, immigration, insurance and health as well as liability coverage issues for tour operators and tour directors.

Student tour operators and tour directors met to discuss how to work together to cultivate this explosive market.

Keith Baron, founding partner of the Cragmont Baron Group, helped tour directors and tour operators think outside the box, to creatively leverage their expertise in other areas of tourism development and marketing.

While the Dunwoody CVB helped tour directors enjoy an Atlanta dine-around, tour operators were treated to traditional southern cooking at Mary Mac’s Tea Room, a famous landmark, which has served dinner to the Dalai Lama, Richard Gere, President Jimmy Carter and many other famous and infamous personalities since 1940.

Sandy Dhuyvetter, producer and host of TravelTalkMEDIA captured many video and audio interviews with tour directors and tour operators throughout Symposium. Sandy is the foremost travel broadcaster, with an audience of several million viewers and listeners throughout the world. We look forward to featuring links to the edited programs on the ITMI website in the near future.

A memorable closing night gala at the dazzling new World of Coca-Cola won rave reviews. The evening included cocktails, wine and a culinary feast, featuring freshly prepared dishes from around the world. The World of Coca-Cola is a spectacular new structure, featuring memorabilia dating back to the late 1800s, when pharmacist John Pemberton first developed his world-renowned recipe. Attendees enjoyed the many facets of this unique multi-sensory, multi-media attraction, along with a breathtaking view of the city.

Lamplighter Tours of Atlanta and PDJ Global, provided FAM tours on Thursday, with a trips to Stone Mountain and to the famous college town of Athens or a visit to Clayton County, official home of “Gone with the Wind,” with Stately Oakes Plantation and the “Road to Tara Museum.” Peter Bonner, of Historical and Hysterical Tours entertained participants with wit and humor.

It is fair to say that Symposium 2011 was one of the best in ITMI’s history. Aside from the many excellent presentations and attractions, we enjoyed the participation of a record number of outstanding sponsors and exhibitors. Elegant tote bags provided by Samsonite were distributed to all attendees. Samsonite was so enthusiastic about Symposium that they have already agreed to sponsor our next event. Please remember to support our generous sponsors and exhibitors whenever possible.

For those who attended, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks for helping to make this a highly successful and exciting event. We look forward to sustaining the connections and the momentum that was developed in Atlanta and to supporting one another in our mutual desire to be the gold standard in the tourism industry.

With warm regards,

Ted Bravos & the ITMI Staff

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Auld Lang Syne – Tour Guide Stories

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The Boy from Kathmandu

I met Kali in Kathmandu on an April afternoon, 2006, when I was trying to find the Yeti Airlines ticket office before closing. The barefoot boy approached me, holding a tray with three small stale-looking cookies. I recognized the boy. I had seen him on the streets two weeks prior, when I was in Kathmandu before my EBC trek. “Want to buy a biscuit?” he asked. When I declined, the boy asked if I was trying to find my hotel. Did I look lost? Maybe he was looking for ways to show acts of kindess in return for US dollars. I told him where I was going and he led me there, barely a minute away. There was a huge sign on top of the building that said Yeti. How had I missed it? I thanked him and handed him a dollar. When I walked out of the building 45 minutes later, the boy was waiting for me. Did I need help finding my hotel, he wanted to know. No, I knew how to get there, I told him. He still tried to sell me a biscuit. As we walked side-by-side, I learned that the boy was eleven years old and his name was Kali. As he spoke to me in perfect English, I could not help but notice his bare, dirty, scraped and calloused feet. Sad. But no way was I going to just hand him money out of sympathy or to encourage him to go away. As he warmed his way into my heart, I asked him if he had shoes and he said “No.” By the looks of Kali’s feet, I doubted he had ever owned a pair. Then suddenly, I felt an urge to do something special for this young boy. I told Kali that if we saw a shoe shop, I would buy him a pair of shoes. He looked at me quizzically, like he was not sure he had heard me right. We went into a popular outfitters store and I asked if they carried children’s shoe sizes. (They didn’t.) Two American climbers overheard my question and one gave me his advice that the best thing for me to do was ignore the beggars. Not worth a comment! Continuing on, Kali led me down a side street and into a small shoe store, obscure and sandwiched in between many other shops. Within five minutes, he picked out a pair of white tennis shoes (with a little bit of growing room) and a pair of blue socks. His eyes had grown three times in size, and his face expressed wonder and disbelief. He looked down at his feet, never looking up as he tried out his new shoes along the narrow sidewalk. Watching his awkwardness, I could tell he was adjusting to an unfamiliar feeling. And watching his expression, I knew without a doubt that this was Kali’s first pair of shoes. By now it was after 6 o’clock and dark and unsafe for me to continue on foot to my hotel, due to the political unrest. As I hailed a rickshaw, I told Kali goodbye. He insisted on climbing into the rickshaw with me. Was he expecting a dollar? Did he want to know where I was staying so he could come back to see me tomorrow? Or did he simply want to be friends with someone who had bought him his first pair of shoes? During the short ride, Kali kept his eyes on his feet. When the driver left us off, I sadly said goodbye to Kali, holding back tears, and told him I would be leaving Kathmandu the next morning.

For the next three days while I was in the Chitwan National Park, I thought often of the boy who left an imprint on my heart and soul. Would he sell the shoes for money? Or would he proudly wear them each day while peddling biscuits? My curiosity got the best of me, and I decided that I would head straight to the Central district to find Kali after arriving back in Kathmandu. This plan fell apart because the city was in “lock down” when I returned. All banks, stores, and restaurants were closed and visitors were confined to their hotels. I left for the US the following morning.

Today, Kali is a teenager and I wonder if I would recognize him. I’ve often reflected on how our chance meeting and a new pair of shoes may have made a difference in Kali’s life. I would love to cross paths with Kali again, someday.

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Auld Lang Syne – Stories from Tour Guides

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

As a young girl, 10ish or so, I was left at Mary and Herman Linne’s for a couple of weeks. From the midst of a troubled childhood, I never forgot the attention and peace I took in while in their home. Herman would simply sit out in the yard under the trees with me and feed the squirles. I discovered the joy of strawberry milk which Mary would serve me. And at bedtime as a regular routine, Herman would fix himself a huge bowl of icecream and for me a more normal size! Kindness is always a pleasure and sometimes, an unexpected difference is made in one’s life.

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