New Tools to Grow Your Business in 2015

Leisure Group Travel Publisher Jeff Gayduk highlights new resources, including educational videos, the magazine will offer readers in 2015.

Unless you subscribe to the “right place, right time” philosophy, building a business doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a lot of ingenuity, hard work, planning and, dare I say, a little luck to achieve success.

With all this stacked against you, the task of getting out of bed might feel daunting. When I step back from my role here as publisher and take a bird’s-eye perspective of our industry, there are some unique opportunities that lie ahead of us along with challenges we all face.

On the opportunity front, aging boomers entering their prime travel years should fill our coffers for decades to come. As over 8,000 people a day are turning 65, the seminars we attended in the ’90s about the potential impact of this generation are today’s reality. While they don’t travel like their parents or grandparents, they are the prime market for group travel. How we better reach this demographic, as well as Gen X, Gen Y and Millennials, needs some sharpening, so as we officially launch into 2015 we have undertaken a series of initiatives for readers.

Group Sales Bootcamp
We have teamed up with noted group sales expert Stuart Cohen to develop a series of educational videos on improving your group sales tactics and skills, along with discounted subscriptions to Stuart’s exclusive bootcamp series for group travel professionals. These kick off in late February on LeisureGroupTravel.com and watch for future editorial contributions from Stuart in the pages of this magazine.

An Alternative to Bad Websites
When I look at the landscape of how tour planners go to marketing online, their presence is often dated. Since this is the “front door” upon which many customers judge your business, we’ve teamed up with a worldwide leader in website development for the travel industry. This spring you’ll have access to low-cost, professionally designed website services that will help you better promote your trips online, book passengers, engage customers on social media and expand your offerings.