A Powerful Return on Investment
The American Bus Association’s 2014 Marketplace in Nashville, Tennessee, set new records in business generated for its participants, according to a study conducted by John Dunham and Associates. More than thirty-five hundred participated in the event, which generated $129.8 million dollars’ worth of booked and future business. This represents a nineteen percent increase from last year’s Marketplace, with increases noted in all categories of business. The average amount of booked business per company this year was $88,890.
“The study demonstrates once again that ABA’s Marketplace is unmatched as the motorcoach, travel and tourism industry’s premier trade show,” said ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso, CTIS. “Attendees wrote millions of dollars’ worth of business on the Marketplace business floor, and more business is in the pipeline. ABA is dedicated to helping our members grown their business, and Marketplace is the only show that delivers such a powerful return on investment and takes your business to the next level.”
“I speak with tour operators by phone on a daily basis, but there is nothing like having face time and a one-on-one conversation,” said Kelly Martin of the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. “You get to network and develop friendships within the community. So it’s invaluable.”
“It’s absolutely the best thing that I do all year, in terms of time and money and investment,” said Anne Bastel of Mirage Tours in Phoenix.
To learn more about the 2014 Marketplace, see this video.
The 2015 ABA Marketplace will be held in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, at the America’s Center Convention Complex from January 10-13. Registration begins April 22 for operators, DMOs, receptives, and associations; it begins April 23 for hoteliers and attractions. For more information, go to www.buses.org/marketplace.
