Become a Home Based Travel Agent

I recently learned some good but hard lessons and I thought it might be a good idea to spill my soul here in the hopes that others will benefit from my experience. I love technology, albeit I am not at all a techie. I just love what it can do for my business and how it allows me to be so “connected” to family, friends and colleagues. What a beautiful thing it is to no longer have to balance my checkbook because it is all done online for me. I used to dread that task, as math is certainly not my strong suit. We all know it enables us beyond what we ever imagined and there is no doubt it will continue to rock our world for years to come. However, sometimes it fails us and that is where my story begins.

I recently took on a project to give a keynote address to a group of great travel professionals who had earned recognition for their top sales in 2010. They were being given a fun filled two days in Vegas and I was hired to be the guest speaker and motivational leader. I was really excited to take this on and I spent a great amount of preparation time so that I could deliver them a great presentation. I researched and found some great clips on U-Tube to use in the Power Point and was feeling very good about the message I was going to share.

Lesson Learned
Always have a bag fully equipped with all the cords, connections and devices you may need for an off-site presentation. Make a checklist of what you will always need and carefully check off each item when packing a new bag. If you can, simply use one carry-on computer bag that contains all you can possibly need for your presentation and never remove any of the items if you can help it. In other words, try to have two of every type of connection device you might need and leave a set of these important items in your bag at all time.

I inadvertently forgot to pack the device that is needed when one connects a MacBook to a LCD projector. It is a small thing known in the techie world as a pigtail. I have to use it at home to connect my MacBook to my large monitor. I forgot to unhook it and put it in the bag. Without a pigtail there are no simply stated, no images on the screen that the projector project to! Had I discovered this the day I arrived, I could have bought another one at the Apple Store or at Fryes, but I did not discover it was MIA till the morning of the presentation.

Do not always expect a hotel to have what you need in terms of audio-visual devices.

When you present using PowerPoint or another similar program, you always need to have a projector. Most conference centers and large hotels have these readily available (for a fee of course) and taking your own is not usually necessary. However, I have learned that smaller hotels and speaking venues such as perhaps your local chamber, church, a restaurant or a clubhouse, will not typically have these available. If they do have them, the quality and perhaps the health of the device could be in question. A burned out bulb when you are ready to present is not a good thing.

What is the answer? Try to carry your own projector and extra bulbs. Be sure to test it before your event while you are still home and can either repair or replace as needed. If you are not able to use this precautionary advice, at least call and speak to the person in charge of the audio visual for the hotel or wherever you may be presenting and find out exactly what they have and what you will need to bring if anything. Always plan to arrive as far ahead of time as possible so you can meet with them upon arrival and test the equipment to assure it is working correctly.

I do have a projector and those extra bulbs. However, I had checked with the hotel in advance and was assured they had all the devices in good working order that I would need to use for the presentation. Sometimes, things break. Need I share the details? Next time you can rest assured I am taking my own projector with me.

Now, I do not want you to think I failed in my presentation. In fact, I think I really pulled it off well even in the face of the technological challenges. I knew I was in trouble and I had to punt. Sometimes I think we do our best work when seriously challenged and in this case, I was very challenged. I had worked so hard on this presentation and was so proud of the content. I realized they would not see this content but I would need to deliver it to them verbally. I had done so much pre-work on it that I was very comfortable with the theme of the message I wanted to share with this successful group of agents. I felt good about how it came off and I have heard from the agents since the event and all is well. So, my story here is not one of a failure but one of lessons learned and how I can be better prepared the next time.

How does this story end? I got on the plane to head home and ordered a much-needed glass of wine and made a list for my go-to bag. I have just packed a “Permanent Speaking Bag” equipped with everything I could possibly need for the next presentation and I am feeling pretty darned good about the lessons I learned.

Joanie Ogg CTC MCC
Joanie Ogg Marketing Group
Editor

Joanie Ogg is a thirty-five year veteran of the travel industry and has been involved with the independent contractor evolution since 1988. She is the principal of Joanie Ogg Marketing Group, which specializes in consulting and speaking on the topic of Home-Based Travel. She also provides marketing and sales for wide variety of products under the umbrella HomeBasedTravelAgent.com.

A demonstrated industry leader, Joanie most recently served as the President of the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA) and TravelSellers. She and her husband Tom acquired NACTA in 1996 and sold it to The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) in 2000. Joanie’s tenure in the travel industry includes owning and operating one of the first successful host agency models. She has owned and operated several storefront travel agencies (both commercial and leisure), as well as a Hawaii wholesale tour company.

Her decades of success have garnered her numerous accolades over the years. Her accomplishments have been recognized by receipt of two Lifetime Achievement Awards from major trade groups, being named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Travel” by Travel Agent magazine on several occasions, voted as “Travel Agent of the Year” by the readers of Travel Trade magazine, and has been recognized by many other industry organizations throughout her tenure in the industry. In 2008 Joanie Ogg was inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame, an honor held by some of the most influential executives in the travel industry.

Joanie is a Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) and a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Joanie has co-authored two popular travel industry books for cruise specialists and home-based travel agents and has authored hundreds of travel trade articles. She has inspired tens of thousands of travel agents attending her presentations at trade events, cruise seminars, international trade gatherings and numerous local educational venues throughout the United States. With a time-honored background and forward-looking vision, she is often featured as a speaker at many of the travel industry’s major conferences and events. Joanie’s speaking talents are widely sought as a travel industry emcee by the most recognized travel organizations. She has emceed such events as Cruise-A-Thons, ASTA’s CruiseFest, The Trade Show, The Travel Institute Forum and all of NACTA’s National and International Conferences.


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