I was introduced to a book a couple of years ago by Chris Anderson entitled “The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More “.  Mr. Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine. He wrote The Long Tail, which first appeared in Wired in October 2004 and then became a book in July, 2006.

While I usually find data and numbers extremely boring and it can make my head spin, Chris did an excellent job of injecting enough “layman’s speak” that kept my interest. I do enjoy reading about both business models and the men, (or woman in e-Bay’s case) who ran these successful businesses.

If your unfamiliar with just what The Long Tail is, and your in YTB, it’s best that you have a basic understanding of why this transition is important. In a nutshell, our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of mainstream products and markets at the “head” and toward a huge number of niches in the “tail”.

There are certainly examples of “heads” that are extremely successful, such as Wal-Mart for the mass appeal, or someone like a close friend of mine Nick McCulloch, who owns Link Your House, a specialty Home Automation and Security company. Here’s the rub concerning “real world” retailers. (Brick and Mortar) Due to exorbitant costs for space, you either need to select items that have a mass appeal, or scale back to reduce costs and attempt to focus on a niche market and hope there is enough of a local market to support your niche. 

An average movie theater will not show a film unless it can attract at least 1,500 people over a two-week run; that’s essentially the rent for a screen. An average record store needs to sell at least two copies of a CD per year to make it worth carrying; that’s the rent for a half inch of shelf space. And so on for DVD rental shops, videogame stores, booksellers, and newsstands.

In each case, retailers will carry only content that can generate sufficient demand to earn its keep. But each can pull only from a limited local population - perhaps a 10-mile radius for a typical movie theater, less than that for music and bookstores, and even less (just a mile or two) for video rental shops.

These costs however, drop dramatically in the digital world. Look at music stores like Rhapsody, a purely digital services with no manufacturing costs and minimal distribution fees. Because all music is stored in “bits and bytes”, The Who “Eminence Front“, a song or album that makes one sale per year has the same margins as a someone like Bruce Springsteen, “Working on a Dream” who will sell millions of copies after it’s debut at the end of the month. A hit and a miss are on equal economic footing because both are just entries in a database which are called up on demand. This make BOTH equally worthy of being offered due minimal or no cost, while increasing profits. In The Long Tail, popularity no longer has a monopoly on profitability. Unlike the Wal-Mart’s of the world with a little sliver of space to hold a CD that equals a cost associated with the space, and even that little CD needs to help pay the rent.

In “Brick and Mortar”, if you had to pick between a 1982 version of an old rock classic, and a new hit that’s already getting buzz due to President Elect Obama, which CD would you be stocking your shelves with?

Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it in service after service, from DVDs at Netflix to music videos on Yahoo! Launch to songs in the iTunes Music Store and Rhapsody. People are going deep into the catalog, down the long, long list of available titles, far past what’s available at Blockbuster Video, Tower Records, and Barnes & Noble. And the more they find, the more they like. As they wander further from the beaten path, they discover their taste is not as mainstream as they thought (or as they had been led to believe by marketing, a lack of alternatives, and a hit-driven culture).

Combine enough small, obscure sales on the Long Tail and you’ve got a market bigger than even “The Boss” can produce.

Likewise,  in the case of books, the average Barnes & Noble carries 130,000 titles. Yet more than half of Amazon’s book sales come from outside its top 130,000 titles. Personally, I can only find a book I’m looking for half the time in a book store. Sure, they can order it for me, but so can I through Amazon, AND have it delivered directly to my home without the need of getting a call to drive back down to the store to pick the book up. If the Amazon statistics are any guide, the market for books that are not even sold in the average bookstore is larger than the market for those that are.

In other words, the potential book market may be twice as big as it appears to be, if only we can get over the economics of scarcity. Venture capitalist and former music industry consultant Kevin Laws puts it this way: “The biggest money is in the smallest sales.”

At this point, your asking yourself, “What in the world does that have to do with YTB?”

Take a look at all the niche sites this company offers in it’s digital arena. I know Travel Store Owners who specialize in Weddings and Honeymoons, others who specialize in Golf Packages, and still others like me, who specialize in cruises. Specialization is great, and I highly recommend that you find a couple of areas to specialize in when it comes to travel. But there are times when I run into areas I have no interest or knowledge in, but a potential customer or client may have a passion for.

A perfect example for me would be hunting. Honestly, I’d rather watch paint dry, but my In-Laws who I spent part of the Christmas break with are avid hunters. They also live about an hour and a half away from the nearest Bass Pro Shop. Is it out of the realm of possibility that they might have an interest in a new Hunting and Fishing web site that has comparable prices, that saves them both time and money?

That’s The Long Tail at work. I’m certainly not going to get rich off camouflage sales, but what did it cost me to carry the line as an Travel Store Owner?

Not a penny more than it did before I started…to sell cruises.

Let’s go back to Amazon for a minute. We all know them for their books and probably DVD’s and CD these days. What do you suppose happened that caused them to start selling groceries on a site known for books and DVD’s?? While you’re at it, you can fix the pesky light switch in their lighting and electrical department on isle five.

Are you thinking they might have lost it? Are they getting out of books because they’re making a mint off coffee and light bulbs? Or are they beginning to get the concept of The Long Tail?

Like Amazon who branched out in it’s distribution to capture ancillary sales, YTB is now moving into Food and Gifts, Home Decor, Financial Services, and Apperal and Accessories. Does that mean my passion has changed from cruises to carrot cake? Do I now need to be an expert or even remotely care about thread counts on pillow cases?

Hell no. Besides, if I did care about something like wellness and beauty, I could have gone with a century old MLM called Avon. (Unlike my love for a good steak or carrot cake, I don’t do makeup.)

I realize there are some who could never accept this shift in distribution. You need to remember, they’ll still hanging on to their “brick and mortar” theories and beliefs. Others will attempt to outwit and outsmart an experienced economic mind like Chris with their own excuses as to why this model simply won’t work.

So be it, if that’s their case. Just smile, nod your head, and say “Thanks for sharing”.

On a completely different note, and simply a followup on a previous post concerning Joystar just after Christmas.

It appears that a number of Agents have filed an involuntary bankruptcy case against Joystar in US Bankruptcy Court on Friday. They are seeking more than $150,000 in unpaid commissions that the agents claim are owed to them.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

While I had something planned for today on gratitude, and why it’s so important to achieve what you want in life, when I read this, I realized that it said everything I wanted to say about the subject.

Do this faithfully throughout the year, and I promise you that 2009 will be the best year yet.

Be Thankful

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.

It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.

GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.

~ Author Unknown ~

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

You may know by now that I’m a big Brian Tracy fan, and I’ve read several of his books and follow many of his teachings including doing anything you want just by setting a goal. It all starts with planning, and I found it fitting that I had an e-mail from Brian Tracy International that allows me to pass on exactly what you need to do in order to make 2009 the best year yet.

You wouldn’t build a house without a plan, you wouldn’t tour Europe without a plan, and you wouldn’t complete a college degree without a plan.

So why in the WORLD would you go through life without a plan?

I can’t think of a better, more polished piece for YOU right now than this article from the King of Achievement and Self Development.

Enjoy.

Planning Your Year
By Brian Tracy

There has never been a better time in all of human history to be alive than today. There are more opportunities for you to accomplish more things, in more different fields, engaging in more different activities, than have ever existed before.

Resolve today to make the coming year the very best year of your life. Resolve today to draw a line under your past and to focus very clearly on your future. Resolve today that you are going to set goals, make plans, take actions and achieve more in the coming year than perhaps you have ever accomplished in any one single year before.

One of the great rules for success is this: “It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that really matters is where you’re going!”

No matter what you have done or accomplished in the past, “that was then and this is now.”

The very best days, weeks, months and years of your life lie ahead. The most exciting accomplishments and the greatest achievements are still to come. As Shakespeare said, “The past is merely a prelude.”

As it happens, everyone has goals. But some people seem to accomplish their goals far more systematically and with greater assurance than others. Why is this? The answer is simple. People who accomplish goals at a higher rate than the average are people who use a systematic, proven method of goal setting and goal attainment.

Perhaps the two most important qualities of success are focus and concentration. Focus means knowing exactly what it is you want and concentration means having the discipline to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing, the most important thing, until it is complete.

If you have these qualities, and both of these qualities are learned through practice, you can accomplish virtually anything. There are no limits on your future if you can focus and concentrate every hour of every single day.

The starting point of setting goals for the coming year is for you to project forward and think back. Practice what we call “Back from the Future” thinking. Project forward to the end of the next twelve months and ask yourself, “If everything happens perfectly, what will it look like?”

The one quality of men and women who become leaders in their own lives and societies, throughout all of history is the quality of vision. They have the ability to visualize. They can see the future well in advance of it becoming a reality. They can then see the steps that they will need to take to get from where they are to where they want to go.

So if your next twelve months were ideal, in every respect, what would happen or, what would have happened, at the end of that twelve month period?

You need to set goals that are multi-dimensional. You need to set goals for every part of your life so that you function like a well-oiled machine, like a balanced wheel that goes around smoothly in every respect. You need goals for your health, for your career, for your finances, for your relationships, for your personal and professional development, for your community and for your spiritual growth. Nothing happens by accident. Everything happens for a reason. And you are the “primary creative force” in your own life. You are the reason. Things are happening in your life because you make them happen, not because you sit around and wait for them to happen.

Here is the basic seven-step model of goal setting. You can use this like breathing in and breathing out on a regular basis to accelerate your attainment of any goal you can imagine for yourself.

Step number one is for you to decide exactly what you want. This immediately moves you into a separate category of people because most people have no idea of what they really want. Clarity is the most important single quality of goal-setting and perhaps the most important single quality of success. Decide exactly what you want in each area of your life. Instead of fuzzy goals like more money, better health and happiness, be specific about exactly how much more money you want to earn in a specific period of time and combine that with exactly what level of health and fitness you desire.

Most people are unconsciously preoccupied with the fear of failure. It is the greatest single obstacle to success in adult life. And the fear of failure can work on you unconsciously by blocking you from setting clear specific goals. Why? Well, if you don’t set clear, specific goals, then you can’t fail to achieve them. So your subconscious mind is actually protecting you by helping you to avoid failure.

You must resist and overcome this tendency by having the courage to be bold and specific about exactly what you want. This is step number one.

Step number two is for you to write it down. Only three percent of living Americans, or adults anywhere for that matter, have written goals. Everyone else that thinks about a written goal and plans to write them down, someday. But they never get around to it. Most people spend more time making a list of groceries before they go shopping or planning a vacation than they do in planning their lives. But again, this is not for you. Success begins with a pad of paper, a pen and a few minutes of your time. One of the most important keys to success is to “think on paper.”

All successful people “think on paper.” And here are two important points. If you cannot write it down clearly and specifically on a piece of paper, then it means that you are not really clear about it yourself. Perhaps you don’t even want it. What is worse, it may be that you are afraid that you may not attain it. Nonetheless, a goal that is written down is merely a fantasy or a wish. A goal that is clearly written and described on a piece of paper takes on a power of its own, it is now something concrete that you can touch and feel and work with.

The second principle of writing goals down is that something miraculous happens between the head and the hand. When you actually write a goal down, it is as if you are programming it into your subconscious mind and activating a whole series of mental powers that will enable you to accomplish more than you ever dreamed of. By writing it down you intensify your desire for the goal and you increase your belief that the goal is possible. You begin to expect to achieve the goal and you start to attract people and circumstances into your life that are consistent with the attainment of the goal. Writing your goal down is one of the most amazing of all goal-setting skills and it is a key to your success.

The third step is for you to set a deadline. If it is a large goal, set a series of sub-deadlines. A deadline acts as a “forcing system” on your subconscious mind and begins to move you toward your goal rapidly while it moves your goal toward you.

Sometimes people ask me, “What if I set a goal and I don’t achieve it by the deadline?” The answer is simple. Set another deadline. Remember, a deadline is a guess-timate of when you will achieve it. Sometimes you will achieve your goal well in advance of your deadline. Sometimes goals will take much longer than you expect. But you must have a target time before you set off.

It is like making a reservation at a restaurant. You may be five minutes early or five minutes late, but you always have a specific time for which your dinner is reserved.
The fourth step is for you to make a list of everything you could possibly think of that you will have to do to achieve your goal. The more comprehensive your list, the more motivated you will become, the more intense will be your desire and the more you will believe it possible.

One of the things that hold people back is even if they get to the point of a written goal; they do not take the time to lay out a list of all the little things they will have to do to get there. And with additional experience, you will add new items to your list until it finally becomes complete.

The fifth step of goal setting is for you to take your list and organize it into a plan. A plan is really quite simple. It is a list organized by priority and importance. You decide what you will do first and what you will do later. You decide what is more important and what is less important. And most of all, you decide upon the one thing that is more important than anything else that you can do immediately to begin moving more rapidly towards your goal.

Step number six is for you to “take action!” This is the big killer for most people. They are procrastinators. They have great ideas combined with great hopes and dreams. They may even get to the point of writing down their goals. But when it comes to taking action, they always have a reason or excuse to procrastinate to put it off until a later time. However, as the Bible says, “Faith without deeds is dead.”

It is when you launch toward your goal that you begin to feel the desire and power that goes along with goal setting. And once you have launched toward your goal, it is much easier for you to continue moving in that direction.

Step number seven is for you to do something every day to move you toward your major goal. Never let a day go by without you engaging in some action that helps you move another step in the direction of what you really, really want in life.

Remember, you can’t hit a target that you can’t see. And if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. The simple seven step act of deciding exactly what you want, writing it down, setting a deadline, making a list, organizing the list into a plan, taking action on the most important item on your list and then doing something every day towards your goal will change your life and your future in ways that you cannot even dream of today.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

That being said, don’t think for a second that there isn’t something to talk about over this extended Holiday weekend.

Are you kidding me? This Industry?

While the jury may be out if some made Santa’s “Naughty” or “Nice” list, after what I’ve been reading the last several months, it’s time to bring this “Naughty” Agency to the forefront after a year long hiatus.

Back in October 2007 this blog gained considerable notoriety after tackling the issue head on concerning Royal Caribbean who terminated its relationship with no more than four Agencies. Two of those agencies came to light very quickly and the industry outrage on the internet concerning “Card Mills” came to a head.

Although it’s been documented that Royal Caribbean did in fact terminate four Agencies, Lisa Bauer, VP of Sales with Royal Caribbean at the time, skirted the direct questions asked by Travel Weekly concerning just who these Agencies were. To this day, there has been nothing to verify, although there has been plenty of speculation, any more than two Agencies. That being of course YTB and the other being Joystar.

Other than YTB, I can’t think of another Agency that has been the target of more controversy than Joystar. If you look at the founders history, you’ll get a better understanding to just why, and I did document his exploits with the first Travel MLM (TravelMax) back in the mid 1990’s. It looks as if both Bill Alverson’s and Joystar’s issues have not subsided, but in fact increased a year later.

While you found nothing concerning any new issues on this blog, there has been plenty to write about concerning Joystar a year after being terminated by Royal Caribbean. In addition, no less than three headline news stories broke back in October of 2008 concerning the Host Agency. One, October 9^th, reported that Joystar failed to pay commissions owed to its independent contractors along with laying off 14% of its staff. Later in the month, on October 23^rd, it was reported the CLIA revoked Joystar’s Membership for not renewing its Seller Of Travel License with California. (Although it appears that SOT’s have been made current as well as its association with CLIA.) The very next day, October 24^th, it was reported that InterContinental Hotels Group filed a federal lawsuit against Joystar for claiming more than $163,000 in improper commissions.

And some think YTB has problems?

Actually, that’s what a small group would like you to believe as they obsess over anything they can drum up to cast fear and doubt because they’re convinced the YTB “model” is flawed…doomed to collapse. (Yet the “model” started to take shape over a century ago, and still standing tall.) Part of drumming up anything these poor folks can think of is this notion that after more than a year of inactivity, suppliers will again take up the cause of these Agents and Associations and start terminating relationships with Agencies critics simply don’t agree with moving into 2009.

One of the favorite ploys of critics is not implicating YTB directly, but word posts and threads in a way that gives them an out if egg is then thrown back in their face. Naughty for sure after reading comments, as there appears to be no question just who they hope the Agency is. Just one of the dozens of posts I sent to Santa this year for the “Naughty List”. As they wait to see if the rumor is true with gleeful anticipation, Santa more than likely coaled the entire lot of them for lack of good cheer.

I never like this type of speculation and rumor. It’s far too easy for hearsay like this to come back and bite you when documentation squashes the rumor you’re attempting to spread. Especially when you find out that the rumor started in an attempt to point the finger at one host, was initially about an entirely different host.

It appears the glass slipper that some are attempting to slip on YTB belongs to Joystar.

Agents are using the Joystar community board to voice their complaints. One posting dated Dec. 17 claimed Carnival Cruise Lines was prepared to cease doing business with Joystar if the agency did not make good to agents. When queried about the posting, Carnival declined to comment.

To be fair, there is nothing to substantiate ANY rumor that Carnival or any other supplier for that matter will be terminating anyone. Instead, I would look at the last year and ask just how many suppliers terminated its relationship with any Agency in 2008.

Of course that answer is Zip…Zilch…Nada…not one.

Yet there are some who still want to hang onto this small glimmer of hope that suppliers might come around. If the rumor is true about Carnival terminating its relationship with Joystar, can you blame them? (That would be “No”.) It’s been documented that Carnival believes these Agents, no matter what host they’re associated with are the life blood of their sales force.

But how much would you want to wager, that if Carnival does terminate Joystar because its failed to pay the commissions owed its Agents, the speculation will be that YTB is next in line? It’s what some will do I’m sure in order to restore this whole fiasco about suppliers “getting it” to surface yet one more time. I know that sounds irrational, but you have to understand the anger and resentment that creates such illogical thinking. Just accept that this is another small thread critics reach for in their attempt to pin someone else’s misfortune to YTB.

With the news out Tuesday about Joystar being down to just 5 employees and the thousands of dollars in commissions owed its Agents, I have to wonder if Peter Stilphen, (a pompous and overzealous Joystar critic who’s been plastering both Bill Alverson and Joystar for years) will be having a Merry Christmas this year?

I don’t know if there will be anyone really posting about this over the Holiday’s or into next week for that matter. I guess I’ll have to check and update you when I get back first of next week.

In the meantime, I’d like to enjoy my time with family and finalize some goals I have moving into 2009 while I have some time away from the internet and all it’s trappings.

It will be interesting to see what 2009 will bring, and while there are some who claim to know what’s going to happen, take some time to do what a couple of my favorite mentors have taught me over the years.

“Don’t believe a word you hear, unless you can verify it on your own to be true.”

Which I suppose is one of the reasons why people like this blog so much. Instead of spreading rumors and hearsay about what they’ve heard about or read about somewhere else, without a single shred of documentation to back it up, they come here for documentation and truth.

That’s why I’m on Santa’s “Nice List”.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Please enjoy this message of Joy, Hope and Peace from The Bauknight Family, to you.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

It shouldn’t be that big of a guess that the one presentation I was interested in was Thursday’s “What Proves You are a Travel Pro”. Questions were asked by agent groups looking for answers from association heads about - you guessed it, “credentials” as they explored just who should be recognized as a travel agent, and who shouldn’t be.

The presentation was kicked off with a brief presentation by Bob Sharak from CLIA, Kelly Chiusano from OSSN, Scott Koepf from NACTA, and Bert Rivero from IATA as they clarified their roles in the industry.

After the overview presentations, the Q&A started with Kim Sorensen who asked the first question to the panel. The question can be summarized in two parts:

With the industry in “a perfect storm” with agents and agencies closing down, what are these associations doing to not only attract but train new blood that enters the industry? Secondly, what type of training, qualifications and documentation should an agency provide for the new blood in order to guide them to obtaining the roll as “Travel Professional”?

We’ve documented here before, fairly recently as a matter of fact, that the industry as it stands is struggling. I’ve written about Liberty Travel closing a number of its locations, and Cruise Value Center closing overnight without warning. Those that are left have Liberty Travel closing a number of its locations, and Cruise Value Center closing overnight without warning. Those that are left have resorted to embezzlement, and defrauding airlines to make ends meet. Even the current leader in the Travel Industry is looking for a $3.5 Billion bailout.

Based on what we’ve seen in recent weeks, any illusion that the traditional industry is doing well, is just that; an illusion.

There’s no question in my mind that the industry is in dire need of attracting not only new blood but new ideas into this industry. To be fair, it’s not that the industry hasn’t changed, although it appears to be with a considerable amount of resistance. The industry does eventually adapt. (As I suspect it will with MLM’s.) Scott Koepf did a great job in summarizing all the changes with the age of internet bookings, cruise only agents, and home based agents who were at first frowned upon and met with resistance. Today, these entities are not only accepted, but respected.

The face of the industry has also changed from being viewed as an “Agency” to that of an “Agent”. I’m often asked by Traditional Agents how I maintain any type of bookings with all the negativity critics produce about YTB. The answer is simple; the relationship is with me, not YTB. When clients look to make a booking, they look at me, not my host agency. Pricing, service, and professionalism are a direct reflection on me, not my agency. You might want to read Chris Andersons, “The Long Tail” for better clarification on how our entire capital structure is changing in this way. Another reason why I believe YTB and Network Marketing is on the right track.

Even with this shift in capitalism, Agents and Associations look to be more concerned with complaining and how companies like YTB make them look. More importantly as we’ve heard time and time again, is their illusion that we only get involved to take advantage of industry without giving back in the form of travel sales. The solution for them of course doesn’t rest on their shoulders, but on the suppliers themselves. It’s suppliers who ultimately decide just who they want to do business to produce income and gain market share.

Especially with the current economic conditions.

So how do these Associations help the new person who wants to get involved in the industry?

Bert Rivero (IATA) wouldn’t take any responsibility to ensure agents are trained properly. IATA is designed for those who have already acquired not only the knowledge, but skill set to sell a minimum amount of travel in a calendar year. IATA seems to be more interested in educating suppliers on how much money they’re loosing because of “card mills”.

Bert may need to take a lesson from Gerry Cahill with Carnival, who produced a very sound solution that was brought to light almost a year ago to curb this perceived problem of “card mills” taking advantage of FAM’s without giving back to the supplier. Of course, the relationship between YTB and Carnival has flourished, even with the new requirements, which doesn’t match IATA or the Travel Industry agenda.

Kelly Chiusano was much the same, in that OSSN really doesn’t have a current structure in place to guide, train or educate the new person who enters the industry. It’s up to the host to provide this type of training and education. She did mention that the larger host agencies did have training and education in place to help bring them into the fold and help them become a professional.

It wasn’t until we heard from Scott Koepf from NACTA who I think was the first to really understand the question in its entirety, and does provide both training and continuing education for those of us who aspire to become professionals in the industry. It looks as if YTB may be on the right track now that it has an entry level with Affiliates, Referring Travel Agent, and Travel Agent program in place. Each of the YTB levels produce a better understanding, better commission splits, and enhanced privileges within the industry.

CLIA, was by far the best equipped to answer this question, and Bob Sharak did an exceptional job of explaining how their association works hand in hand with host agencies and individuals to educate and train both the new recruit, but the seasoned professional in the industry. Not only does CLIA provide various training experiences, from on line to more intimate classroom training. CLIA provides various levels of qualifications starting with a brand new Associate Cruise Degree (ACD) along with various Cruise Counselor levels which stars with Accredited (ACC), to Master, (MCC) and even Elite (ECC) levels.

Like Carnival back in January, CLIA has come up with its own solution to the Agent ID cards with new requirements that include training and minimum booking requirements in order to obtain the privilege of carrying their credentials.

Instead of complimenting and giving CLIA credit for these new requirements, critics (as they always do) tend to twist and create problems within a solution, and are now obsessing over a loophole they claim to have found. Instead of highlighting the loophole from our critics, I would instead suggest that you chime into YTB who will be providing an overview of these new requirements with CLIA on tonight’s “Getting Started Call” with Jeannie Sharpless. This way you’ll be guided with an overview of how to qualify the right way. (If you miss the call, you can find it archived in your back office.)

By following the guidance of both CLIA and YTB, who knows, you too could qualify for that elusive roll as a “Travel Pro”.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

While I moved from Pittsburgh here to Atlanta back in 1992, you can take the boy out of the city, but you can never take the Steelers out of the boy. After the move, I would frequent one of many Steelers Fan Clubs here in Atlanta to watch the games each Sunday, and finally convinced Ronda to let me get NFL Sunday Ticket after our daughter was born.

Heaven.

Well for me at least. Ronda on the other hand digs out a small pillow with the following phrase embroidered on it which is prominently displayed above the entertainment center.

“We interrupt this marriage to bring you the NFL Football Season”

Now that the NFL Network is airing 365 days a year, I can get my fix 24/7 and the family has come to understand this obsession. (Well, at least accept it.) Intensity increases from the time training camps open in late July to the end of the Pro Bowl in February the intensity and love for this game and my team never fades or diminishes.

One of the things I look forward to during the season are the mid week NFL Power Polls, which rank the 32 NFL Teams in several publications and web sites. Pittsburgh has always been in the Top 10 for the last several years, but even after winning the Super Bowl several years ago, this team has never been ranked number one. (The Steelers were a 6th seed in the playoffs that year.)

Much to my surprise and delight, as some of the rankings came in via e-mail and after going out to find the other Power Rankings that I frequent, every one of the poles that I could find now ranks my Steelers as tops in the league.

They would include:

• ESPN
• Fox Sports
• NBC Sports
• CBS Sports
• NFL Fan House
• Scout.com
• Sports Illustrated
  

And this weekends match up in Nashville, against once rival and hated divisional opponent, the Tennessee Titans, could set the stage to determine just will play at home throughout the NFL playoffs.

On another note concerning the Steelers and it’s ownership, it looks as if one of the most storied franchises in the league will remain in hands of the Rooneys. While I had suggested back in July that Coach would be a perfect candidate to continue the ethics, integrity, and tradition following the Rooney family if it did infact need to change hands, I’m pleased to see that the Rooneys have been able to work things out with the league.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
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The conference runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and attendance is free, and has all the trappings for being yet another blockbuster event. It’s riddled with mystery as industry experts look into their crystal ball and tell us what to expect in 2009. Preview 2009 also features educational seminars and keynote speakers with a superb agenda embracing valuable industry topics. Of course, not to forget the chance to mingle with travel agents and travel industry leaders and get a sneak peak of their products for 2009.

Both days will feature hosted chats with Travel Weekly’s award winning editorial team and access to visit pavilions from the industries leading suppliers. Educational Presentations will include.

• The 2009 Travel Consumer in the 2009 World Economy
• A Crystal Ball Session: Industry CEO’s Predict 2009 Trends. Featuring Travel Weekly Editor-in-Chief, Arnie Weissmann; Mike Batt, Travel Leaders; Steve Tracas, Vacation.com; Doug Bower, AAA National; and Lynne Biggar, American Express.
• How will Luxury Be Defined in 2009?
  Featuring Kristi Jones, Virtuoso; Jack Mannix, Ensemble; and Ignacio Maza, Signature Travel.
• Keynote: Peter Greenberg: Travel Talk on TODAY For 2009
• A Crystal Ball Session: The Cruise Market of 2009
  Featuring Brad Tolkin, Cruise One, Cruises Only and Cruise 411; Charlie Funk, Just Cruisin’ Plus and a Vacation.com agency; Roger Block, Cruise Holidays and Travel Leaders; and Jeff Anderson, America’s Vacation Center.

There is one other element that will once again prove this to be a widely viewed event.

Controversy.