FACE-TO-FACE APPOINTMENTS

ABA offers seven-minute pre-scheduled appointments, where motorcoach and tour operator Buyers obtain information and create business relationships with travel industry Sellers. These one-to-one appointments are the core of the ABA Marketplace week.

Operator Buyer appointment-taking delegates are seated at individual booths for the entire week on the Business Floor and have appointments on all day Sunday, all day Monday, and all-day Tuesday. There are 162 appointment slots available in the Buyer appointment schedule.

Travel industry Seller delegates do not have booths but walk the floor and move from Buyer to Buyer for their appointments. There are 54 appointment slots available in the Seller appointment schedule. The Seller session is based on the company’s membership code and is scheduled as follows:

APPOINTMENT SESSIONS

Preschedule Appointment Slots | 54 Appointment Slots per Session

Sunday AM/Sunday PM

DMOs, CVBs, Receptive Operators, Charter Operators

Monday AM/Monday PM

Hoteliers*, Attractions*, Associates*, Allied Associations* Group 1

Tuesday AM/Tuesday PM

Hoteliers*, Attractions*, Associates*, Allied Associations* Group 2

*These registration types will be assigned one of the two sessions based on availability. Hotels and Attractions will be assigned to all day sessions – either Monday or Tuesday.

APPOINTMENT REQUESTS BY THE NUMBER

Different member categories are scheduled for appointments during the same sessions, but appointment requests are processed separately to ensure an even distribution of appointments among DMOs, Hoteliers, Attractions, Receptive Operators/Tour Planners, Charter Operators, Associate and Allied Associations. There is a maximum of 54 appointments scheduled but delegates can request additional companies to increase the probability of appointments being scheduled.

Buyers

DMO/Receptives/Charter | 75 Requests
Hoteliers | 75 Requests
Attractions/Associates/Allied Associations | 75 Requests
TOTAL OF 225 REQUESTS FOR 162 SLOTS

Sellers

Make 75 Buyer Requests
TOTAL OF 75 REQUESTS FOR 54 SLOTS

UNDERSTANDING THE ABA SCHEDULING PROCESS

Appointment codes are assigned to you on the day you register, and appointments are prioritized and scheduled in order of your appointment code. Appointments are not prioritized based on the date your appointment requests are made. Appointments are scheduled based on your company registration date, priority of request and type of request.

ABA’s appointment scheduling program schedules nearly 90% of mutually requested appointments (meaning both the Buyer and Seller requested to meet with each other in their top priority of requests), and 90% of the Buyer requested appointments. Requesting the maximum appointments allowed increases your chances of getting those mutual requests.

TYPES OF SCHEDULES APPOINTMENTS

Mutual

Appointment generated from a Mutual request (Both Buyer & Seller requested each other)

Buyer

Buyer requested appointment Seller: Seller Register Type (i.e. Lodging, DMO, Attraction, Rec Op) requested appointment

Seller

Seller Register Type (i.e. Lodging, DMO, Attraction, Rec Op) requested appointment

Assigned

AI matches based on mutually answered survey questions.