(Pictured above: The elegant Rhode Island State House will serve as the exclusive evening venue for ETC 2011.)
DATES: February 16-19, 2011
LOCATION: Providence, RI, at the Westin Providence Hotel and Rhode Island Convention Center
Registration will open online in September. Click here to read about how the ETC 2011 Programming Regional Roundtables are shaping the Conference agenda. ETC is the world’s only meeting dedicated to addressing the issues of
affinity and alumni travel. It is a must-attend, annual event for
anyone involved in educational and specialty travel.
Thank you to all ETC attendees for making the 2010 Conference a success!
"One
of the best conferences in ETC history. It was especially useful now
with so many programs and the industry in general in transition. I've
heard nothing but praise for the great interaction and gutsy topics." -Roberta M. Moore, Director, Alumni Continuing Education & Travel Office of Alumni Relations at Dartmouth College
 Click here to read what attendees, speakers, and partners are saying about their experience at the 2010 Educational Travel Conference.
More
than 450 Educational Travel planners, suppliers, operators, and
destinations from 41 countries gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, from
February 3-6, 2010, to “Consider the Possibilities” and to chart a new
course for affinity and nonprofit travel. As a post-industrial city
that rebounded in spite of much adversity, Providence provided a
fitting setting for candid and difficult, yet lively, conversations and
sessions focusing on how to fortify businesses, dig deeper into
marketplace challenges, look beyond traditional constituencies for
future growth, and utilize new and different models of programming and
marketing.
While today’s challenges cannot be understated,
expert speakers and industry veterans also spoke to the unprecedented
opportunities for educational travel development and growth. Tracks on
Marketing and New Media, Trends and Influencers, Experiences &
Education, Benchmarking & Shop Talk, Connecting &
Collaborating, Emerging Issues & Management, and Responsible
Tourism addressed the questions of the day:
•How to respond rapidly and adapt to unprecedented consumer, economic, and technological demands?
•How to re-envision program offerings, shift business models, and expand marketing strategies at a time when funds are tight,
resources few, and staff slim?
•What is the future of affinity travel?
•How are companies restructuring marketing strategies and partnerships in a new commercial environment?
•Where can sales increase in a tough economy, and how?
•How
can companies and organizations improve their bottom line, benefit from
untapped opportunities, and strengthen client relationships?
 After
2.5 days of back-to-back educational sessions, collegial roundtables,
business-to-business meetings, and networking events, attendees
returned home with an understanding that now is a time for the affinity
and nonprofit travel business to think differently about how to turn
current challenges into future opportunities; and, many had action
plans in-hand. As speaker Gary Leopold, President and CEO of ism.
travel & lifestyle marketing, said in his opening keynote address:
“Never let a good crisis go to waste.” Quoting this phrase from the
U.S. president's chief of staff, Leopold drove home why the ability to
recognize and respond to the fundamental shifts happening in businesses
and in the marketplace is key to future success.
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