President's Message
This fall, we're planning to welcome more than 1,4000 home-based and brick-and-mortar travel agents to Baltimore!

OSSN Launches Its Blog!
By OSSN President Gary Fee

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What happens, though, if you can't make it to the show? Or, where can you go if, after you've returned home, you remember a question you wanted to ask one of these suppliers?

Those questions led OSSN to join forces recently with Travel Industry Shows (the organizers of the Baltimore event) and with Travel Research Online (a leading publisher of travel specials for agents) on a new project: expanding the conference into the online world.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 30 (the day after the Baltimore show), you can visit online exhibitor booths from the show using your home computer!

Even if you've already visited with these exhibitors in Baltimore, you can revisit their booths for 90 days after the show ends. These supplier booths will be open around the clock on the Internet.

It's true that nothing can replace the value of visiting suppliers in person during a trade show, building connections and networking with them one on one. But, you can now extend those brief show contacts by staying in touch with suppliers via their online booths.

And, if schedule conflicts or client matters prevent you from attending the show in Baltimore, you won't miss out on the newest products and services from your favorite suppliers. You can visit their booths online for several months after the show ends.

What can you do in these online booths? Everything but shake hands physically with a supplier. You can exchange questions and messages with each supplier, receive electronic brochures (or request printed copies for your office), and watch product videos from the comfort of your home office.

You'll hear more about this brand-new program at www.homebasedagentshow.com as the Baltimore conference approaches. Remember that nothing surpasses the face-to-face experience of attending a real, live trade show -- but, you can build on the value of those show contacts by taking advantage of these new online booths!

We're very pleased at OSSN to extend our partnership with Travel Industry Shows, and we're excited to add Travel Research Online to our list of industry partners. Together, our three organizations reach tens of thousands of home-based agents around North America. By joining forces, we can offer this new online trade show experience to help you grow your sales.

Gary M. Fee is president and founder of the Outside Sales Support Network, the world's largest trade organization devoted to home-based sellers of travel. OSSN serves more than 7,500 home-based travel agents around North America.

(Credit: Gary M. Fee/OSSN)