The 2008 New York Times Travel Show Announces February 29 Travel Industry Conference...

The 2008 New York Times Travel Show Announces February 29 Travel Industry Conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

Keynote Speaker is Cheryl Hudak, President & CEO of the American
Society of Travel Agents
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
The New York Times Travel Show announced today the Trade Day
schedule of seminars, workshops and a preview of the show floor for
travel industry professionals attending on Friday, Feb. 29. This
year's keynote speaker for the Travel Industry Conference is Cheryl
Hudak, Certified Travel Consultant (CTC), president and CEO, American
Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). The 2008 Trade Day is sponsored by
leaders of the travel industry including Performance Media Group,
producers of ModernAgent, Agent@Home and Vacation Agent Magazines. The
New York Times Travel Show and the Travel Industry Conference will be
held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The
Trade Day hours are from 2 to 7 p.m. Admission is for $20 ($30 at the
door). March 1 and 2 the show is open to the public. For a complete
schedule of seminars and to register online, please visit
www.NYTimes.Com/travelshow.

This year's Travel Industry Conference features more than 45 top
industry executives in discussions on various topics including
home-based travel agencies, selling luxury travel, changes in travel
technology and developing Web marketing. Special accredited workshops
will be offered through Cruise Lines International Association and The
Travel Institute.

The Times also announced the Trade Advisory Board for the Travel
Show. Eleven travel industry leaders have assisted in the ongoing
development of the Travel Show as the preeminent North American travel
event. The advisors, representing home and office-based travel agents,
tour companies, cruise lines, technology and media, are:

-- Jeff Drew, senior vice president of sales, Oceania Cruises

-- Colleen Gillette, president, ASTA - Hudson Valley Chapter

-- Lois M. Howes, president, ASTA - Long Island Chapter

-- Barbara Jathas, president, ASTA - New York City Chapter

-- Marc Kazlauskas, president, Insight Vacations

-- Marie Latus, chapter director, National Association of
Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA), Upstate New York

-- Dinah Marzullo, director of advertising, Carnival Cruise Lines

-- Nilda Pinales, chapter director, NACTA Nassau County and
Suffolk County, Long Island, New York

-- John Severini, partner, KDS Sales - Marketing and Business
Solutions

-- James Shillinglaw, editorial director, Performance Media Group

-- Robert Whitley, president, U.S. Tour Operators Association

Presented by American Express, The New York Times Travel Show is
one of the largest trade and consumer travel shows in the country with
more than 30,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors. The Travel Show offers
on-site booking, special travel discounts and opportunities to win
trips from leading airlines, cruise lines, resorts and tourism boards
from around the world. New this year at the show is the Wedding and
Honeymoon Pavilion, sponsored by The Knot, which will offer the latest
trends and destination ideas for couples.

Supporting sponsors are Greek National Tourism Organization, South
African Tourism and Travel Alberta. NBC-4, GoNomad.com, MVP/NY,
PlanetOut, Telemundo 47 and The Travel Channel are the media partners
and national talk show host Stephanie Abrams is the radio partner. The
industry sponsors are Africa Travel Association, Appalachian Mountain
Club, ASTA, Caribbean Tourism Development Company, NACTA,
NativeEnergy, OSSN, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Society of
American Travel Writers, The Travel Institute, Travelsense.org and
USTOA. SpaFinder is the Spa Pavilion sponsor.

Consumer admission to the show is $15, with a $5 discount if
tickets are purchased with an American Express Card. Children under 18
are admitted free. Show hours are Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m. to 7
p.m., and Sunday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For advance purchase of
tickets to the show and a list of exhibitors please visit
www.nytimes.com/travelshow.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company
with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion, includes The New York Times, the
International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily
newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com,
Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance
society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news,
information and entertainment.

COMPLETE TRADE DAY SCHEDULE - FRIDAY, FEB. 29

GUESTS AND TOPICS

7:30 a.m.

Conference Registration Opens

8:30 - 10 a.m.

Room 1 - WEB MARKETING WORKSHOP: Using Web 2.0 to Market Travel

(CEU credits by The Travel Institute)

Speaker: Mark Murphy, president, PMG

Room 2 - PROFESSIONAL SELLING SKILLS

(10 Credits toward CLIA, ACC and MCC)

Speaker: Bernie Blomquist, manager - training development, Cruise
Lines International Association

Room 3 - TAKING YOUR HOME-BASED TRAVEL BUSINESS TO

THE NEXT LEVEL

Speaker: Gary Fee, president, Outside Sales Support Network

10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

Room 1 - TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Gaining Tech Savvy for Increased Sales

Moderator: Kate Rice, executive editor, Performance Media Group

Speakers:

-- Bob LaCroix, senior vice president, business planning and
development, Trisept Solutions

-- Joe Mazzarella, president and CEO, Travel Sciences, Inc.

-- Mark Murphy, president, PMG

-- Dan Westbrook, vice president - travel merchandising, Sabre

Room 2 - SELLING CRUISES: Using Cruise Line Support Programs More
Effectively

Moderator: Theresa Norton Masek, editor in chief, Vacation
Agent/Performance Media Group

Speakers:

-- Ken Muskat ACC, vice president - sales, Royal Caribbean
International

-- Clark Reber, director - sales planning and initiatives,
Norwegian Cruise Lines

-- Hans Rood, president, Hurtigruten

-- Richard Sasso, president and CEO, MSC Cruises USA

-- Karin Viera, vice president of sales - Eastern Region,
Carnival Cruise Lines

Room 3 - SELLING TRAVEL: Choosing and Growing the Right Niche

for Your Agency

Moderator: John Severini, partner, KDS Sales

Speakers:

-- Steve Cox, executive director, International Expeditions

-- Jackie Friedman CTC, CTIE, general manager, Nexion, Inc.

-- Steve Gorga, president/CEO, Travel Impressions

-- Robert Tuchman, president and founder, TSE Sports and
Entertainment

-- Kevin Wright, president, World Religious Travel Association

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Room 1 - HOME-BASED AGENTS: Taking the Next Step to Success in
Your Home-Based Travel Agency Business

Moderator: James Shillinglaw, editorial director, Performance
Media Group

Speakers:

-- Kate DeLosso CTC, DS, Travel Counsellors

-- David Locke, independent affiliate, America's Vacation
Center/American Express

-- Roberta (Bobbie) Murphy, owner, Bobbie's Travel LLC and OSSN
Chapter Director

-- Stacy H. Small, president, Elite Travel International - a
Virtuoso associate

Room 2 - SELLING TOURS: The Art of Selling Tours and Package
Vacations

Moderator: John Severini, Partner, KDS Sales

Speakers:

-- Phillip Gordon, president and CEO, Globus

-- Marc Kazlauskas, president, Insight Vacations

-- Frank Marini, vice president - sales, Collette Vacations

-- Nigel Osborne, executive vice president, Key Tours

-- Navin Sawhney, senior vice president - sales and marketing,
Tauck World Discovery

Room 3 - MAKING MORE: Finding More Products to Boost Your Profits

Moderator: Kate Rice, executive editor, Performance Media Group

Speakers:

-- John T. Peters CTIE, vice president - Travel Trade and
Business Development, Endless Vacation Rentals

-- Jennifer Stott, director of marketing - AdventureAgents
Network, Gordon's Guide

-- Josanne Swain, vice president - sales and marketing, Farebuzz

Room 4 - SECRETS OF A SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL WEB SITE

Presented by the Northeast Chapter - Society of American Travel
Writers (SATW).

As founder of the award-winning ReidsGuides.com, SATW member and
travel expert Reid Bramblett will share ideas on improving travel web
sites.

12:45 - 1:45 p.m.

KEYNOTE LUNCHEON: A Travel Update from the Beltway

Keynote Speaker: Cheryl Hudak CTC, president and CEO, ASTA

2 - 7:00 p.m.

Show Floor Open for Travel Industry

2 - 3:00 p.m.

Room 1 - TRAVEL IMPRESSIONS AND YOU! A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS!

Speakers:

-- Gail Goldberg, business development manager, Travel
Impressions

-- Sallie Rawlings, director of communications, Travel
Impressions

Room 2 - LEGAL: Tips to Protect Yourself from Legal Liability

Travel attorney Jeffrey R. Miller of Modern Agent and Agent @ Home
offers legal advice based on his knowledge of the industry to travel
agents.

Speaker: Jeff Miller, founder and principal, The Miller Travel
Group

Room 3 - MAKING MORE: The Sales Potential for EcoTourism Today

Moderator: Navin Sawhney, senior vice president - sales and
marketing, Tauck World Discovery

Speakers:

-- Richard Edwards, partner, NativeEnergy

-- Susie Ellis, president, SpaFinder

-- Elliot Friedman, division vice president - Travel Industry and
Partnership Marketing, The Hertz Corporation

-- Christine Mackay, co-founder and executive director, Crooked
Trails

Room 4 - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSION - SATW MEMBERS ONLY

Presented by the Northeast Chapter - Society of American Travel
Writers

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

TRAVEL INDUSTRY OPENING RECEPTION

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com.

The New York Times Company
Pat Eisemann, 212-556-8719
eisemp@nytimes.com
or
Brett Oberman, 212-764-7900
brett@ksa-pr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008