by John Frenaye
Monday April 06, 2015

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. You gave it your best shot.  That’s okay, you’ll get him next time. We’ve heard them all. Clichés are great; but they don’t pay the bills and to use an analogy Mike Marchev loves—I want to eat. If you've never made a mistake, you are excused from reading this column. For those who have screwed up a time or two (or more); stick around; I have some food for thought concerning your travel business.

By now, hopefully we all realize just how fickle and un-loyal today’s consumer can be. We hear it from suppliers who say that customers come to them after booking with us.  In my business, I see it all the time.…

One minute, there was plenty of "juice." In less than a blink of an eye and without warning, the power disappeared from the island of Manhattan... and throughout the tri-state area.

This is a good example of how quickly things can change... have changed... and will change. One minute you are sailing nicely with the wind to your back. In a heartbeat you can be hung up on a sand bar wondering “what happened?” One minute you have all the business you can handle. The next minute your pipeline is drier than an Arizona mid-summer's day. One minute, life is grand... the next minute, you get snake-bit by an unexpected phone call from a distant relative.

  — Travel Research Online
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by Richard Earls
Sunday April 05, 2015

Criticism can be difficult to take. On a regular basis, I solicit feedback from the travel agents that use TRO, and there is usually no shortage of good suggestions. Likewise, I speak with our advertisers frequently to see if we are exceeding their expectations. In the position of publisher, I have to patrol both sides of the fence, making sure that every aspect of TRO's business is where I want it to be. It seldom is. We get close, but perfection seems always somewhere way down the road, usually miles away.

Sometimes the criticism can be brutal. The articles we craft, the editorial point of view, the look of our Destination Guides, the layout of our home page can all at times become the object of someone's critique. I have…

Line Vreven works as Director and Regional Manager North America, for VISITFLANDERS in New York. She spearheads strategic international outreach regarding Flanders- Brussels tourism agenda. Prior to Flanders- Belgium, she worked as an independent consultant on a number of global nonprofit, business, management and advocacy strategies, providing strategic management consulting on international policy development, effective corporate messaging, organizational structure, and international markets to a wide variety of clients. Before she served as AARP's Vice President International, following a distinguished diplomatic career during which she received two knighthoods and was recognized by four governments and the U.N. with several awards. She served as Head of European Affairs and Associate Vice President at the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America…