BiG Conference yielded impressive results

Courtesy Visit Milwaukee

More than 50 Boomers in Groups (BiG) travel planners met with travel industry members from across the country Oct. 21-23. The inaugural conference brought boomer travel planners and travel industry delegates together for the first time in Milwaukee.

Boomers are the fastest growth segment of the population, so many industry members have been anxious to connect with this group.

“Boomers are setting new standards in group travel,” said Joe Cappuzzello, president of BiG. “They may be a group of golfers, a bank that has formed a new boomer-focused club or even a teacher who gathers 30 friends for a couple of vacations a year.”

The emerging boomer travel market connected with industry members during six-minute scheduled appointments and social networking events.

“My appointments with the buyers were very professional and promising,” said Linda Kloog-Harris, director of sales and marketing for the Savannah Theatre. “The boomer market is the ‘now’ market, and the buyers were anxious to plan their trips for the upcoming years. This was one of the best shows I have done all year.”

During the sightseeing tours, boomer planners toured Milwaukee’s Historic Village of Greendale, the Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Public Museum, which hosted the final evening dinner. The conference closed after every attending boomer received a cubic zirconium of setting quality. One lucky attendee walked away with a genuine diamond gemstone as part of the giveaway.

“I am looking forward to attending in 2012,” said Sandy Haines, group tour sales manager for the Myrtle Beach Area CVB. “The flow of the appointments went extremely smooth. I found the speakers to be knowledgeable and interesting on the concept of marketing to boomers in groups.”

For more information, visit www.boomersingroups.com.


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