Types of successful presentations in tourism industry in Russia

In general, we can name 4 different types of presentations (not taking into consideration roadshows and workshops). 

Presentation in the office for employees of tour operator (offline)
Usually we come to the office of tour operator to meet their sales managers (Info department, destination department, sales department, agency department). It is organised like a seminar. On the screen we can show detailed sales manual, which later we also send by email for future reference. Presentation lasts about 1 hour, we give detailed description of infrastructure and facilities. This is very important type of presentation, since you educate managers who are in contact with travel agents and clients. It can be organised for each tour operator, regardless of its size (big tour operators gather for seminar 10-20 employees, smaller tour operators invite 2-3 people from sales or destination department). Usually no souvenirs are needed, but are welcome (like notepads, pens, usb sticks). Of course, tour operators do not charge hoteliers or destination companies for such presentations. 

Presentation during webinar for travel agents of tour operator (online)
Almost all big tour operators and some smaller tour operators organise online learning (webinars) for their travel agents. Usually such webinars are dedicated to particular destination (like Crete, or Turkey, or Tunisia etc.) or particular topic (for example, Deluxe hotels in Greece). Each tour operator organises webinars on particular platform, individually using Webinar, Clickwebinar etc., or by means of Profi.Travel, Ator etc.  Tour operators gladly invite representatives of hotels or dmc to take part in a webinar with presentation for 10-30 minutes. So, hotel representative connects online, shows sales manual and presents briefly the property and answers questions orally or in written in chat. The number of participants varies from 50 to 180 travel agents. It is nice to organise a draw during a webinar with a prise like accommodation in your hotel. Usually after webinar, tour operators gives full contact list of participants. Most of tour operators invite hoteliers to present their hotels for free, some of them might charge about 100 euros.

Presentation during business breakfast for travel agents (offline)
Some big and medium size tour operators in the beginning of the season invite their travel agents for business breakfast or lunch, where they speak about their services and also present their partners - hotels and dmc. Business breakfast is usually organised in center of Moscow, in a nice restaurant or cafe. The number of participants varies from 15 to 40 travel agents. The menu includes hot drinks and some snacks. Expenses are usually fully covered by hotel / dmc, sometimes they are shared with tour operator (very rarely). Travel agents are invited by tour operator. You need to calculate about 20-35 euros per person. It is wise to have other non-competitive hotels on business breakfast to share expenses. In most cases you get full contact list of registered agents from tour operator, including emails.

Presentation during web meeting for employees of tour operator (offline)
Closer to the season, it is more difficult to arrange offline meetings with tour operators to present your hotel and educate employees of tour operator: managers are busy with bookings and are not ready to spend 1 hour for presentation.  In this case we suggest to organise web meetings. You need to work on professional webinar platform, where you see tour operator managers face-to-face, show them sales manual, and discuss orally all questions. Usually such presentation lasts about 20-40 minutes. It is also nice to organise such presentation for regional employees of big tour operators. Of course, tour operators do not charge hoteliers / docs for such presentations.

It will be not right to stay only with one particular type of presentation, or to vary the type depending on tour operator. Examples: Many hotel representatives come from their home countries for a week and every day visit 3-4 tour operators and tell them about their property. That is rather pure strategy, since it costs a lot (transportation and accommodation), but educates only one part of the market - employees of tour operator.  More experienced hotel representatives arrange in advance more creative schedule: one day presentation in the office for tour operators A and B, next day business breakfast with tour operator C, third day presentation in the office for tour operator D and F. Better, but the audience is still smaller, than it could be. 

The best variant is to make a schedule for 3-6 months to have for tour operator A in January presentation in the office, in February business breakfast for its agents, in March a webinar with them, in April web meeting with its regional employees, in June one more webinar with its agents. And the same strategy with tour operators B, C, D, etc.