Group University’s resources help travel suppliers, and buyers keep up with leisure group travel trends and best practices through educational resources.
Our series of whitepapers, case studies, how-to guides provide sought after knowledge about improving the group travel experience and looking for new opportunities for group travel businesses, organizations, and destinations.
Share the knowledge! Link to our Group University webpage!
The Multi-Day Tour Marketplace – What’s Inside:
This report provides an overview of the global multi-day tour operator marketplace, covering market size (pre-Covid) and structure, and key trends on tour product, distribution, technology and more. Some of the data and insights presented here were collected through the Arival Multi-Day Tour Survey. Arival thanks its research partners, who helped us field the survey to their operator communities in March and April 2021. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Leisure/General Market Whitepapers
There’s Nothing Blue About SMERFs – What’s Inside:
Search Google for SMERF tourism and more than 25,000 results appear – the overwhelming majority addressing the meetings sector. While packaged group tours are often ignored when addressing SMERFS, this White Paper is about finding opportunities for packaged group travel in these traditional membership organizations. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Bank Travel Club Best Practices – What’s Inside:
Once the darling of the group travel industry, the bank travel club sector has gone through significant change and consolidation over the last decade. While some prognosticators predict a turn-around in the bank travel market once interest rates return to normalcy, a lot of travel suppliers are wondering how bank travel clubs fit into their marketing. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Cooking Up Irresistible Itineraries – What’s Inside:
What constitutes a great itinerary? We talked to tour operators and asked them what they looked for when considering new destinations. We researched market trends in the “niche” travel group sector. We took stock of sample itineraries and poured our findings into a must-have whitepaper for any CVB, Cooking Up Irresistible Itineraries. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
A Hotel Sales Manager’s Guide to Growing Business – What’s Inside:
When hoteliers learn to think like a tour operator, a group leader, a reunion planner, church leader, a coach or band director you’ll outperform your competition, thrive in your position and increase your hotel’s profitability. Everybody wins! <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Packaging Experiential Tourism – What’s Inside:
Never before has packaged group travel been more important to both destination marketing organizations and their partners. With tour planners looking to DMOs and their partners for fresh itinerary ideas, it just makes good business sense that suppliers are ready, willing and able to server their needs. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
The Shifting Effect – What’s Inside:
The Greatest Generation was a boon to the group travel industry. They loved bus tours, wanted to be entertained and a pre-planned group tour to anywhere sounded great! Unfortunately for some, baby boomers and their children didn’t have the same appetite for traditional group travel and as the senior group market aged, the number of traditional bus tours dwindled. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Rock Star Supplier Series – What’s Inside:
Based on two and half decades of boots-on-the-ground experience, this whitepaper helps your business become a rock star in the eyes of your customers. Learn time-tested tools and newly minted tricks of the trade. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Niche Market Whitepapers
Next Generation STEM Careers Through Field-Based Learning – What’s Inside:
America has a pipeline problem that has nothing to do with oil. There are simply not enough young adults entering the workforce equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century economy. This whitepaper starts the dialogue about how educators can partner with tourism professionals, public entities and private industry to combat this nationwide epidemic. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
A Look Inside the Faith Travel Market – What’s Inside:
The potential market for religious vacations is sizable. 35 percent of all outbound travelers are interested in taking a religious vacation and the market has grown 5% annually over the last decade. Learn how to welcome more religious-inspired travelers in this hands-on guide. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
SFA & SFM Guide to Request for Proposals – What’s Inside:
Planning a new sports tourism project? Download our quick reference guide for sports commissions, community leaders, and developers starting a sports, events, recreation, or wellness project. You’ll find: RPF Deliverable Specification, Must-have Components and a Ready-to-use RFP, Tips for Assessing the RFP Responses and more! <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Eugene: A Sustainable Sports Leader – What’s Inside:
The city of Eugene, Oregon, is at the forefront of the green movement, having established itself as a town that embraces innovation, forward thinking and a commitment to sustainability. Learn how it extends this passion to how it hosts sporting events and pick up some tips for your next tournament. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
9 Planning Mistakes (and how to avoid them) – What’s Inside:
9 Planning Mistakes (and how to avoid them), by the Sports Facility Advisory (SFA) team, highlights common mistakes and provides solutions to help you through the process of planning a new facility. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Case Study: Relationships to Results – What’s Inside:
Authored by Rockford native Nick Povalitis, sports sales manager of the Rockford Area CVB, Relationships to Results demonstrates how everyone wins when CVBs, sports commissions and parks and rec departments align their goals and work together. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
A to Z Guide to Organizing a Sports Event – What’s Inside:
Are you responsible for planning an upcoming sporting event, but don’t know how to get started? Trying to take your event to the next level? Increase participation or sponsorship? This guide provide the tools needed by a sport organization that wants to conduct a successful, sustainable event. Authored by Bill Hanson, a 42 year industry veteran. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Guide to Winning the Event Bid Process – What’s Inside:
Authored by noted authority Bill Hanson, this publication details specifics of a winning sporting event bid. It includes identifying the needs of a tournament organizer, components of a successful bid book and planning a successful site visit. <<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE
Learning Beyond the Classroom – What’s Inside:
How to Succeed in the Student and Youth Travel Marketplace – This market needs dedicated suppliers and vendors that can deliver consistent product, provide a safe and secure environment, and help change the lives of future generations. Are you up for the challenge?
<<<< Click the Cover to Download Instantly for FREE