“All of our flights were canceled. I died a thousand deaths,” she said. “However, another company, Central Holidays, came in and helped. We had the same accommodations, tour guides — everything was the same. The travelers never knew anything had gone amiss.”
Riepen networks with the “Metro Eight,” many of the larger chambers of commerce in Texas, on a variety of chamber issues, including preferred tour operators and other travel concerns.
“It is imperative to have strong partners on these huge endeavors,” she said. “With weather delays and the rigors of travel, we have been very lucky with leaders who make it look seamless.
“Chamber travel is big business for an operator. My word of mouth about trips to other chambers — and theirs to me — is extremely important.”
Riepen now counts both wildlife encounters and human relationships among her favorite travel experiences.
“My gosh, when you can say that you’ve seen so many baboons, elephants and giraffes in 16 days that those almost miraculous sights tend to become blasé, how can you ever imagine you’d think that?
“But perhaps the best part is returning from a trip and the relationships that you’ve made. That first trip to China with our group was indicative of things to come: I came home with 200 new friends.”
Travel Tips
• Your travelers have to trust you. Read every line on every piece of paperwork because your travelers probably do not. They count on you to do that.
• It’s often the people who travel with you that make a difference. The crowd buzz may be, “If Wally is going I want to go too!”
• Work with a strong partner/tour operator who can handle every hiccup, because there will be hiccups.
Profile of Jan Riepen
Chief Financial Officer for the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
Austin, Texas
The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce has 3,000 members. It focuses primarily on small businesses and is the largest chamber of commerce in Texas.
Born: Champaign, Illinois
Education: Graduate of University of Texas with an accounting degree
Employment: Riepen has been CFO of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce for 11 years.
Family: Husband of 29 years, Mike; son, Scott; two rescued cocker spaniels
Hobbies: Travel and golf
