Select Traveler asked these group travel planners, “How did you get creative during the pandemic?” Check out their responses.
Ronni Hannaman, Carson City Chamber of Commerce
Carson City, Nevada
“We kept in contact with our 500-plus travel club membership through e-blasts and on a dedicated Facebook travel club page. Many of our travelers rebooked for 2021 and beyond. We are there when our travelers have questions and have not had to curtail our travel program other than the initial cancellations. We had two travel club meetings recently following social distance protocols. We made them joyous occasions.”
Marlene Shirley, Shawnee Chamber of Commerce
Shawnee, Kansas
“Our utmost concern when planning travel is always the safety of our travelers. I looked for companies following the necessary guidelines to keep everyone safe and adjusted their cancellation policies. I will do whatever possible to alleviate travelers’ concerns.”
Chris Harris, Central Bank Classic
Jefferson City, Missouri
“We had to get really creative to find solutions. One example was our trip to the Sight and Sound Theatre to see ‘Noah’ that got canceled last year. Our customers wanted to see the show, so our staff put together a plan to show the DVD of the performance from the theater. We sent out invitations and spread it over a few days with different times so they could sign up to watch in a socially distant environment. It was a big hit. I think it really has stressed the importance of our relationships with our valued bank customers.”
Desiree Ozburn , First State Bank
Shannon, Illinois
“We kept constant watch on the ever-changing guidelines and kept communication open with our travelers. We rescheduled our 2020 trips for 2021.”
Rosie Mosteller, Dalton Whitfield Senior Center
Dalton, Georgia
“I was fortunately able to move all the trips to 2021. Everyone has been looking forward to traveling again. I am looking at 2022 trips now. Most of my trips have large numbers, and I think in the future we may have to look at smaller groups. The new normal will be different, but we should be able to adjust.”
