August 28, 2010

Top Faith Marketing Expert Greg Stielstra to Keynote World Religious Travel Expo 2010

Back by popular demand, North America's top faith marketing expert Greg Stielstra will keynote for the second year at the World Religious Travel Expo 2010. The recipient of numerous praises and accolades among Expo delegates, Stielstra is the co-author of Faith-based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers (Wiley, 2009) and the mind behind the strategy of "PyroMarketing" to help businesses reach and retain markets. Stielstra also served as the marketing director behind the highly acclaimed The Purpose Driven Life, a faith-based marketing phenomenon and the fastest selling hardcover book in American history.

"We are so excited about bringing Greg Stielstra back as our Expo Keynote speaker," said Kevin J. Wright, WRTA president. "Greg wowed all of our attendees and exhibitors last year with his remarkable insight and practical wisdom in how to effectively reach the faith-based consumer and traveler. It was clear from the onset, Greg was a crowd favorite."

Greg Stielstra worked in marketing for the world's leading Christian publishers for 17 years where he planned the promotions for dozens of bestselling books. An expert in word-of-mouth, faith-based and social network marketing as well as an innovative thinker, speaker and consultant, Stielstra is today author of two books: PyroMarketing: the Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life (HarperCollins, 2005) and Faith-Based Marketing: The Guide to Reaching 140 Million Christian Customers (Wiley, 2009). His writings and work have been covered by The Economist, Advertising Age, Point Magazine, Business Week, Forbes, Wireless Age, Knowledge at Wharton, the Wharton Leadership Journal, and the book 9 Minds on Marketing. Stielstra currently teaches marketing at Vanderbilt University and operates PyroMarketing, a social media marketing agency in Franklin, TN.

"People have long known that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising," said Stielstra. "What they may not realize, however, is that faith communities spread word-of-mouth more effectively than any other group. What's more, people of faith represent the largest demographic segment in the world. When you combine the size and connectivity of the faith community with new social media technologies you can create incredibly powerful opportunities to promote religious travel that are also affordable. I look forward to sharing this good news with religious travel professionals and seeing them use it to further advance religious travel worldwide."

The World Religious Travel Expo has developed into the world's pre-eminent faith tourism marketplace gathering with more than 500 travel professionals and tourism organizations from 30-plus countries in attendance. This November's World Religious Travel Expo will be held in conjunction with the NTA Convention for the second year providing a combined gathering of 2,000-plus travel professionals and tourism organizations. Through this collaboration with NTA, the leading association for travel professionals, both associations can offer its members unprecedented opportunities for education, business expansion, networking, and new market opportunities.

For more information about attending or exhibiting at the World Religious Travel Expo, contact the World Religious Travel Association at 888-255-WRTA (9782) or +1-859-219-3529 or by e-mail at headquarters@WRTAreligioustravel.com. For more information about the WRTA Expo, visit www.WRTAexpo.com .

August 9, 2010

2010-2011 Religious Travel Buyer's Guide Just Published

The World Religious Travel Association (WRTA) has just published its 2010-2011 RELIGIOUS TRAVEL BUYER'S GUIDE. The publication is the industry’s preeminent guide to the religious travel and hospitality marketplace (a $49 value).

How will the Buyer’s Guide help you?
Discover new ideas and opportunities for enriching your faith tourism and hospitality travel program, while also finding suppliers, products, and services in faith tourism.

What types of faith-based travel services can you learn about in the Buyer's Guide?
Pilgrimages, conferences, events, cruising, missionary travel, volunteer vacations, adventure, safaris, attractions, shrines and holy sites, leisure vacations, insurance, transportation, lodging, restaurants, retailers, destinations, and much more!

What type of travel providers can you find in the Buyer’s Guide?
Tour operators, travel agents, travel wholesalers, destinations and supplier members of WRTA—all of whom are involved in religious travel and hospitality. Our publication is easy to use, giving you quick e-links to web sites and emails, making it convenient for you to contact these distinguished travel providers.

How can you obtain your FREE (digital) copy of the Buyer's Guide?
Just click here http://bit.ly/WRTABuyersGuide2010-2011

How can your organization be featured in future editions of the Buyer's Guide?
Call 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters at WRTAreligioustravel.com.

Whether you are a religious leader who would like to learn more about developing a travel ministry program and how faith based travel can deepen spiritual growth, a travel agent looking for inspiring new travel product to offer your religious market segment or a supplier or destination who caters to the religious travel traveler, WRTA is your connection to growth and development in the religious travel industry.

I invite you to take full advantage of the resource you’ve been given through the Buyers Guide and I encourage you to consider membership in WRTA and/or attending the upcoming World Religious Travel Expo 2010, being held November 13-16 in Montreal, Quebec.

To learn how you can become more involved in WRTA or register for the Expo, please contact us via phone 888-255-9782/859-219-3529 or email headquarters at WRTAreligioustravel.com.

Best wishes to you in 2010 and 2011.
Kevin J. Wright
WRTA President