Six island destinations banded together to put on the first South Pacific Fest 40 (SPF40) in Long Beach, CA, September 30-October 1. The tourism offices of the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tahiti, and Vanuatu organized the two-day summit to educate retail travel agents on their destinations and to give hotel and cruise ship suppliers the opportunity to train tour operators on their product. With 37 suppliers, 143 tour operator reservations staff, and 86 travel agents (from as far away as Massachusetts!) in attendance, SPF40 provided an unprecedented opportunity for the region's tourism industry to discuss the latest developments and growth potential for each of their destinations.

SPF40 consisted of two components, one for retail travel agents, and another for South Pacific suppliers and tour operators. The first day kicked off with each tourism office giving 45-minute orientation presentations to travel agents at the Long Beach Convention Center, while suppliers met one-on-one with tour operator product managers in the neighboring Hyatt Regency Long Beach. A tradeshow followed, in which suppliers and tour operators displayed their product and distributed collateral to travel agents. That evening, suppliers and tour operators convened in the Hyatt's Regency Ballroom for training rotations, in which suppliers delivered 15-minute presentations to the tour operators' frontline reservations staff. These rotations provided a format for efficient business-to-business meetings that might not be otherwise possible, at least within such a consolidated time frame.

Following a second day of training rotations, everyone gathered to clink Coronas in the shadow of sharks at a cocktail reception at the Aquarium of the Pacific. A dinner sponsored by Air Pacific inside the aquarium rounded out the event, with entertainers from several islands performing traditional dances. Amid tanks teeming with colorful marine life and tables decorated in island style, the dinner capped a successful event while capturing the carefree spirit of the South Pacific. “We hadn't had a get-together dedicated to the South Pacific in a long time, so this was great,” says Camille Cuaresma of Tahiti Legends. “It was nice to have one-on-one meetings with the hotels and suppliers, to give our reservations staff a chance to ask questions. It was the best planned and organized seminar that I've attended in a long time,” states Cuaresma. SPF40's architects are already planning a second event for this year.

For the 125 North American travel agents who attended Tahiti Tourisme North America's 2nd Annual Travel Exchange, the trip to Tahiti was no typical day at the office. Flying in from the East and West Coasts on Air Tahiti Nui, the agents gathered at Le Meridien Tahiti on November 2 for a full day of presentations, meetings, and training. By the time they sat down for a beach dinner of poisson cru and other local delicacies, their minds were filled with images of Bora Bora's turquoise lagoons and Moorea's cloud-piercing peaks.

The Tahiti Travel Exchange brings together a group of highly qualified travel agents, hand-picked by TTNA's Preferred Tour Operators, for a one-day summit in Tahiti. This year, the local dance group Te Maeva kicked off the event with a lively performance of traditional Tahitian dance. TTNA's Leila Laille followed with an energetic 90-minute presentation on Tahiti and Her Islands, while local Supply Partners met with Tour Operator representatives for an informal mixer. In the afternoon, 32 Supply Partners rotated among tables of travel agents, giving 7-minute presentations of their products. A message from GIE Tahiti Tourisme chief executive Dany Panero and a Tahitian beach party capped the long but stimulating day. “I left the Tahiti Travel Exchange with a wealth of information,” says Kim Worthington of Uniglobe South Coast Travel, in Irvine, CA. “The roundtable discussions were fast-paced, fun, and informative. Each vendor had their own flair and I took home little black pearls of wisdom from each of them. Mauruuru for a wonderful day of learning!” she says.

Following the event, eight of TTNA's Preferred Tour Operators (Brendan Worldwide Vacations, Happy Vacations, Island Escapes by Goway, Newmans South Pacific Vacations, Pleasant Holidays, Sunspots International, Swain Tours, and Tahiti Vacations) led groups of travel agents on Fam trips throughout the islands. Each trip's itinerary varied; some included the dazzling lagoons of Bora Bora, while others ventured to the sun-washed Tuamotu atolls. After returning to the U.S. bronzed and feeling like putty, the travel agents need to only make four Tahiti bookings within the next year to become fully certified Tiare Agents.