Communications / Standards September 2001 STANDARDS & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE Committee Chairs: Anne Baer - Sun Valley's Elkhorn Resort Craig Cook - Travel Organizers GOAL: The goal of the committee is to try and find ways to standardize and improve the communications and interaction between suppliers and tour operator members of SKITOPS, resulting in increased sales, communications, understanding for all parties. · Create and continually improve standardized forms for suppliers to use to give information about themselves to tour operators COMMENTS FROM ASPEN MEETING: Prior to the Aspen Skitops meeting two forms were created one for suppliers to provide information on themselves to Tour Operators, and a second form for Tour Operators to provide information on themselves to Suppliers. The Supplier form was instituted at the March Network and a subsequent survey was sent out asking about its usefulness and recommended changes. While the number of companies responding to the survey was relatively small a number of changes were made to the form. At the Aspen meeting it was determined that the committee would institute a number of measures designed to get a 100% of the suppliers using the form prior to the next March Network · Create and continually improve standardized forms for tour operators to use to give information about themselves to suppliers COMMENTS FROM ASPEN MEETING: (See above) · Review how suppliers and tour operators communicate, address specific issues that are of concern, and make recommendations on ways to improve the issues through communications. COMMENTS FROM ASPEN MEETING: A number of items were identified that should be addressed to improve communications and issues that are of concern. These included the creation of a CD Rom for each area of the industry (Lodging/Lifts/Transportation/etc.), which would be created by the committee to be provided to the actual front line staff of suppliers within each sector. The CD Rom would explain about tour operators versus travel agencies, explain the optimal procedures for dealing with issues in their sector, as well as provide good and bad visual examples. The intent being to provide a reasonable education alternative to the front line and all appropriate staff of Suppliers that will help them, as well as benefit the wholesale tour operators in Skitops. The second area addressed was establishing uniform standards, criteria, and definitions within the industry, which can be used by suppliers, tour operators, and consumers. This would include agreed upon property descriptions such what really is accepted as a two bedroom condominium, and a rating system for determining quality of units for descriptive purposes to the consumer, use of acreage versus terrain by Ski areas, charter versus shuttles as ground transportation, and so forth. Originally this task was under the Inventory / Distribution committee, but was moved to the Standards / Communications committee to be completed. · Work towards establishing partnerships rather then adversarial relationships through communications. COMMENTS FROM ASPEN MEETING: It was discussed that the CD Rom discussed above would help foster partnerships and better communications by trying to educate each other on the best practices for the other party. Return to Partnership Program Return to the Membership Home P.O. Box 191981 Sacramento California, U.S.A. 95819 Email to: SkiTops.com The Network | General Members | Supplier Members Submit Forms | Sales Tools | Members Home About SkiTops | Specials | Find a Package | Press Releases | Site Home