Rochester, N.Y. (September 11, 2018) – Travel Alliance Partners, LLC (TAP), a partner-owned corporation comprising 28 premier tour operators across North America, has moved its headquarters to Rochester, NY. The change includes the announcement of a new management company, Break the Ice Media (BTI). Leading the TAP management team is Lisa Doerner, the new Executive Director. Doerner brings over 20 years of business development, program management, strategic planning, and marketing experience to the role. Operations and new program strategies will be led by Doerner, who previously worked as the Executive Director at Digital Rochester, a not-for-profit made up of professionals and companies working together to strengthen the Greater Rochester Area’s technology business community.
“We see tremendous opportunity for TAP to grow its presence in the tour and travel industry,” said Doerner. “With an innovative operational strategy and award-winning marketing expertise, the BTI team will play a large role in helping TAP succeed in their goals.”
Now in its 17th year, TAP was created to establish tour operator partnerships through shared goals, joint marketing opportunities and product promotion. To increase business and expand company tour portfolios, partners (located throughout North America) buy and sell products from each other, which range from safaris to motor coach adventures, cruises and sporting events across the globe. TAP collaborates with both individual and regional destination marketing organizations, travel trade professionals, group leaders, and individual travelers.
“We are excited to continue to move TAP forward with the talented professionals at Break the Ice Media,” said TAP President Nick Calderazzo. “Their passion and vast experience in tourism marketing made them a unique and ideal fit for our corporation.”
Located in the Rochester suburb of Pittsford, NY, part of the Finger Lakes Vacation Region, BTI has extensive experience developing, integrating and executing tourism marketing campaigns. Travel trade marketing initiatives include promoting destinations through trade shows, sales missions, hosting FAM tours for tour operators and travel trade media and assisting clients with itinerary and package development. Local and regional destinations, as well as attractions make up BTI’s client roster. Their award-winning in-house podcast Destination on the Left, which explores successful collaborations, creative marketing ideas and best practices within the travel and tourism industry will soon approach its 100th episode.
In its new role, BTI will continue to run TAP’s successful programs:
- Guaranteed Departures – the industry’s first, available on tapintotravel.com, as well as through a printed brochure
- TAP into Travel Tuesdays at 2:00 pm EST – webinars offered for travel professionals to view partners presentations that focus on upcoming tours throughout the year
- 2019 TAP Dance – TAP’s one-of-kind, invitation-only annual conference, this year taking place in June at Little America in Cheyenne, WY, where partners connect one-on-one with 200 selected Preferred Professional Travel Providers
- Guild Program– a benefits based program designed to provide greater exposure to the partners
- TAP Metrics – access to the industry’s only proven tracking program with key statistics and results for a specific destination