‘Customize What They’re Wanting To Do’
Todd Stallbaumer, consumer and trade marketing director for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, spends a lot of time traveling around Oklahoma. On many of those trips, he is accompanied by tour operators who have come to familiarize themselves with the state.
“We don’t really do group FAMs for tour operators anymore,” Stallbaumer said. “When we have interest from an operator, we schedule an individual FAM so that we can customize what they’re wanting to do.”
Hosting tour operators on individual FAMs helps them focus specifically on what they would like to package for groups, Stallbaumer said. It also gives the tour operators a real-world view of how long it takes to drive from one destination to the next, information that is vital in setting up a good tour itinerary for the general public.
Stallbaumer invites tour operators he meets at major tourism trade shows to take FAMs of the state. He will also work with tour operators that want to bring a number of group leaders on a tour of Oklahoma. The goal for each of those trips is to produce return trips.
FAM tours in Oklahoma move at a quick pace, covering in three to five days what a regular tour might do in five to seven days. In addition to being punctual and responsive, Stallbaumer said participants can maximize their opportunities on a FAM by being prepared.
“Do some preresearch on where you’re going to be and have a general idea of what you’ll be seeing,” he said. “Have a set of standard questions that you ask everyone, and then ask specific questions. When they’re prepared beforehand and know the general itinerary they’re working toward, I’ve seen people book the arrangements as they go from place to place and have the itinerary ready before they leave.”
‘Enthusiastic About Selling’
As a regional destination marketing organization, Rocky Mountain International (RMI) has a lot of territory to cover. The group represents North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming and uses FAM tours to expose potential customers to sometimes-remote destinations.
“Our states are very large, so it gives people an idea of how easy it would be to travel in our region,” said senior marketing manager Kim Birrell. “Driving out here is pretty easy, and that’s something that’s not always well understood. So our FAMs are designed to familiarize people with a particular part of the region, and to help them sell it. After they’ve visited, they can be quite enthusiastic about selling.”
In order to showcase as much of the territory as possible, RMI organizes what it calls the “Mega FAM.” Those tours take place once a year, usually during September or October, and take a whole motorcoach full of visitors on an eight-day tour of two of the member states.
“We try to include a lot of the things that are popular and unique in our region,” Birrell said. “We have a lot of Native American heritage that is really interesting. The national parks are always very popular. And people like to get exposed to Western lifestyle and culture. There could be history and culinary inclusions.”
Because these tours are so long and busy, Birrell tends to recruit participants who are seasoned industry veterans, understand the ins and outs of FAM trips and are able to make decisions about the travel products their organizations sell.
“We would like them to enjoy themselves and see as much as possible,” she said. “We want them to participate in the things we offer, like horseback riding, rafting or zip lining. If they participate, they really get a much better feel for what’s available.”
