One of the best parts of being in the Tourism industry for many years is the people I meet. Our industry has an endless list of talented, hardworking, fun-loving and creative tourism pros. I decided to interview my friends and give you a peek into their lives and careers. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section, and I will follow-up with the guest interviewed. This week we hear from my friend Shirley Davis Conner from Graceland.
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Tell us a bit about how you got started in the tourism industry.
A friend’s husband was the Front Office Manager of a hotel in Memphis when I was in college and he made me come to work for him because he was having trouble finding help. I worked as a Front Desk Clerk, Assistant Front Office Manager, Reservations Manager before moving over to the Sales side of things.
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What is your current job and what are your primary responsibilities?
I am Sales Manager for Graceland, a division of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. I work with tour operators and travel agents around the world to help them plan their trips to Graceland, Guest House at Graceland, Memphis and the surrounding areas as well as the entire Deep South. I also have one foot in Operations as I supervise our Ticket Office, Reservations and Information staff.
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What are some of the changes you have seen since you began your career?
Technology has been the greatest game changer since I began in tourism. We started out with a very manual process for taking reservations at Graceland (think – pen, paper and liquid paper!) and have now thankfully moved on to a more efficient computer program. We also have added a technical aspect to the Graceland Mansion tour. It’s now presented on an iPad tour. Elvis sings to you as you go through the house and his daughter, Lisa Marie, tells stories about growing up with her famous dad. It has really made the tour so much more personal because our guests can start and stop the player as often as they like and take in a lot more of the details, going as fast or slowly as they’d like.
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What tourism trends are you seeing that will impact your job and how you work in the next 2 years?
I think regional tourism has become a huge trend. People are no longer satisfied with doing just one thing when they are in an area. They want to see as much as they can before they move on because it may be their only trip this way. That’s why it’s so important for attractions and hotels to know what is around them, how long it takes to get there, how long it will take for them to tour, what’s the regional food specialty they need to try, etc. It’s important to give them a reason to stay another day in your area!
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It’s vacation time – where do you go?
Camping!! I love to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and just sit and look out over a lake. We tent camp, but we do it in RV spots so we’ll have electricity for our computers and fans. Once I help set up camp, my husband takes over and does all the cooking. It’s a definite vacation for me! No running for airplanes or taxis!
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What is your favorite app and tell us a bit about it.
The two that I use the most are MyFitnessPal and MyZone which together keep me accountable with what I eat and motivated to exercise. I feel so much better when I eat right and move!
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What is your favorite tradeshow and why?
It’s hard to choose between Travel South International and RTO Summit East. Both are small enough that you really have a chance to catch up with what’s new with clients/friends but the connections are so great that I always book business at each of them.
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What advice do you have for someone just getting started in the tourism industry?
Listen and ask questions. Don’t go right into your spiel when you meet with a client. Find out what they are looking for in a destination. The more you learn about their needs, the more successful the trip will be and that will lead to more business in the future.