SMART welcomes all Hotel & Excursion Operators of the North Eastern Caribbean Region and International Wholesale Tour Operators to
SMART 2012!
The St. Maarten – St. Martin Annual Regional Tradeshow - SMART is presented by the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, L'Office du Tourisme de St. Martin, St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association and L'Association des Hoteliers de St. Martin.
SMART is a professional way to bring together the movers and shakers in the tourist industry for St. Maarten/St. Martin and the surrounding islands within an hour’s flight range. SMART will showcase the alluring islands of the North Eastern Caribbean Region including Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barthelemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, St. Maarten - St. Martin.
SMART is a conference which provides the venue for International Buyers to network and negotiate future business opportunities with suppliers in the tourism industry. The most important Travel Industry Partners and Wholesale Travel Agents have been invited to the conference, where they can meet our Hotel and Excursions operators on a “ONE on ONE" basis in order to conduct business in preparation for winter and beyond.
The SMART conference kicks of with a Welcome reception, where delegates have the opportunity to mingle and socialize with their peers before the first day of business begins. The first day is a full day of Appointment sessions where the Travel Partners & Wholesale Travel Agents (Buyers) and the Hotel & Excursions operators (Suppliers) sit down one on one to discuss future business possibilities.
May 16, 2012
Official arrival day for Buyers & Suppliers
2:00pm – 6:00pm ........... Registration & Credentials Claiming
4:00pm – 6:00pm ........... Supplier Tabletop Setup
7:30pm ........................... Welcome reception
May 17, 2012
7:30am – 9:30am ........... Registration & Credentials Claiming for late arrivals
8:45am – 9:45am ........... Buyer to Supplier Scheduling Session
10:00am – 5:30pm ......... Appointments are scheduled continuously throughout the day
12:30pm – 2:30pm ......... “Working Lunch” is provided so that delegates may expand their working day
7:30pm ........................... Farewell Party
May 18, 2012
9:00am – 12:00pm ......... Additional Optional Appointments
9:00am – 4:30pm ........... Hotel Visits, Island Tours & Activities
GENERAL INFORMATION
Who can attend SMART?
SMART is open to companies that qualify under the following categories:
SUPPLIERS – Hotels (bed and breakfasts, chains, management companies, resorts, timeshares, villas), Attractions, Destination Management Companies, Tourist Boards and Transportation Companies (airlines, automobile rentals). Registration forms will be available soon.
BUYERS - senior staff members from tour operators and/or wholesalers. Buyer participation is by invitation only and new companies can request approval for registration. Registration forms will be available soon.
MEDIA ADVERTISERS/MARKETING - Magazine advertisers, Website development and booking engines,
Marketing representation, Distribution systems, Publishing companies and Media representation. Please note: Media advertisers/Marketing companies’ tabletops will be located on the selling floor, however these representatives will not be able to schedule appointments for SMART. Registration forms will be available soon.
What is the format for SMART?
The event consists of 1½ days of pre-scheduled appointments between suppliers and buyers, where they can meet “ONE on ONE" basis in order to conduct business in preparation for winter and beyond.
Is the event open to visitors and/or general public? Are spouses allowed to participate at any scheduled event? Due to the business nature of the event, only registered delegates are allowed at the event, including social functions. Tickets are not sold for social events as these events are considered a networking opportunity.
What is the proper attire for the event?
The recommend attire for the event is business casual; however, please note that the selling floor is air-conditioned; therefore temperature could be lower inside the floor.
Back to Top
REGISTRATION
Online registration for SMART 2012 will be soon available!
As a Supplier, can I attend Caribbean Marketplace without Purchasing a Booth?
No, due to the business nature of the event, Supplier participation at Caribbean Marketplace requires the purchase of a booth. The booth serves as a meeting area where the appointments take place.
Why do I need to identify a Primary Delegate?
The primary delegate is the person at your company that is designated the main point of contact for communication regarding the registration process. The primary delegate is the only delegate to receive all registration correspondence (i.e. Appointment Schedules and Registration Confirmations). The primary delegate is responsible for notifying CHTA in writing on company letterhead of any registration changes, cancellations or additions.
What is the process to collect credentials at the event?
Registration is open during the following hours:
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 7:30am - 9:30pm
Registered delegates must visit the registration desk during these hours to collect their credentials. Credentials are prepared in envelopes by company name. Each delegate must be at the registration desk to collect the materials.
What are the registration Fees for the event?
BUYERS: Early Bird Registration Fee is US$99.00 per delegate if registered on or before April 30 and US$125.00 per delegate after April 30. Registration Fee includes 1 delegate directory, pre-scheduled appointments during SMART 2011 if received before April 30, 2012, name badge credentials and attendance to all official food and social functions.
SUPPLIER: Early Bird Registration Fee is US$310.00 if registered on or before April 30. After April 30, the Fee is US$410.00. Registration Fee includes 1 delegate; 1 tabletop and signage; listing in the O cial Directory of Participants and on the Electronic Directory; 1 set of Appointments (maximum 36) during SMART; attendance to all food and social functions. Full payment must be received with your registration form in order to process. Tabletop sharing by di erent companies is not allowed. Additional delegate fee is US$175.00.
MEDIA: Registration Fee is US$675.00 for SHTA or AHSM member companies and US$975 for non-member companies. The Registratio Fee includes 1 delegate; 1 tabletop; a Delegate Directory of Participants; attendance to all food and social functions. with Registration to process. Additional delegate fee is US$175.00.
What is the policy for Name Badges?
Each registered Delegate is issued a name badge, which is for use only by the Delegate named on the badge. The badge must be made available to the security guard for entrance to the selling floor and working lunches. If requested, Delegates must be able to produce photo identification to match the name on the badge. If the badge is lost during the event, the replacement fee is U$10.00 per item lost.
Supplier, Media advertiser/Marketing or Buyer misuse of Delegate badges, which includes sharing, rotating or exchanging badges, and any Supplier company/delegate found misusing Delegate badges will be removed from the Caribbean Marketplace Business Floor with no refund of fees paid.
Should I arrange for airport transfers in advance?
All SMART delegates receive complimentary round trip transfers by presenting the voucher which is sent prior to the event to registered delegates.
Back to Top
APPOINTMENTS
When can I request appointments?
The passport which provides access to request appointments will be available in the coming weeks.
All appointment taking and sharing appointment delegates will receive a notification when the passport is available. The deadline to submit pre-scheduled appointment requests is May 9th.
How many possible appointments are there?
There are 36 appointment slots. Each appointment taking delegate can have up to 36 pre-scheduled appointments.
How can I schedule additional appointments?
Additional appointments can be scheduled on-site during the SMART Buyer to Supplier Scheduling Session.
How are the Appointments Scheduled?
Appointments are scheduled by the computer based on
1) Perfect matches – a mutual Buyer and Supplier request
2) Buyer only requests for supplier
The system schedules the request based on the order the appointment requests are listed. It is therefore important to prioritize your requests for appointments.
What is a Double Appointment?
A single appointment is 20 minutes, with 5 minutes in between each appointment. Only Buyers may request a double or “back to back” appointment of 45 minutes with those Supplier companies with whom they require more negotiating time.
What happens after the appointments are scheduled?
Once the appointments are scheduled, the appointment taking delegate will receive a notification to view the schedule online. The schedule will list all appointments by date and time. You will also receive a prospect list which lists all appointments not scheduled from:
a) Companies you requested to see but for whom there was no common time for the computer to schedule the appointment;
b) Supplier only requests for buyer companies – the Buyer did not request to see that Supplier.
Prospect lists will be accessible on the website to Buyers and Suppliers prior to SMART to permit direct follow up. You should contact these companies to entice them to meet with you.
What are Working Lunches?
The lunches provide delegates with additional time for networking or for appointments that could not be scheduled via the system. All appointment-taking delegates have two appointment periods blocked for lunch, which is scheduled from 12:20pm to 2:30pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012.
How to Request Appointments via the Internet?
To request appointments via the internet, simply log on to the SMARTwebsite at www.shta.com/SMART, click on the SMART Logo and then go to the heading Passport.
You must be registered as an appointment-taking or sharing appointment delegate, and have your delegate ID and password, which will be emailed to you in advance.
The first page you come to will display information that we have gathered on your company. By selecting "Next" a page will be displayed with the following Menu options.
"View Request List" - This allows you to view all appointment requests that you have submitted.
"View who has requested you" - You can see which companies have requested an appointment with your company.
"Online Directory" - This selection allows you to search for companies by different categories as well as display their profiles.
Follow the simple steps for selecting your appointments and submit. It is quick, easy, and accurate!
What happens if I cannot access the appointments via the Internet?
If you are unable to access the appointments online, you should notify the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Associations to allow them to review if there is problem with the system and the settings in your computer. If after a review, you cannot access the appointments, you must ask for a list of the Appointment Codes for Buyers or Suppliers and an appointment request form.
On this form, you must list, by priority your appointment requests which will be entered in the system by the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association.
Back to Top
TABLE-TOP SET-UP
What type of table-top is provided and are there any restrictions?
Table-tops are standard banquet table size. Posters are acceptable as long as they are pop-up stands and are not blocking any other table-top.
Can I Request a Special Location for my Table-Top?
Supplier booth locations are assigned by country based on your address if your registration is received prior to May 3rd. Request for special location must be indicated at the time of registration.
If there is a special group of companies or hotel that you would like to be located with, the request must be made mutually by each organization and the request should be listed on your registration form. SMART cannot guarantee table-top placement requests.
Back to Top
ACCOMMODATIONS
ROOMING INFORMATION SUPPLIER/MEDIA: will be coming soon!
ROOMING INFORMATION BUYER: will be coming soon!
Back to Top
SMART FACTS
-
The year 2012 marks the 11th year of SMART, the conference began in 2001 and has been gaining more attention and participants ever since.
-
SMART is the first conference to showcase the Islands of the North Eastern Caribbean Region.
-
SMART 2004 tallied the highest number of participating companies ever registered.
-
The average SMART conference attracts 50-60 Supplier companies and 30-40 Buyer companies.
-
SMART has added Hotel Trainings to the program, particularly to accommodate the small & large hotels of the North Eastern Caribbean Region.
Be SMART, Think SMART & Come to SMART!