The following are some useful tips which may help to enhance your RDA-Workshop 2010 attendance:

Firstly, as a preparatory exercise, please examine your service / product / destination from five important coach tourism perspectives. These are:

1. the coach tourist group experience
2. the individual coach tourist experience
3. the coach driver experience
4. coach holiday operator requirements
5. wholesale coach holiday operator requirements (Paketer)

Timing is everything: write to your clients / potential clients in advance of the exhibition informing them of your stand presence if you are an exhibitor or of your intention to attend and desire for an appointment if you are a trade visitor. Suppliers are mostly welcome to make presentations to wholesalers on day three of the exhibition as their meeting schedules are usually less crowded.

Enclose targeted information on your products, offers and / or stand location. Differentiate in scope, content and form between established, new and potential contacts. In the case of new or desired contacts please ensure you research their companies well. Log in to the 'My RDA' section on www.rda.de and research RDA member listings.  Make sure you possess the correct names, titles, positions and degree/s of decision-making responsibility of the persons you wish to meet. Follow up by phone if necessary.

Make use of various RDA-Workshop social and business networking events over the three days of the show to make additional business appointments, e.g. the new ‘Talking Together’ forum.

Clarify the exact date, time, location and duration of meetings – on-stand or off-stand. Rehearse your sales presentation / sales pitch well in advance. Anticipate questions and answers. Note any queries.

Keep to agreed appointment times – punctuality is a virtue. If, for some reason or other, the appointment cannot be realised, then please inform your contact in advance so as to allow for sufficient time to re-arrange.

If a meeting is on your RDA-Workshop stand or booth, then please make sure that you offer hospitality / refreshments (coffee, mineral water, soft drinks). Refrain from use of plastic utensils if possible, and ensure that the necessary table / seating spaces are available when required and that you remain undisturbed for the duration of the meeting.

Make sure all participants understand the subject matter of the meeting, so come prepared – ask questions and have answers to potential questions (rates, availability, insurance, cancellation policy etc.) at the ready. Make sure you also have a sufficient supply of your personal business cards to hand.

Post / e-mail all necessary follow-up information and support materials in the days subsequent to the RDA-Workshop or when requested to do so. This saves you either carrying bulky bags or taking up too much valuable stand space with storage; avoids material getting thrown away and / or lost, and also lightens your partners’ load.

Duration of appointments: aim for 10 minutes at the exhibition. This can always be extended or moved off-show if your appointment so desires. If not, you will not have overextended your welcome / hospitality and you will have made a good professional impression. Turn your mobile phone / Blackberry / iPhone etc. off during the duration of your meeting.

In addressing strangers or business partners, Germans mostly use the formal mode of address (Sie in German), i.e. surnames and not first names. The informal mode of address (Du in German) is rarely used in business transactions. First names and the Du form are subsequently used upon invitation only. This is a sign of familiarity, friendship and trust.

Follow-up on all requests and proposals on time and deliver products and services as agreed.