Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/972111
B M & T ••• March/April 2018 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 21 Hello TPOC Members, Can you believe spring has sprung and the 2018 conference is just a few short months away? Again, thanks to all of you for your extraordinary response to our 2018 Mediterranean Cruise Conference. We have exceeded our original cabin allot- ment and so pleased that over 100 of you will be joining us for the pre-conference. We're still growing! We'd like to welcome Michica Holliday, owner of DNA Travel Journeys, located in Houston, Texas. Also, new to TPOC as well as the travel industry, Ms. Tammy Clark, of Atlanta, Georgia and Ms. Sandra Peoples, who resides in Aberdeen, Missouri. Both ladies are currently enrolled in our CTA program. Welcome to the TPOC family. CTA CLASSES – Don't be left out! Join the vast number of travel professionals with the CTA (Certified Travel Associate) designation. The CTA, focuses on those "nuts and bolts" skills that you use daily – selling skills, customer service skills, destination knowledge and communication skills. TPOC is offering a great savings for CTA materials and the test itself. Contact Yvonne Brooks if you are interested, she can be reached at ybrooks821@gmail.com. SPOTLIGHT – HENDERSON TRAVEL: It is always an honor to recognize those members who have made great strides in this industry. Today we spotlight none other than Henderson Travel. For six decades, Henderson travel, helped tourists "embrace" Africa. What a wonderful article, written by NBC, honoring one of our own. Visit on the link below to read the entire story. www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/after-six-decades-black- travel-agency-helps-tourists-embrace- africa-n848726 You still have time to register for the upcoming Travel Agent Forum, with the special rate offered to TPOC members by our friend Anita Pagliasso. The special code to receive the $119.00 rate is TPOC 7589. This forum will convene at the Paris hotel in Las Vegas, April 8 – 11, 2018. We will have a booth dur- ing the trade show. Look at their website to get the show time. Our booth number is 235. Michael Bennett, our Marketing director, will participate on a marketing panel during the event. If you are planning to attend, please make sure you stop by to say hello at the booth and "represent" by giving Michael your support. Keep checking our website www.tpocassociation.com and our Facebook page for updates. TPOC POLO SHIRTS: One day during the conference will be designated as our TPOC shirt day. So, if you or your guest would like to purchase a polo shirt please do so on or before March 25th, 2018. The cost of the shirt is $32.00 which includes shipping. We accept checks and/or credit cards. A form to pur- chase is on our website www.tpocasso- ciation.com. There is a 3.3% service fee for all TPOC credit card purchases. MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL: Thanks to each of you who have already mailed in your renewal payments. However, some of you still have not gotten use to the change of renewing your individual membership in January. This is just a friendly reminder, those with individual memberships ending in 2017, should submit your renewal this month of $59.00. Effective April 1st, there will be a late charge of $25.00 added to your membership dues. You can renew your membership online or mail your payment to: TPOC, 5710 Ogeechee Road, Ste 200- 260, Savannah, Georgia 31405. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the home office at 1-866-901- 1259. OSF SUMMER SEMINAR FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUN- IORS – I am sure some of you remember Mr. Zion Middleton. He was selected to attend Oregon Shakepeare Festival Summer Seminar for High School Juniors, last year. It was a great experience for him and because he did so well, the organ- izers have asked him to come back as a mentor to this year's recipients. What an honor! Looking forward to seeing him on Broadway!!! Congratulation Zion! GLORIA GOODWIN (GG) TRAVEL TIPS: "U.S. Passports Will Cost More Starting This April" Starting this spring, getting a passport will cost $10 more for all U.S. travelers. The Department of State announced this week that the passport execution fee will be $35 starting on April 2, which means that adult passport books will now cost $145, up from $135, while child passports (aged 16-years-old and young) will now cost $115, up from $105. According to the Department of State, the increase is due to the fact that two studies done by the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs and the U.S. Postal Service determined that the cost of processing a passport was "higher than the current fee of $25." Most of the $145 fee for adult passports and the $115 fee for child passports is the passport's application fee. The State Department said that there will be no changes to that fee at the moment. The $10 increase does not apply to people renewing their passports through the mail. Meanwhile, passport cards for trav- el to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, will now cost $65 for adults and $50 for children. T P O C N E W S B R I E F S BY BETTY JONES