The Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau will present the 2012 Hospitality Training at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, Centennial Theatre, on Monday and Tuesday. People can attend one of three sessions: Monday, from 9-10:30 a.m., Monnday, from 5:30-7 p.m., or Tuesday, from 9-10:30 am.
The event is presented by the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau – Bob Doak, president & chief executive officer, Dave Santucci, vice president of marketing and Candace Davis, marketing and public relations manager. The guest speakers are Dan and Lisa Nausley of Sandler Training.
2012 Hospitality Training is for front-line service employees in the hospitality & tourism industry. This year there is a record number of attendees at nearly 1,500. Expected to attend are front-line staff of area attractions, hotels, restaurants and retail stores, bus drivers, taxi & limousine drivers, police officers, parking lot attendants, transportation, parks and recreation staff and all others that interact with visitors to the city.
Developed to enhance the guest experience, the annual hospitality training program equips front line service industry employees with the information they need to better serve visitors. Focusing on standards for exemplary customer service, the training emphasizes the value of tourism to the Chattanooga area.
Tourism is a vital economic driver for the Chattanooga area. The latest tourism figures show that this industry alone brought over ¾ of a billion dollars to Hamilton County, funding over 8,000 full-time jobs.
As certified Sandler trainers, Dan and Lisa Nausley have a combined total of more than 50 years in management, sales, customer service, coaching and training experience. Both have spent the last twenty years of their careers right here in the Tennessee Valley. For more than 40 years Sandler Training has been the sales and customer service training choice for companies in a variety of industries ranging from small companies to global Fortune 500 companies. Their network of over 600 certified trainers worldwide has successfully completed consulting and training projects ranging in size from global training and implementation to individual and personalized coaching and mentoring with entry-level as well as professionally established personnel. Their training challenges people and managers to treat their clients, guests and team members the way they want to be treated: as intelligent, reasoning individuals.
In this interactive session, the Nausleys will cover the following topics: characteristics of customer care professionals; what customers want; making instant connections with who you are speaking with; making the first five minutes count; evaluating what kind of listener you are; and understanding the elements of communication and using them effectively.
Attendees will receive a hospitality fact sheet, CVB Visitors Guide and a Hospitality Training Pass. The pass is used as a research tool, providing free admission to 20 attractions. It enables attendees to better answer visitor questions about specific attractions and upsell their vacations.