Helpful Hints – Sellers

We want our delegates to feel as prepared as possible for our events so that they can get the most benefits possible out of our events. The following Helpful Hints will assist you in navigating this year’s virtual marketplace appointments.

The MyOMCA Event Portal
The MyOMCA Event Portal is Your Pre-Event Tool. As of October 23rd, you can find the link to MyOMCA portal and details on how to update your profile and resources at https://omca.com/events/marketplace/my-omca-portal/

Online Orientation
There are two online orientations for new and curious sellers to attend. Please sign up for one of them if you haven’t been before or would simply like to participate.

Nov. 22^nd at 11:00 ET – Register Here
Nov. 29^th at 11:00 ET – Register Here

Online Appointment Scheduling

Know Your Timeline
Keep an eye on the important dates when it comes to creating an effective appointment schedule. If you miss your chance to request appointments, it will have a drastic negative effect on the number of appointments in your final schedule.
- October 23^rd: MyOMCA portal opens for delegates to do their research
- November 6^th to 17^th: Appointment Selection is open
- November 27^th: Schedules are released, and you will have the opportunity to make additional manual requests to fill available appointment slots.

Be Searchable
Complete your online profile and remember to include information for your target markets. If you are interested in seniors, educational, or receptive operators, include information specific to each in your profile or have a different profile for each type of operator you are interested in.

Research your Potential Prospects
Ensure that you have products that are of interest to specific operators before requesting appointments with those operators. Only request a meeting if you have a product that is a fit for that buyer’s profile.
Review their website and profile sheets to discover if they have any interest in your area or product and how you can help with the client base and future trips.
Review/Request Early and Often
Requesting appointments will mark you on the buyer’s portal as “Someone Who Requested Me”, which makes it easier for the buyer to know that you have something to offer them and to return the request. NOTE: Mutual requests are always scheduled with first priority.Be sure to check back in the portal often to see if there are new buyers registered or new requests for you that could be reciprocated.

Onsite Appointments

Appointments Schedules are Available Online Only
On November 27^th, your appointment schedules can be found online through the MyOMCA Event Portal and the OMCA Marketplace Mobil App. If you wish to have a printed copy, please print yours before you arrive. Manual scheduling will be available throughout the event, so the most accurate and up-to-date schedule will be in the mobile app.
2 Days of 8-Minute Appointments
Each of your appointments is a total of eight (8) minutes in length, including travel time. Appointments begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:45 p.m. on both days. All sellers will have their appointments on both days, with only small breaks blocked for lunch and education sessions.

Buyers Sit and Sellers Move
This means that during Marketplace, buyers will remain seated in their booths, and the sellers will move from one appointment to the next.

Tailor your presentation to the tour operator with whom you are meeting.
The more you know about their company, the more you can ensure that your appointment time is used to the best advantage for both parties.
Buyers appreciate sellers who take the time to know their business and treat their appointments like business meetings.

Keep it green!
We ask that all brochures be emailed to tour operators rather than printed. You can upload PDFs, presentations, and images as resources in your OMCA profile. If you are providing physical documents at Marketplace, please keep them to a single page. Larger brochures can be mailed to the buyer after the conference, upon their request.

Appointment Etiquette
- Keep all cell phones on silent while on the Marketplace floor
- Don’t text or email during an appointment. If you need to use your phone for something related to the appointment, explain what you are doing.
- Maintain professional and attentive body language

Networking Events

Just like in any industry, there is a significant amount of business conducted during networking events. Make sure to attend all of the networking opportunities and take the time to meet buyers. There are four meals and three evening events at this year’s Marketplace. To check the schedule, go to https://omca.com/events/marketplace/schedule-of-events

What You Should Bring to Marketplace

We recommend bringing with you an ample supply of business cards (100-150) and business casual attire. One of the evening events is at an indoor/outdoor venue, so please bring warm winter outerwear.

Education Sessions

OMCA has added new education sessions to ensure that delegates have an opportunity to learn while they are at the OMCA Marketplace.

When Should You Arrive?

Arrive anytime on December 11^th, depending on how much you would like to experience. There is a shopping trip to Vaughn Mills during the day and a networking event at The Second City Toronto that night. Appointments start bright and early on December 12^th, so you will want to have checked in the day before.

When Should You Leave?

The final night networking event is our Party With a Purpose event on Wednesday, December 13^th. This is a ticketed event supporting the OMCA Development Fund and is held after the Dine Around dinner from 8:30-11:30pm. We recommend checking out on the 14^th to accommodate for this late night.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact us at 416-229-6622 or info@omca.com.

We look forward to seeing you at the OMCA Marketplace!