Marketplace

PBA continues to direct considerable time, effort and resources to the promotion of travel and tourism both on an intrastate and interstate basis. Each spring, the Association conducts a travel marketplace wherein a broad range of destinations, hotels, attractions and travel promotion agencies are featured in an exposition setting. While this scenario affords an opportunity for bus operators and their tour and charter personnel to establish contact with destination representatives, the basic purpose of the PBA Marketplace is to bring group leaders or end customers in contact with representatives of the travel-hospitality industry.

It is the most expansive travel motorcoach marketplace of its kind in the country today. More importantly it has become a proven business stimulant for both PBA Operators and our Supplier Members who participate in the activity.

Marketplace is not open to the general public. Attendees must be pre-registered through invitations issued by PBA member motorcoach companies.

PBA 2013 Marketplace

 

PBA's 2013 Marketplace a huge success!  PBA held its 2013 Marketplace group leader show on March 26 in the Expo Hall at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg.  Twenty-three motorcoach companies brought close to 1000 group leaders to visit the various destinations represented and gather pertinent information to begin booking trips.   

 

PBA wants to thank the motorcoach companies, their group leaders, and the exhibitors for their participation; we look forward to seeing everyone again next year!

 

Motorcoach Companies in Attendance

 

Advance Coach Ltd

Anderson Coach & Travel

Bailey Coach

Benedict’s Bus Service

Bieber Transportation Group

Bollman Charter Service, Inc.

Catawese Coach Lines Inc.

Conestoga Tours/Penn Highway Transit

Cross Country Coach

David Tours & Travel

Elite Coach

Executive Coach

Fullington Trailways, LLC

Hagey Coach, Inc.

Klein Transportation

Lincoln Bus Lines, Inc.

Martz Trailways

Motor Transportation Co Inc.

Perkiomen Tours

R & J Transportation

Susquehanna Trailways

Trans-Bridge Lines, Inc.

Wolf's Bus Lines Inc


Travel Supplier Exhibitors


1000 Islands Seaway Region

Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau

Allegany County Tourism

Allenberry Resort  Inn & Playhouse

American Music Theatre

American Treasure Tour

Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm

Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority

Baltimore Tourism Association

Bar Harbor Music Festival

Bedford Fall Foliage Festival, Inc.

Belhurst Castle

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce

Berkshire Group Collaborative

Boardwalk Hotel Group

Brandywine River Museum

Broadway Inbound/Telecharge Groups

BroadwayGPS

Buffets Inc.-Old Country Buffet, Ryan's, & Hometown Buffet

Cape Cod Convention & Visitors Bureau

Cape Cod Custom Tours

Carroll County Tourism

Cayuga County Office of Tourism

Cecil County Tourism

Central Regional Tourism District

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Comfort Inn

Comfort Inn Gold Coast

Connecticut State Office of Tourism

Country Cupboard

Country Inn of Lancaster

Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau

Delaware & Ulster Railroad

Delaware Art Museum

Destinations Plus

Discover Lehigh Valley

Discover Lynchburg

Dockside Express Cruises & Tours

Dover Downs Hotel & Casino

Dunes Manor Hotel

Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre

Eastern States Exposition

Eat'n Park Restaurants

Ehrhardt's Waterfront Resort

Elk Country Visitor Center

Endless  Mountains Visitors Bureau

Entertainment Cruises

Erie Canal Cruises, Inc.

Erie Canal Discovery Center

Finger Lakes Tourism Alliance

Franklin County Visitors Bureau

Georgian Lakeside Resort

Gettysburg CVB

Gettysburg CVB

Good 'N Plenty Restaurant

Graceland and Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel

Grand Hotel & Spa Ocean City, MD

Grand Ole Opry Entertainment Group

Greater Licking County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance

Group Sales Box Office/Broadway.com

Hagerstown, MD Convention & Visitors Bureau

Hagley Museum & Library

Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau

Harford County Tourism

Harrington Raceway & Casino

Harrison Group Resort Hotels & Restaurants

Herr's Snack Factory Tour

Hershey Farm Restaurant and Inn

Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau

Hilton Garden Inn & Suites

Hilton Garden Inn Valley Forge

Holiday Inn Grand Island

Holiday Inn Hotels of Upstate New York

Horizon Inn

Hudson River Valley Tours LLC

Independence Seaport Museum

Indiana County Tourist Bureau

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Lake George Area in NY's Adirondacks

Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum

Landmark Tours & Promotions, Inc.

Life Stream Productions

Longwood Gardens

Love Receptive Services

Luray Caverns

Luzerne County Visitors Bureau

Lycoming County Visitors Bureau

Maryland Office of Tourism

Merry Go Round Playhouse

Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities

Miller's Smorgasbord

Mohegan Sun

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs

Mohonk Mountain House

Moshulu Restaurant

Mount Airy Casino Resort

Mountain Gate Family Restaurant

Museum of Bus Transportation

Mystic Country Connecticut

Mystic Howard Johnson

Mystic Seaport

National Aquarium

National Christmas Center Family Attraction & Museum

National Constitution Center

National Museum of American Jewish History

Newseum

Niagara Tourism & Convention Corp.

Ocean City MD CVB/Dept. of Tourism

PA Dutch Hotels.com

Paper Mill Playhouse

PA's Laurel Highlands

Peddler's Village

Penn's Peak

Pennsylvania's Great Lakes Region

Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Philadelphia Mural Arts Program

Philadelphia Premium Outlets

Phillips Seafood Restaurants

Pilgrim Sands on Long Beach

Pocono Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau

Port-O-Call Hotel

Premium Outlets/Simon

Pride of the Susquehanna Riverboat

Rainbow Dinner Theatre

Ramada Hotel & Conference Center-Greensburg

Resorts Casino Hotel

River Lady Cruises

Riveredge Resort Hotel & Conference Center

Sands  Casino Resort Bethlehem

Scranton-Lackawanna County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Seneca Gaming Corporation

Shady Maple Smorgasbord & Banquet Center

Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort

Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel

Sight & Sound Theatres

Smith Island Cruises

Southern Boys Concepts

Southern Maryland Heritage Area

Split Rock Resort

Statue Cruises

Strasburg Rail Road

Sugar Tours, Inc.

Susquehanna River Valley Visitors Bureau

Sweet Magnolia Tours

The Barnes Foundation

The Franklin Institute

The Maine Tour Connection

The Meadows Racetrack & Casino

The National Apple Harvest Festival

The New York Botanical Garden

Tioga County Visitors Bureau

Tioga Downs Casino

Toby's Dinner Theatres

Totem Pole Playhouse

Tour The Alleghenies

Turning Stone Resort Casino

Valley Forge Casino Resort

Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau

Vermont Tourism Network

Vernon Downs Casino & Hotel

Villa Roma Resort & Conference Center

Virginia Beach CVB

Vision Hotels

Visit Bucks County

Visit Clearfield County

Visit Frederick, Maryland

Visit Monroeville

VisitMercerCountyPA

VisitNorfolk

Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

Woodloch Pines Resort

Yankee Candle Company


Sponsorships.  Below is a list of the many companies which sponsored Marketplace this year along with the Awards Program.  PBA is very appreciative of their generosity to make Marketplace so successful this year.

 

2013 Marketplace

 

Platinum

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, PA (Marketplace)

 

Silver

Seneca Gaming Corp. (Group Leader Bags & Exhibitor Bottled Water)

Resorts Casino Hotel (Marketplace Directory Cover)

 

 

2013 Awards Program

 

Gold

Motor Coach Industries, Inc.,

 

Silver

Anderson Bus Sales

 

PBA would like to recognize and thank the following bus manufacturers for bringing coaches to display during the Bus Manufacturer Reception

 

ABC Companies

Anderson Bus Sales

CH Bus Sales, Inc.

Motor Coach Industries, Inc.

Prevost

Wolfington Body Company, Inc.

 

Awards Program.  In conjunction with the 2013 Marketplace, PBA honored 8 drivers and employees of our bus operator members. Congratulations to all of the recipients.

 

Drivers and Employees of Distinction recognized are:

Bryan Dodson, Anderson Coach & Travel (Driver of Distinction)

Mike Dull, Fullington Trailways (Employee of Distinction)

Thomas Gregory, Martz Trailways (Driver of Distinction)

Ken Hawk, Susquehanna Trailways (Driver of Distinction)

Robert Hill, Trans-Bridge Lines Inc. (Driver of Distinction)

Bob Pollitt, Anderson Coach-School Service (Driver of Distinction)

Marvin Walker, Greyhound Lines, Inc. (Driver of Distinction)

Roger “Keno” Wert, Fullington Trailways (Driver of Distinction)

 

PBA would also like to thank the volunteers from the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau, New Man CDC, Keith McNally and Linda Bristol.