ISTAA - a platform of growth
For immediate release
Warsaw, Nov 29th, 2011
Contact person :
Barbara Dziedzic
ISTAA Secretary General
info@istaa.org
ISTAA - a platform of growth - International Sports Travel Association ISTAA met in Barcelona
The ISTAA 3rd Annual General Meeting took place in Barcelona at Petit Palace Museum Hotel on the 28th of November 2011.
The main goal for ISTAA is to fill the world with ISTAA members and build a global organization. Due to the large number of potential members who did not meet the basic criteria listed in ISTAA Rules & Regulations in 2010, the Board of Directors has decided to introduce 3 categories of membership:
- Active membership (have to meet basic criteria)
- Associate membership ( with minimum 3 recommendations from approved members, minimum 5 years of continuous sports travel agency activity, solid insurance or bank guarantee )
- ISTAA’s Partners (sponsors and supporters of ISTAA)
ISTAA AGM started with 7 very interesting presentations. About La Manga Sport Club Cartagena, Murcia, charter operations by Hunt & Palmer, FIBA Basketball World Championships 2014, IHF Spain 2013 23rd Men’s Handball World Championship, Hospitality, Meetings & Events Manager FC Barcelona, FINA 15th Swimming World Championships Barcelona 2013, FIFA Brasil World Cup 2014. The presentations were followed by discussion. The offers were superbly prepared and delivered in a very professional manner in the form of very interesting and informative presentations, including videos.
Regarding the promotion of ISTAA, the structure of visits on www.istaa.org in the countries where sport is an important issue and where our members are active promoting the organization ISTAA has noted a significant number of visits, for instance in Poland, USA, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Israel etc.
ISTAA means reliability and responsibility. All members offer top-quality services and that the entire financial side of our relations is fluent and problem-free. The position of ISTAA depends upon two key elements: trust among members and professional expertise on domestic and international level.
All members agreed to the directions of the ISTAA development and its goals. An important subject which was discussed was the establishment of closer relations with UEFA and FIFA first and foremost, but also with other international sports associations and federations like FIBA, FINA, HIS etc. An important point of view was brought forth by FC Barcelona: we should work together, join forces to show that our clients constitute an important share of those who fill the seats of a stadium or arena. ISTAA is proud that our members were able to convince UEFA to establish the status of Licenced Touroperator for UEFA Euro 2012.
ISTAA was created in June 2009 as a partnership of Sports Travel Agencies worldwide. It is a consortium where each travel agency is locally owned and managed in several countries. ISTAA’s mission is to increase traffic of sports fans and develop travel businesses of ISTAA members, by promoting a positive image of sports events. ISTAA is fully identified as professional sports travel specialists and recognized by potential new members, as well as any outside structures (such as FIFA, UEFA, International Olympic Committee), as experts in our field having know-how, experience and willing to help and give advice or expertise. ISTAA has 35 members worldwide on four continents. Members have developed strong relations, they cooperate successfully on a daily basis, support each other, do business and increase profits.
