President’s Message
We have witnessed a number of changes in our
organization since our last newsletter.
Membership continues to grow with more and more with new levels of
interest from a diverse mix of companies and professions. We are in the process of providing picture
ID cards for each of our current members that will identify the holder as
either a currently active Certified Member or Associate Member of the PTGAH. We have in place a program to update these
ID badges annually. This allows us to
provide for any new members, changes in a member’s status to Certified from
Associate, and to reflect that the holder’s annual association dues are
current.
Your PTGAH is now a member of the Greater Houston
Convention (CVB) and Visitors Bureau, the National Federation of Tour Guides of America (NFTGA)
and the World Federation of Tour Guide Associations (WFTGA). Our membership in the CVB will place our
association’s name before more people who seek our variety of services. Among other events, we are invited to
participate in the CVB’s monthly mixers.
These provide an excellent opportunity to make new contacts as well as
re-establish existing relationships.
Belonging to the NFTGA allows us to share information with and receive
information from other tour guide associations around North America. Both opportunities and concerns are better
addressed when shared with those who may have had similar experiences. The WFTGA provides this same exchange
opportunity on a worldwide basis. A
copy of our newsletter is provided to these associations for distribution in
whole or in part to their general membership.
This, of course, raises our visibility both nation- and worldwide.
Our monthly meetings continue to offer excellent
opportunities for all to visit and experience, first hand, sites that may be of
interest to one’s business – plus these meetings/visits count toward a continuing education credit, 8
of which are required each year to either attain or maintain one’s Certified status. In April we visited the Museum of Natural Science and had a tour of the
Flags of Texas exhibit. In May we met
at the Lawndale Art Center and had the opportunity to see their current
exhibition. In June we visited
the Shrine of the Black Madonna where a very detailed history of the evolution
of black Americans is on display along with a well-stocked book store and
merchandise shop. Coming up in July we
will visit an antique emporium in Rosenburg.
The meeting will be on the third Thursday (18th) and will
include a Dutch treat buffet meal. More
about future venues are forthcoming
(or elsewhere in this newsletter?).
You have undoubtedly noted this year that we’ve
significantly changed the way our monthly meetings are conducted. We want to focus on our main objectives,
those being education and site visitations.
Consequently, we have delegated a good portion of our traditional
monthly business and planning functions to our Executive Committee (which is
comprised of each of your current officers plus our immediate past
president). It is my goal to summarize
the discussions by and conclusions of this group to our general membership at
the outset of each regular monthly meeting.
Rest assured that we do not conduct any “secret” meetings nor do we have
any hidden agendas. This structure
allows us to maximize the quality time together each month’s general meeting
affords us. At any time if you have any
questions or concerns related to the Executive Committee, please do not
hesitate to contact any member of that committee. We want to do the best job we can for all our members and to help
further promote tourism in the Greater Houston Area.