Great monthly meetings, new members, a terrific website, our annual certification exam – it’s been a busy 3 months since our last newsletter. If you’ve not been participating, you’re missing out on a lot. In July we toured the new Terminal E at Bush Intercontinental Airport. The management gave us a really detailed look at not just the gates but at what the master plan is and how it is being executed, including the new Federal Inspection Facility Building. Fascinating and useful information – the kind of insights that helps one be better prepared to aid and inform his or her clients.

In August, we got the cook’s tour of Reliant Stadium, Reliant Center, and their new monument park facility. Lots of views, lots of facts and lots of figures were dispensed. The entire complex is very impressive and equipped to handle most any size group with most any kind of need. Not only that, but Reliant Park’s Tour Coordinator, Cindy Mayes, has officially joined our ranks. Welcome, Cindy!

September found us enjoying a most enlightening presentation by our fine neighbors in Galveston. Their CVB representatives brought us up to date on a number of different tour enhancement projects taking place on the island – and there are quite a few. A wealth of information was made available to all attendees complete with a video presentation, an oral presentation, a Q & A session, brochures, and other printed material. These fine folks also brought along an assortment of neat and useful door prizes that were given out to several lucky attendees. (Continued on pg.2)

continuing efforts to promote First Saturday City Tours. We are proud to be able to provide a pool of talented certified guides to conduct these excursions around our town. Also, from time to time, due to our membership in the CVB, our members are receiving bid opportunities directly from the bureau’s staff. If your contact information is not current on the PTGAH website (www.ptgah.org), please send corrected information to our Webmaster listed on the site’s home page.

For those of you who have not yet done so, please submit a biographical description of your tour related qualifications to our Webmaster – or to me – as soon as possible so we can post it to your Member page on the site. Also, if you’ve not yet submitted your photo for your page, please do so in a .jpeg format or allow Richard Cook to take your picture with his digital camera at our meeting on the 16^th. Look for the article on page 3 in this newsletter outlining the latest feature of our website – one that allows you to have a unique email address as a part of your Member page.

Our October meeting (to be held on Thursday, the 16^th) will feature a timely tour of some local historic cemeteries, courtesy of PTGAH member and cemetery expert, Gary White (in case you’ve forgotten, it’s almost Halloween). Details about this event, including where and at what time to rendezvous, can be found on page 4.

Esther Porter is chairing our Nominating Committee and is currently seeking members to fill positions on your board for the coming year – or 2, depending on the position sought. Please let Esther know if you or a fellow member are interested in stepping up to help run our growing organization. We want to get you involved! A slate of candidates will be presented to all our membership before year-end. Board positions include President, Vice President (in charge of monthly meetings), Membership Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and, a new position, Board Member At-Large.

Our Annual Business Session is scheduled for the third Thursday in January 2004 (January 15^th). At that time we will review our past year’s activities, outline plans for the coming year and elect new officers and directors. Please be sure to mark your calendars and make plans to attend this very important meeting. We are also planning to submit a bylaw change for your approval at that time that will, coincidental with board elections for 2004, allow for staggered terms of office and the aforementioned new board position. See our website for the specific wording of this bylaw change.

~~If you missed our June tour of the Houston Maritime Museum, you missed a hidden treasure of wonderful exhibits and maritime stories from all over the world. Our~~ ~~host, Museum Curator and founder James Manzolillo,~~ ~~has spent most of his life living some of and collecting part of the very diverse history on display. It is worth your while to spend a few hours there.~~

~~In July, we have plans to tour the new Terminal E facility at Bush/IAH. See details on page 3.~~

~~August will find us touring Reliant Stadium. We are moving this event to the~~ ~~second~~ ~~Thursday (14~~^th~~) instead of the normal third Thursday. Please make note of this on your calendar. Again, more details will be forthcoming closer to the actual date.~~

~~A schedule of events for the rest of this year’s programs appears on page 4.~~

~~With both Super Bowl XXXVIII and the Major League Baseball All Star Game set for our city next year, the demand~~ for tour-related services will increase dramatically as many varied sponsors, corporations and other groups vie to entertain and impress their clients and guests from all over North America and the world with both public and private events.

~~(Continued on page~~ 2

~~(President’s message continued)~~

~~Needless to say, first impressions are lasting impressions – especially during such~~ ~~media-rich events. We have a once-in-a-lifetime~~ ~~opportunity to make our wonderful city shine and give our guests only the best memories to take home.~~

We are looking not only to the CVB to recommend our various members’ services to these clients, but also to destination management companies, travel agencies, the internet, etc. If you have an idea that might help get our collective names in front of these decision makers, please let us hear from you. Remember, our organization is here to help all members further ~~their careers and businesses.~~

Our informal partnership with the CVB to provide guides for the First Saturday City Tours seems to be working out quite well. Several members have indicated a desire to conduct these city bus tours. It seems to be settling down to a need for 2 buses (therefore 2 guides) each month. We are maintaining a list of those of you who would like to participate and will forward your names to the CVB based on first come, first served. Remember, this is a paid activity and if you do the work, you will be paid directly by the CVB. At present we need at least one more person for both November and December of this year. We will also accept other names for other months (including in 2004) because one never knows who might find it necessary to decline despite having their name on the list.

~~It’s not too late to sign up for our PTGAH Certification Exam to be held on Saturday, August 2~~^nd~~. Please contact Sandra Lord – or any board member – with your indication of interest or questions. Sandra may be reached at~~ ~~tourhouston@aol.com~~ or ~~(713) 222-9255.~~

~~In our last issue, I~~ asked each of you to consider stepping up and indicating your interest in taking on a leadership role in the PTGAH. Our Executive Committee approach seems to work well – freeing our monthly meetings to allow us to pursue more entertaining and educational pursuits - but it is time for you to step up and provide the organization with your fresh ideas and fresh energy in these vital meetings and planning sessions. Please consider accepting the challenge to be an officer and/or a committee chair. Remember, we are still a relatively new entity and this gives you the unique opportunity to continue to help mold our organization into a maturing force in the Greater Houston area.

~~I urge you to strongly consider volunteering a little of your time and making a contribution to the PTGAH and the tour industry’s future viability. Please feel free to contact me (at~~ ~~mrk1807@houston.rr.com~~ ~~or 281-474-1225) or any other board member with~~ ~~your indication of interest in, and/or any questions you may have about, becoming an officer or committee chair.~~

Mike Kees

CONGRATULATIONS BOB ZURIK!

Bob successfully completed our combination driving and written exam necessary for PTGAH Certification. He is our newest Certified Member!

Welcome to our newest member, Matthew (Matt) Reyna. Matt is in training to become a full-time member of the tour industry. He’s currently interning with Sandra Lord and is a Recreation, Parks & Tourism senior at Texas A & M. Matt may be reached at 281-894-0329 or at ~~mattrey@ev1.net~~.

~~Details of~~ ~~July~~ ~~Monthly Meeting Announced~~

Our regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 17th. We will be treated to a tour of the new Terminal E at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Here are some details regarding where and when to meet. It is important that we all assemble at the designated time (6:30 PM) because we must all pass through a standard airport security checkpoint as a group. Please review the following information:

~~Park in the Hourly Parking Lot associated with Terminal C at Bush/IAH.~~

~~Rendezvous inside Terminal C on the main ticketing level at the base of the stairs/escalators that lead up to the pedestrian bridge (the one that connects to the Terminal C Parking Garage).~~

~~It is important that you be at this location no later than 6:30 PM.~~

Pay particular attention to what you are wearing and carrying. In other words, consider wearing very little or no jewelry; clothing with little or no metal adornment; shoes that do not contain metal reinforcements; and small or non-metal belt buckles; purse contents such as small scissors, metal files, etc. Matter-of-fact, except for personal identification, our airport tour contact advises women to consider simply leaving their purses in their automobiles. Anything that triggers the alarm system will slow down our entire group.

Our tour will be hosted by 2 members of the airport's Facilities Management group and, possibly, by a representative of Continental Airlines (Terminal E's tenant). The tour should take about 45 minutes. There may be a short presentation given to us by our hosts in addition to the actual tour. We will conduct a brief business session sometime during the evening as time permits.

~~In order for us to know when to begin our tour and not leave anybody behind, please let Mike Kees know of your intent to attend this event by either calling 281-474-1225 or emailing~~ ~~mrk1807@houston.rr.com. Please RSVP no later that Tuesday, July 15th!~~New Email Addresses Available To All Current Members!

One of the features of our new website is the ability for each member to have a personalized email address tied to the site. In order for you to establish this new feature, (which is absolutely free to all members), ~~simply~~, simply call or email Mike Kees at 281-4174-1225 or mrk1807@houston.rr.com. You may also email our Webmaster, Richard Cook, at rgcooktx@swbell.net - or call him at 281-772-9526.

You will be assigned an email address that will have the following format:

name@ptgah.org

where ‘name’ can be anything you choose up to 8 characters such as, jsmith@ptgah.org or johns@ptgah.org or jrs@ptgah.org or 12345@ptgah.org - you get the picture. Also, you will be able, at that time, to select your own unique password.

Once your email account is established, you will have the option of going direct to our website to access any incoming mail you receive or - and here’s the neat part - you can set things up to automatically forward any incoming emails from your PTGAH email account directly to your own personal, already existing email account!

Once you’ve set up your account, your PTGAH email address will be added to your web page as your second email address – or you can have it as your only email address – your choice. Feel free to use this address as you advertise your services to potential clients!

Here’s the key to making the most of this service. Check your mail! It will be a disservice to you, your clients, and your potential clients to have them send you an email message and for you not to respond. (This is another good reason to have any incoming messages automatically forwarded to your personal or ‘main’ email address.)

Submitted by Carol Dillman:

There are de-fibulators scattered throughout the halls of the Galleria now. They are in boxes on the walls and are marked by signs that stick out into the walkways. The signs are marked AED and a red heart with a white lightening bolt on it.

Answers to July’s Brain Buster

~~Brain Buster:~~ Name That Freeway! Submitted by Sandra Lord

In 1996, Dan Feldstein of the Houston Chronicle wrote an article entitled "Freeways' names a mystery to most." According to Feldstein, the Texas Department of Transportation designates road numbers, while local governments and the Legislature designate names.

A 1996 Texas Transportation Institute survey of 1,349 people at an Auto Show at the Astrodome found that only 25% to 82% could guess the correct answers.

Give your brain a workout and see if you can come up with the numbers that match the names.

Katy Freeway
Northwest Freeway
North Freeway
Beltway
North Loop
Eastex Freeway
East Freeway
Pierce Elevated
West Belt
South Freeway
South Loop
La Porte Freeway
Southwest Freeway
Nolan Ryan Expressway
Gulf Freeway

~~Answers~~ ~~in the October issue.~~
Katy Freeway -- I-10
Northwest Freeway -- 290
North Freeway -- I-45
Beltway -- 8
North Loop – I-610
Eastex Freeway – U.S. 59
East Freeway -- I-10
Pierce Elevated -- I-45
West Belt -- 8
South Freeway -- 288
South Loop – I-610
La Porte Freeway -- 225
Southwest Freeway – U.S. 59
Nolan Ryan Expressway -- 288
Gulf Freeway -- I-45

How did your answers stack up? Your prize: A great sense of accomplishment if you scored higher than

82%.

October’s Brain Buster

Submitted by Mike Kees

~~Schedule of Events~~

September 18: Panel & Roundtable Discussion: Tourism Education & Careers in Houston: How Can We Work Together to Make Houston a Tourism Destination City? Meeting Coordinator: Sandra Lord. Meeting Location: The Terrace at West University, 5151 Buffalo Speedway; Hostess: Yvonne Alden, Lifestyle Consultant, The Terrace. Appetizers, dessert & beverages provided courtesy of the Terrace at West University. Networking, 6 - 7 PM; Panel & Roundtable Discussion, 7 – 9 PM. Panel members will be announced in August.

~~October 16: Halloween event – Details to follow.~~

~~November 20: Thanksgiving Pot Luck Buffet. Hosts: Lucette & Richard Rieger.~~

~~December 18: Holiday Celebration – Details to follow.~~

~~Future sites being considered include a tour of the new yet-to-be-named downtown arena, the Hilton Americas Convention Center Hotel, the new boutique Magnolia Hotel, METRO’s~~ ~~new rail facility, located south of Six Flags Astroworld, and the Museum of Printing History. Please forward your ideas for a meeting site or activity to Sandra Lord at (713) 222-9255 or~~ ~~tourhouston@aol.com~~.

~~GUIDE POSTS~~

~~The Professional Tour Guide Association of Houston~~

~~P.O. Box 2844~~

~~Houston, Texas 77252~~

~~Voice Mail: 281-586-2161~~

~~ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED~~