So I'm back from skiing no broken bones, and I even completed an intermediate run without falling on my face! My group instructor told me, "If this is only the second time you're skiing, you're doing really well!" It was only the second time, so I was happy with his small praise.

Speaking of small praise, I'd like to thank you for making Group Travel Blog as popular as it is. It's in the top five for sites of its kind and all of us in the office are very proud.

For the New Year, we've revamped the categories and made it easier to post comments and blog postings. Click on GroupTravelBlog.com to take a look, and register if you haven't already so you can start posting.

As an incentive to posting, I'd like to announce a contest. Send me your best travel story, whether it's funny, sad, meaningful or just plain absurd, and we'll reward the best one with gift certificate for the Cortina Inn in Killington, Vermont! Stories will be judged on content, not poetic ability. Just send me an email (so I can track it) with the subject, "Blog Contest," and I'll post it for you, as good as if you posted it yourself.

As for the upcoming holiday, I hope that wherever you end up, you stay warm and leave smiling.

Best,

This vibrant Wyoming city offers Western hospitality at its best for groups of all sizes. Feast while surrounded by 3,000 bison; enjoy several museums celebrating the area's history; or experience Cheyenne Frontier Days, the world's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration.

Read on to find out what a great destination Cheyenne is, for its history, its natural beauty and charming Old West appeal.

If you had the power to see your future, and you discovered that you would be victorious over all your challenges and living the life you always dreamed, would you give up after encountering your first setback Of course not! You would persevere through any adversity, knowing the wonderful outcome you would experience.

Unfortunately, no one really knows what the future holds. And when we're in the midst of a challenge, getting through it sometimes seems impossible. So while few people start a task or endeavor expecting to give up, we often do simply because we lose sight of what's possible of the final victory.

Leisure Group Travel recently held a conference with the leaders of the group travel industry, to get their thoughts on where the market is and where it's going, in order to assist planning for 2007.

Participating were William Maloney, Executive Vice-President of the American society of Travel Agents; Peter Pantuso, President, American Bus Association; Judith Thomas, Chairman, National Tour Association; Robert Whitely, President, United States Tour Association; and Jeff Gayduk and John Kloster from Leisure Group Travel. Read the experts opinion on the group travel market and find the best way to capitalize in the travel industry for 2007.

The Twin Cities has a unique and appealing character that is unlike any other Midwestern city. Offering a large metropolitan area with an abundance of natural resources and four drastically different seasons, the greater Twin Cities area is a must for any group who loves the city and desires a more dynamic experience.

There are plenty of cultural draws to the Twin Cities area with a growing, state-of-the-art theatre district, a large and unique Art Institute and a thriving Science Museum. The lake district and nearby Mississippi River provide yet another reason to visit with beauty and charm like nowhere else.

Lights, Cameras, Action!

As you travel through the New England states, some of the landscapes feel so familiar. After all, they have been featured on countless calendars, and who hasn't seen photographs of New England's kaleidoscopic fall foliage? But there's another sort of familiarity present.

Hollywood has come to New England again and again, filming on location and taking advantage of the natural beauty and well preserved towns and villages that make this region so photogenic. Alice Gregory takes you throughout New England making it easy to experience its many movie locations as well as all the history and culture that make the New England area so fantastic to visit.

Looking for help in planning your next group vacation overseas?

Check out our 2007 Directory of International Tourism Offices and Visitor's Bureaus. With up to the minute contacts, this directory will prove invaluable in your preliminary planning! You can download the print directory or go to GroupTravelDirectory.com for interactive listings!

Email me your information or give me a call at 630.794.0696. It'll take about a half-hour from start to finish and you'll have a really nice, one-page story that encompasses your business and what you love about it.

For an example of what it might look like, take a look at our latest Planner Profile in December's issue of Leisure Group Travel or click here for a digital edition.

The Power of Packaging

Mike Marchev has experienced first hand how packaging can influence a person to act in strange ways. Packaging yourself can make the difference between a sale and no sale.

In the latest installment of Exit 135, Mike shares with us how to better package our business and our products and services.