WASHINGTON -- When ASTA decided to change its name to the American Society of Travel Advisors, the National Association of Career Travel Agents (Nacta) -- which is owned by ASTA -- was faced with a choice: keep the moniker Nacta, or rebrand alongside its parent company, president Ann Chamberlin said.
Chamberlin, speaking to agents Friday morning at Nacta's annual conference at the Washington Hilton here, said the association decided to rebrand to the ASTA Small Business Network.
The decision came after meetings with the association's regional and chapter directors. Nacta came full circle in June in Dallas, where the association was originally founded, when the rebranding was approved.
Like ASTA, the ASTA Small Business Network has a new logo, a teal circle featuring the Society's moniker, with text to the side reading "Small Business Network" and "Formerly Nacta."
"It's fresh," Chamberlin said. "It's current."
As a brand, it means what was formerly Nacta will now be more aligned with its parent company, Chamberlin said. That comes with some unique benefits, including one payment to the ASTA Small Business Network also making an agent a member of ASTA ($165 annually, the old Nacta rate, will increase to $199 in 2020, the rate independent agencies now pay for ASTA membership). A number of agents at the conference said they were paying dual dues, so that will be particularly beneficial to them.
ASTA Small Business Network agents will also get the Society's Travel Advisor magazine, a quarterly publication with a subsection specifically dedicated to the network, as well as a version of the Nacta Agent Digest, a favorite benefit among members, Chamberlin said.
The network will also retain its own conference, separate from the ASTA Global Convention (the two were held back to back this year). Next year, the network will meet in Aurora, Colo., from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1. In 2020, its conference will be held in Savannah, Ga.
In addition to detailing the future of Nacta, Chamberlin also talked about the thought process behind ASTA's name change, dropping the term "agent" in favor of "advisor." It was based on extensive consumer research.
"Consumers don't want a booking agent. They don't want someone to facilitate the mechanics of booking travel," Chamberlin said. "They wanted someone that they could collaborate with, that they could consult with."