By: Marni Aksut, RB Travel Group
Hi there Wedding Planners! You may have heard on Eddie’s podcast or around town Planners talk about this mysterious IATAN accreditation that allows you to make a commission on Room Blocks (with no cost to clients!). Well, I’m here to explain what IATAN is, the process to get an IATAN # and how I can help you source Hotel Room Block rates.
Let me start by being upfront about a couple things…
1. The IATAN Accreditation process differs a bit from state to state and depending on what state you are in, it can be more complicated than others. Although the accreditation can be a lot of work, if you qualify, it can help your bottom line in a significant way.
2. I am the founder of RB Travel Group and we help Planners like yourself in two ways.
a. We do the time-consuming work negotiating hotel rates & collecting their pricing for you in a simple spreadsheet. This will save you loads of time!
b. Plus we share our commission with you. So whether you have an IATAN accreditation or not, we save you time and help make you extra $.
Let’s jump right into it!
What is IATAN
i. International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN) supplies an accreditation to qualified US travel professionals including Event Planners, which allows you to make a commission on most hotel bookings.
ii. IATAN is an International Non-Profit organization that has been around for over 25 years providing a vital link between the supplier community and the U.S. travel distribution network.
How do you become IATAN accredited?
i. First you complete the Accreditation Application. Follow this link and download the Accreditation Kit to get started. http://www.iatan.org/accreditation/Pages/application-forms.aspx
ii. You need to be able to prove you’ve booked more than $200,000 in Annual Gross Sales for the previous year –OR- have $20,000 of available capital.
iii. You will either need to prove that you have 2 or more years of professional event planning experience –OR- have one of the following valid certifications: Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP)/ Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) / or Certification in Meeting Management (CMM).
iv. If you live in one of the following states you will also need a Seller of Travel Registration (CA, FL, HI, IA, WA)
ii. The Application fee is $195 and the annual fee is $98.
IATAN is a great way to get compensated for all your hard work that goes into booking room blocks.
I want to take a moment to recognize that while IATAN is fantastic because it allows you to make extra money on something you are doing anyways, it does not solve the real problem…
PROBLEM: Room Blocks are TIME CONSUMING! As many of you know, dealing with the hotels can be an exhausting experience.
SOLUTION: RB Travel Group (RBTG) sources Room Block rates for you at as many hotels as you want. Plus we share with you 25% of our 10% commission. You do not need your own IATAN accreditation to use our services.
Whether you have the time to reach out to all the hotels and want your own IATAN accreditation, or you prefer RBTG to do the hotel rate search and then share the commission with you, we have one goal in mind. That goal is for all Wedding Planners to enjoy more free time AND earn an income you can be proud of.
I wish you much success and would be happy to be a resource for any planners that have questions about IATAN or RB Travel Group. Feel free to contact me anytime at marni@rbtravelgroup.com
Good Luck!
Marni Aksut
RB Travel Group
www.rbtravelgroup.com
