Positive Impact - Positive Results

3rd Annual Accent West

Pre-FAM: April 22-24, 2025

Conference: April 24-26, 2025

Mesa AZ

Accent Partners from around the United States and Canada will travel to Mesa AZ for the 3rd Annual Accent West.  Produced by Mid-Atlantic Receptive Services (MARS) and hosted by Visit Mesa, the conference will better acquaint tour operators with destinations, hotels, attractions, and restaurants in the region. Speakers, brainstorming, itinerary planning, networking activities, a trade show and local area touring are among the activities offered to delegates. But there is so much more.  

Accent West is the perfect opportunity for partners to connect, engage, inspire, and learn from each other while discovering the diversity of attractions in Mesa and Southern Arizona. Relationship building, hands on experiences, and the sharing of best practices are what make the Accent brand so popular.

Innovation and elevated experiences set Accent West apart from other industry events. This includes a pre-fam for operators, the itinerary planning session, the small and intimate size of the conference, the two-to-one ratio between suppliers and operators, and the numerous networking functions which take place throughout the conference.  

Accent continues to feature Positive Impact Tourism. For the group travel industry to be viable, it must be relevant, sustainable, and adaptable. One way in which Accent is leading the way is the “Accent Gives Back” initiative. A service project in Mesa will be a part of the pre-fam for operators and will be open for suppliers to attend as well. Significantly more operators are discovering the rewarding feeling that a voluntourism itinerary component provides.  

Similarly, “Accent Supports Local” is a favorite part of the conference. Small businesses in the host destination are invited to breakfast and the itinerary planning session. In addition to showcasing their businesses, they learn more about the group tour industry and the unique needs of tour operators.  In turn, tour operators connect with local treasurers, making their itineraries more authentic. Linda Jeffries from Visit Beaufort (host of Accent East 2023) states, “The Local Small Business Day during Accent East was a tremendous success for everyone. It was an opportunity for local businesses with limited budgets to showcase their tours and attractions, and surprisingly some of our retail shop owners took advantage as well. In addition to having an exhibit table, being able to stay for the itinerary building session introduced them to the fact that they are part of the tourism industry and how they benefit when a motorcoach comes to town.”

The Accent Travel Network is owned and operated by MARS and Companies, who firmly believe in the power of partnerships. MARS has provided quality tour product for operators big and small for over 25 years. For more information, please contact sue@takeafuntrip.com  

Registration Now Open for 6th Accent East

Pre-FAM: November 14-16, 2025

Conference: November 16-18, 2025

York PA

York, Pennsylvania set to host the annual Accent East 2025 Conference, scheduled to take place November 16-18, 2025, at the Wyndham Garden York Hotel.  Explore York has put together an awesome pre-fam for operators. Check it out!

November 14: Operators should plan their travel to the area to arrive by 11:15am into Baltimore Airport (BWI). The FAM will depart at noon and travel to the Markets at Shrewsbury, a traditional local Amish farmers market featuring 19 merchants who sell everything from locally grown produce, Amish baked and canned goods, and farm-fresh meats and cheeses to traditional PA Dutch furniture, crafts, and gifts. Lunch is included at one of the delicious eateries.  

Continue to the Northern Central Railway of York for a train ride and tour. This historic attraction, with a replica 1860s steam locomotive provides excursions that educate, entertain, and enlighten. Check into the Wyndham Garden hotel before an included dinner.   

November 15: Breakfast is included at the hotel at the hotel each morning of the duration of your stay.  

Tour the History Museum of York, inspiring the exploration of the history, people and accomplishments of York County and the state of Pennsylvania. Tour the Colonial Houses before arriving in downtown for a soap making experience and included lunch.  

Enjoy candle-making and wine tasting at Lavender Farm Winery and Wine and Wicks. Dinner is included at Lavender Farm Winery. 

November 16: This morning, tour Shear Heaven Alpaca Farm where you will find 40 alpacas of all ages. In addition to the farm tour, their shop offers a variety of products including specialty yarn, handmade soap, handmade knitted and crocheted products, alpaca socks, and much more.  

A tour of the Lebanon Cemetery will be followed by lunch and a service project at the cemetery. **Suppliers are invited to participate in the service project beginning at 1pm with the tour operators.  

Then return to the hotel to get ready for the Accent East Welcome Reception.  

Coming in May 2026

Accent West in Medora ND

What People are Saying About Accent

"Accent West 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to work closely with planners and other travel suppliers to create collaborations that would not have existed otherwise. I am a firm believer that a rising tide floats all boats. I made some great new contacts with other destinations, and we are exploring how we can work together. The ROI on this show was the best I ever had from a marketplace. I gained two new tour planners who are working on itineraries with me and rekindled the relationship with a previous provider. Plus, it was a lot of fun!"

Kerstin Landwer Visit Joplin Assistant Director / Director of Sales

Additional Reasons Why You Should Attend Accent

1. Accent is a small and intimate (by design) "boutique" show where all delegates are heard.
2. Ratio is never more than 2 suppliers for every operator.
3. Suppliers get to meet with every operator - and operators meet with every supplier.
4. Accent provides follow up marketing on behalf of each delegate. At the conference, suppliers and operators brainstorm and based on what they learn at the trade show, create new itineraries. These itineraries are then presented to the entire group, emailed to the MARS database of approximately 7500 buyers, posted on the MARS website, included in the Accent Insider Newsletter and posted on the Accent Travel Network Facebook page.  

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The Accent Travel Network is owned and operated by MARS and Companies, who firmly believe in the Power of Partnerships. MARS has provided quality tour product for operators big and small for over 25 years.