November 2018
       

Message from our Board Chair  Happy Thanksgiving
 
We are fast approaching the holiday season when everything seems to move at an accelerated pace, and time becomes a luxury.  I have to stop, take a breath and reflect on all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for.
 
I recently had the pleasure of traveling to Egypt on a special tour with one of our wonderful PTOs. Each day of that tour left me in awe of the amazing sites we visited, and so grateful and thankful for the freedoms, privileges and relationships that I sometimes take for granted. Travel truly makes you realize what a tiny place you occupy in the world, and that sometimes the world can be changed by your example and contribution and not just your opinion. So, thank you to my Heritage family for helping me open my eyes to the world, and for the support, friendship and love that has helped make me and our club so successful.
 
I look forward to seeing all of my old friends at conference, and to meeting and making new ones!  It is not too late to register and join us in March!
 
Val Kelsey, CBCD

HCI invites you to renew your HCI Travel Partner membership for 2019.

Being a member gives you access to the HCI member database and the opportunity to be featured in one of our monthly newsletters. Also, as a member, you can attend our annual Peer Group conference to meet travel club directors who plan group tours for their members. 
Learn more about membership.
 
The cost of membership is $350 per year.
 
Log in and renew online in just a few minutes.
 
If you're not a member yet, JOIN TODAY.  Send your completed application to Tina Goeske. Have questions?  Call 952-835-6543.


ATTENTION TRAVEL PARTNERS AND PARTNER PROSPECTS...

PEER GROUP REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
This conference offers a unique opportunity to tap into the lucrative bank travel market to promote your organization and network with directors who plan hundreds of trips for their bank patrons every year.
 
Heritage bank club directors are always looking for opportunities to provide a great travel experience to their members. They are loyal to Heritage partners...and they like to share their experiences with other club directors. I want to encourage you to take advantage of this tremendous opportunity to promote your business to these highly motivated and loyal club directors by becoming a Heritage Partner. 
  • Business Appointment Marketplace - 8-minute appointments with every banker
  • Plenty of informal time to network 
  • Fabulous education sessions with motivating speakers
  • Open mic sessions
  • Banker-Partner Table Topics - a conference favorite!
  • Loads of fun!   
Our Travel Partners know the value of their investment when they choose to belong to our exclusive network and attend the annual Peer Group conference.  Renew your membership for 2019 or become a new member today, and begin to realize the many benefits of being an HCI Travel Partner.
 
Registration Cost: $1535 (includes all meals, breaks, conference materials, and appointments)
Lodging: $95 per night (+ tax) 
You can't attend if you're not a member, so join today by completing the application. The cost is $350. If you join now, your membership is good through 2019. If you join by October 31, your membership is just $250. 
 
For assistance, contact Tina Goeske at 952-835-6543.

 
Member Spotlight: Delilah Johnson and Sheila Sturdefant
The Seymour Bank
Seymour, MO
Delilah Johnson

The Seymour Bank's Seniority Club was started in 2012 by Delilah Johnson. She has worked for the bank for 24 years, but she has done so through 3 separate stints, starting when she was a senior in high school when she stayed for four years before going to work for a bigger bank in Springfield. She returned to The Seymour Bank for another 14 years before going back to the bank in Springfield a second time where she was their senior club director. In 2012, she had the opportunity to return to Seymour to start their brand-new club, and has been enjoying growing that c
Sheila Sturdefant
lub ever since. While she is full-time with the bank, she is only part-time with the club. But, she has the good fortune of having a fabulous  a ssistant, Sheila Sturdefant, who volunteers to serve alongside her and accompanie s her on their trips. Sheila retired from the post office after 30 years when a broken hip kept her from being able to continue on there. She started helping Delilah in 2015, and they both have been enjoying the mutually beneficial arrangement ever since.

Their club does seven trips a year, and they sell out quickly. The mystery trips are extremely popular, and they had to take a second motorcoach this year to fit everyone who wanted to go. Delilah teases her customers with hints, and makes a game of guessing the destination. They are planning their first international trip for 2020 now that her members are accustomed to the travel and are looking for more.

Delilah recently joined HCI after meeting Ted at Missouri Bank Travel this year. She was intrigued by the great ideas he had for helping Club Directors. She also likes the idea of being able to commiserate with other directors who "get" that she's not on vacation when she's on tour with a group.

The Seniority Club is growing because Delilah stays "in their face" all the time with newsletters, monthly seminars and other fun events. The highlight is the annual party that they host to announce the new club calendar for the upcoming year. She keeps it fun and lively as she reveals their planned trips and events while giving away prizes and discounts.

FUN FACTS!! Sheila was her high school's mascot "Bulldog" when she was a kid. Delilah cheated death in 2015 when she was diagnosed with a rare lung disease (CTEPH) and received treatment in San Diego at one of only two hospitals in the world that perform the surgery to remove blood clots that had attached to her lungs. She is grateful to have survived and be able to continue to serve her members.
 
Partner Profile: Greater St. Charles CVB

 
Chandler Hill in Historic Missouri Wine Country
Lewis and Clark in Frontier Park
 
 
Saint Charles, Missouri, the oldest city on the Missouri River, provides a unique historical perspective, beautiful sites, friendly people and a pace just a little slower than that of the big city. The town was founded in 1769 by a French Canadian fur trader named Louis Blanchette and given the name Les Petites Cotes, meaning "The Little Hills." It soon grew into a thriving riverfront trading center for a young America.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met here in 1804 to begin their famous Expedition. In fact, Saint Charles became a stop for many pioneers to replenish supplies before departing into new territory on their journeys westward on the Boone's Lick Trail. This route became the starting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails.
Visitors today feel as though they are stepping back into the 1800s along the brick paved fourteen block Nationally Registered Historic District which contains over 90 craft, antique, and specialty shops, as well as over 30 unique restaurants. Explore the historic district with Missouri's First State Capitol, the Lewis & Clark Boat House and Museum, the Foundry Art Centre, and the Shrine of St. Phillippine Duchesne.
Besides its rich history, St. Charles has so much more to offer - first rate hotels and more than 175 restaurants. Be assured that our group accommodations are far more comfortable and convenient than the riverbank campsite we provided for the Lewis & Clark "group tour" back in 1804!
A short drive into St. Charles County takes you to the oldest American Viticultural Area in the United States. Share a bottle of award winning wine at any of a dozen wineries as you enjoy the picturesque surroundings of the Missouri River Valley from a hilltop terrace. Historic Missouri Wine Country is also where you'll find the region's most popular historical attraction, the Historic Daniel Boone Home at Lindenwood Park. The nearly 300 acre site includes the home where Daniel spent the last years of his life with his son Nathan and his family. The home overlooks Boonesfield Village, a simulated town comprised of more than a dozen 19th Century buildings. Each building originated from within 50 miles of the property.  
 
Looking to immerse yourself in the culture of the area? Saint Charles offers musical events, parades, art shows, and ethnic festivals throughout the year. We begin the year with the "Fete de Glace, Festival of Ice" (ice carving competition), the Missouri River Irish Fest (music, storytelling, athletics, and food), Riverfest (4th of July celebration with a parade, food, music, carnival rides, and fireworks), Festival of the Little Hills (craft and food festival), MOsaics Fine Art Festival (artist exhibits and sales), Oktoberfest (German heritage celebration with a parade, music, food, and car show), Legends & Lanterns: A "Spirited" Journey Through Halloween History (our newest festival offering the vintage charm of Halloween in the 1910s - 1930s), and Christmas Traditiions® (this month long festival, that has been in existence for over 40 years, celebrates the best of the holiday season).   

The Greater Saint Charles Convention & Visitors Bureau is here to make sure your group enjoys its trip to the fullest. Whether you are looking for a place to stretch your legs for a short time while on your way through, a day trip, one night, or a multi-night (hub & spoke) destination, we'll be happy to help you plan your group's itinerary.  
 
Our suggested itineraries along with promotional materials on the area's many attractions, hotels, restaurants, shops, and special events is the perfect place to get started on planning your visit to St. Charles.
 
If you're imagining what it was like for the frontiersmen, settlers, and merchants who have walked the same streets over the past two centuries, let our guides, in period dress, step aboard your coach and make history come alive for your group. This tour is complimentary when you overnight at one of our partner hotels.
 
St. Charles has so many things to do, your group will be beg you to return again and again. Discover a place that has been welcoming visitors since 1769!
 
Tip of the month

There are many great reasons to form a Peer Networking Group.
  • Share best practices
  • Discuss current issues
  • Develop new ideas
  • Share successes and challenges
  • Form travel alliances
HCI encourages our bank club directors to reach out to each other for assistance at any time, but an organized Peer Network is a great way to make it a regular practice to do so. We have put together a terrific guide to help you establish a peer network in your area.  

Check out all of the great ideas on the HCI best practice document titled Peer Networking Guidelines. 

As an HCI member you have unlimited access to a ll of our Best Practices documents on the member-only page of the HCI website with your member Log-In credentials. 
 
This, as well as all of our Best Practices documents, is only accessible to our members.  Not a current member? Renew your membership or apply for a new membership today.  Contact Tina at 952-835-6543.

  Collette                 Islands in the Sun      Hospitality Tours     
Globus    CTN Travels