The New York Times Travel Show unveiled the trade day schedule of seminars, workshops and a preview of the show floor for travel industry professionals attending on Friday, Feb. 29. This year's keynote speaker for the Travel Industry Conference is Cheryl Hudak, CTC, president and CEO of ASTA. The 2008 Trade Day is sponsored by leaders of the travel industry including Performance Media Group, parent ModernAgent.com, Agent@Home and Vacation Agent magazines. The New York Times Travel Show and the Travel Industry Conference will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The Trade Day tradeshow hours are from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and seminars are in the morning Admission is for $20 ($30 at the door). March 1 and 2 the show is open to the public.

This year's Travel Industry Conference features more than 45 top industry executives in discussions on various topics including home-based travel agencies, selling luxury travel, changes in travel technology and developing web marketing. Special accredited workshops will be offered through Cruise Lines International Association and The Travel Institute.

Presented by American Express, The New York Times Travel Show is one of the largest trade and consumer travel shows in the country with more than 30,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors. The Travel Show offers on-site booking, special travel discounts and opportunities to win trips from leading airlines, cruise lines, resorts and tourism boards from around the world. New this year at the show is the Wedding and Honeymoon Pavilion, sponsored by The Knot, which will offer the latest trends and destination ideas for couples. Supporting sponsors are Greek National Tourism Organization, South African Tourism and Travel Alberta. NBC-4, GoNomad.com, MVP/NY, PlanetOut, Telemundo 47 and The Travel Channel are the media partners and national talk show host Stephanie Abrams is the radio partner. The industry sponsors are Africa Travel Association, Appalachian Mountain Club, ASTA, Caribbean Tourism Development Company, NACTA, NativeEnergy, OSSN, Pacific Asia Travel Association, Society of American Travel Writers, The Travel Institute, Travelsense.org and USTOA. SpaFinder is the Spa Pavilion sponsor.

Consumer admission to the show is $15, with a $5 discount if tickets are purchased with an American Express Card. Children under 18 are admitted free. Show hours are Saturday, March 1, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For advance purchase of tickets to the show and a list of exhibitors please visit www.nytimes.com/travelshow.

The Trade Day schedule on Feb. 29 starts at 7:30 a.m. with registration. From 8:30 to 10 a.m. seminars include "Web Marketing Workshop: Using Web 2.0 to Market Travel," presented by Mark Murphy, president and CEO of Performance Media Group; "Professional Selling Skills," president by Bernie Blomquist, manager-training development, Cruise Lines International Association; "Taking Your Home Based Travel Business to the Next Level," presented by Gary Fee, president, Outside Sales Support Network.

From 10:15 to 11:15 a.m., seminars include "Travel Technology; Gaining Tech Savvy for Increased Sales," a panel moderated by Kate Rice, executive editor, Performance Media Group, featuring Bob LaCroix, senior vice president, business planning and development, Trisept Solutions; Joe Mazzarella, president and CEO, Travel Sciences, Inc.; Mark Murphy, president, Performance Media Group; and Dan Westbrook, vice president-travel merchandising, Sabre; "Selling Cruises: Using Cruise Line Support Programs More Effectively," a panel moderating byTheresa Norton Masek, editor in chief, Vacation Agent magazine, featuring Ken Muskat, vice president-sales, Royal Caribbean International; Clark Reber, director-sales planning and initiatives, Norwegian Cruise Lines; Hans Rood, president, Hurtigruten; Richard Sasso, president and CEO, MSC Cruises USA; and Karin Viera, vice president of sales-Eastern Region, Carnival Cruise Lines; and Selling Travel: Choosing and Growing the Right Niche for Your Agency," a panel moderated by John Severini, partner, KDS Sales, featuring Steve Cox, executive director, International Expeditions; Jackie Friedman CTC, CTIE, general manager, Nexion, Inc.; Steve Gorga, president/CEO, Travel Impressions; Robert Tuchman, president and founder, TSE Sports and Entertainment; and Kevin Wright, president, World Religious Travel Association.

From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., seminars include "Home-Based Agents: Taking the Next Step to Success in Your Home-Based Travel Agency Business," a panel moderated by James Shillinglaw, editorial director, Performance Media Group, features Kate DeLosso CTC, DS, Travel Counsellors; David Locke, independent affiliate, America's Vacation Center/American Express; Roberta (Bobbie) Murphy, owner, Bobbie's Travel LLC and OSSN Chapter Director; Stacy H. Small, president, Elite Travel International; "Selling Tours: The Art of Selling Tours and Package Vacations," a panel moderated by John Severini, Partner, KDS Sales, featuring Phillip Gordon, president and CEO, Globus; Marc Kazlauskas, president, Insight Vacations; Frank Marini, vice president-sales, Collette Vacations; Nigel Osborne, executive vice president, Key Tours; and Navin Sawhney, senior vice president-sales and marketing, Tauck World Discovery; "Making More: Finding More Products to Boost Your Profits," a panel moderated by Kate Rice, executive editor, Performance Media Group, featuring John Peters CTIE, vice president-Travel Trade and Business Development, Endless Vacation Rentals; Jennifer Stott, director of marketing-AdventureAgents Network, Gordon's Guide; and Josanne Swain, vice president-sales and marketing, Farebuzz; Secrets of a Successful Travel Website," presented by Reid Bramblette, founder of ReidsGuides.com.

From 12: 45 to 1:45 p.m., the keynote luncheon speaker will be Cheryl Hudak CTC, president and CEO of ASTA. From 2 to 7 p.m., the trade show floor will be open exclusively to the travel industry. From 2 to 3 p.m., seminars include "Travel Impressions and You: A Recipe for Success," featuring Gail Goldberg, business development manager, Travel Impressions, and Sallie Rawlings, director of communications, Travel Impressions; "Tips to Protect Yourself from Legal Liability," featuring travel attorney Jeffrey R. Miller, travel law editor for Agent @ Home magazines and founder and principal for The Miller Travel Group; "The Sales Potential for EcoTourism Today," moderated by Navin Sawhney, senior vice president-sales and marketing for Tauck World Discovery, featuring Richard Edwards, partner, NativeEnergy; Susie Ellis, president, SpaFinder; Elliot Friedman, division vice president-travel industry and partnership marketing, The Hertz Corporation; and Christine Mackay, co-founder and executive director, Crooked Trails; "Professional Development Session for SATW members only. The day will close with a reception for the travel industry from 5 to 7 p.m. For a complete schedule of seminars and to register online, visit www.NYTimes.Com/travelshow.