The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) is calling on all travel entrepreneurs to submit their application by June 30 to compete in the Society’s annual “Shark Tank”-style Entrepreneur of the Year competition. This year’s award recipient is sponsored by the Dan and Gloria Bohan Foundation, and they will be selected from three finalists competing for the title and corresponding $10,000 prize at the ASTA Global Convention 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, August 25-27.
By June 30, applicants must fill out a form providing a brief description of their idea, record a short video and confirm their ability to attend ASTA's Global Convention. A selection committee comprised of travel industry professionals jointly chosen by ASTA and the Bohan Foundation will review each submission. The persons or organizations submitting the entries receiving the highest, second highest and third highest aggregate scores will be designated as finalists and invited to participate in the Entrepreneur of the Year session at the ASTA Global Convention and compete for the prize.
At the Convention, each finalist will be given five minutes to make a pitch to their panel of judges, which will be made up of travel experts as well as ASTA's audience. Following each pitch, the judges, including former Facebook executive and keynote speaker Randi Zuckerberg, will question the finalists regarding the strengths, weaknesses, and innovative qualities of their product or concept. Judges will each cast a vote for one of the finalists. The live audience, acting as a “super judge,” will also cast one vote to determine the winner.
Past winners include Patricia Hager of Senior Travel Buddy (2018) and David Chait of Travefy (2017). For more information on how to apply to be ASTA’s Entrepreneur of the Year, visit https://www.astaglobalconvention.org/EntrepreneurAward.cfm
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