Education and Events
True NORTH Guest Satisfaction Workshop
Happy guests spend more, stay loyal longer, and help grow your business. Research shows satisfied guests spend 86% more, and with 9 out of 10 consumers relying on online reviews before choosing where to visit or spend their money, guest satisfaction has never been more important.
Exceptional guest service also has a powerful internal impact. When guests have positive experiences, employees feel more successful and fulfilled in their work. That creates a positive cycle: happier guests, happier employees, and stronger retention.
Most organizations understand the importance of customer service training. The challenge is making it last. Employees and volunteers may know the standards and apply what they learn, but over time, the habits can fade. Add staff turnover, and training can start to feel like a constant reset.
That is why lasting guest satisfaction requires more than front-line training alone. It requires a cultural shift.
The True NORTH Guest Experience™ Train-the-Trainer Workshop, created by the Ohio Travel Association, helps organizations move beyond one-time customer service training and build a true culture of guest-centered service. Rather than replacing your current customer service efforts, this program strengthens them by creating the conditions for those efforts to take root and thrive.
True NORTH focuses on what it takes to create a culture of guest obsession across the entire organization, from leadership to front-line staff to volunteers and partners. When everyone is aligned around the guest experience, employees are better supported, more empowered, and more motivated to deliver exceptional service.
A key principle of the program is the connection between employee satisfaction and guest satisfaction. The workshop provides strategies to engage teams at every level, empower staff to make guest-focused decisions, and build an environment where people feel valued, supported, and inspired to serve.
In 2026, the Ohio Travel Association will offer three True NORTH workshops across Ohio, creating a statewide movement to address the growing need for exceptional guest satisfaction in the travel industry. This one-of-a-kind program goes beyond surface-level service training to help organizations cultivate a lasting culture of care, service, and hospitality.
What the Workshop Includes
At its core, the True NORTH Guest Experience™ workshop is a strategic investment for travel and tourism professionals who know that memorable guest experiences — the kind that inspire repeat visits, glowing reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations — are built through intentional culture, not chance.
Participants receive:
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A workbook with reproducible materials to use back at their organization
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The complete slide deck and facilitator script
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A personalized pre-workshop culture assessment
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Practical tools to guide team conversations and action planning
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Lunch and workshop materials
Here's a Breakdown of What the Workshop Includes:
What You’ll Learn
By the end of the workshop, participants will know how to:
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Assess their organization’s strengths and weaknesses in guest satisfaction
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Work with their team to create a shared vision for guest satisfaction
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Review policies, practices, and KPIs for their impact on guest care
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Use an online tool to structure productive team discussions
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Create personalized guest satisfaction plans for employees
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Set guest satisfaction goals that focus on the overall experience, not just tasks
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Design professional development strategies that support service excellence
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Hire individuals who are passionate about serving guests
Who Should Attend
This workshop is ideal for:
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CEOs and executive leaders
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Managers and supervisors
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HR professionals
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Internal teams responsible for leading service culture initiatives
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Organizations ready to strengthen guest satisfaction across departments
Workshop Dates, Locations, and Investment
All workshops run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with check-in beginning at 9:30 a.m.
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Tuesday, April 28 — Seneca County
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Tuesday, June 30 — Grove City
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Tuesday, September 29 — Clermont County
Investment includes workbook, assessment report, tools, and lunch.
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OTA Members: $125 per person
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Non-Members: $175 per person
Final Call to Action
Don’t miss this opportunity to transform how your organization approaches guest experience.
By investing in the True NORTH Guest Experience™ Train-the-Trainer Workshop, you will gain the tools, strategies, and resources to build a guest-centered culture that lasts. The result is stronger loyalty, better reviews, more empowered employees, and a healthier, more successful organization.
