CHICAGO TOUR-GUIDE PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION

Membership

Chicago Tour-Guide  Professionals Association (CTPA) membership is open to tour guides, individuals interested in becoming tour guides, Destination Management Company (DMC) owners and principals, event planners, transportation companies, museums, shopping malls, restaurants, nightclubs, other venues, or to those with an interest in retaining contact with the Chicago metro area tour guide community. The only condition is an interest in sharing information or promoting tourism in the metro Chicago area. 

CTPA members conduct general city highlight tours, and custom develop specialized tours for business, educational or entertainment purposes, either on foot or aboard vehicles or ships. The membership also cooperates with convention groups and Chicago area visitors, furnishing airport meet and greet assistance, escorting groups around town, and assisting at special events, including registration and host/hostess assignments. Many CTPA guides offer special abilities such as fluency in a foreign language or advanced training in areas such as music, ethnic neighborhoods, the arts or architecture.

Membership Breakdown By Category:

Current #'s	Member Category	Description	Type of Entity	Works In Tourism	Annual Fees	Votes?
41	Certified Guide	Experienced guides who have passed the CTPA certification test	Individual	Yes	$45	Yes
128	Candidate Guide	Guides who have not taken the test or may take it when eligible	Individual	Yes	$45	Yes
25	Friend	Individuals who do not seek employment in tourism	Individual	Does not seek work or retired	$45	No
51	Associate	DMC's, event planners, venues, shops, transportation & hospitality companies	Organization- uses/hires guides	Yes	$60	No
1	Honorary	Recognized for their support of the CTPA and/or guides	Individual or Organizational	Yes or No	Free	No

Membership Application Form (Download)

Please click here to download the CTPA Membership Application Instructions and Form (Adobe Acrobat .pdf format) which shows the complete table of fees and the updated 2008 member application.

Membership Categories
All members receive the member directory, a member contact sheet called the “Short List”, notification of all meetings and events as well as a membership card. According to the By-Laws:

Certified Members:	are tour guides who have passed the CTPA certification test and have voting rights.
Candidate Members:	escorts, guides or others who have not yet passed the certification test and can vote.
Friend Members:	are retired Certified or Candidate Members or other individuals that do NOT seek employment as guides nor wish to hire guides, but enjoy all other rights, except voting.
Associate Members:	are organizations that work within the tourism profession or a related profession, that agree to support the goals of the association and have paid current dues (i.e. Destination Management Companies (DMCs), tour operators, bus or transportation companies, museums, shopping malls, or any company that wants to stay in touch with the CTPA membership and events). Associate Members do not have voting rights.

Membership Fees:

EARLY BIRD must be POSTMARKED before JANUARY 15	Regular Annual Rate (Jan 16 - June 30)	Half Year Rate (July 1 - November 30)
$35 - Early Bird Individual Member	$45 - Individual Member	$22.50 - Individual Member
$65 - Early Bird Joint (2 Individuals/Same Location) Member	$80 - Joint (2 Individuals/Same Location) Member	$40 - Joint (2 Individuals/Same Location) Member
$50 - Early Bird Company (Associate) Member	$60 - Company (Associate) Member	$30 - Company (Associate) Member

Important! Members located outside the U.S. must pay a $40 surcharge to cover higher postage charges.

Member Benefits:

• Annual Directory of Members. Published each February, the CTPA Directory includes a short, self-written biography noting each member's strengths, abilities and availability. The Directory has also included a copy of the By-Laws, information on related professional tour guide organizations such as the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations-USA (NFTGA) and the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA), a list of guides with foreign language ability and a calendar.
• News and Meeting Announcement Mailings. Periodic mailings are sent to all members highlighting upcoming CTPA, NFTGA and WFTGA events; providing information on annual educational and/or training events; or detailing venue briefing information; etc.
• Meetings and Educational Programs. Each year the Education Committee plans numerous evening meetings as well one half-day or full-day seminar to assist Certified Tour Guides and Candidate Members in increasing their destination knowledge, strengthening their guiding abilities and skills, and heightening their professionalism. All categories of members may participate in these events for a nominal fee or free of charge.
• Inclusion on Mailing Lists / Special Privileges and Invitations. Key Chicago venues such Water Tower Place, Navy Pier, Sears Tower Skydeck, John Hancock Observatory, the Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Chicago Historical Society, among others have invited the CTPA membership to enjoy special invitations and privileges. These attractions have often provided discounted or complimentary entrance fees and invitations to new exhibit special previews.
• Eligibility to take the CTPA Certified Tour Guide Test. The test is usually offered once each year. One year after conducting their first Chicago city highlights tour, CTPA members are eligible to register for and take the three-part test. Upon successful completion of all test phases (including written, slide identification, and tour routing), members are then awarded the title "Certified Tour Guide (CTG)." For more information about tour guide certification, click here.
• Representation in the National Federation of Tourist Guide Associations-USA (NFTGA). In November 1998, members of the CTPA attended the first organizational meeting to discuss formation of the NFTGA. The CTPA has had annual representation at all subsequent NFTGA meetings and conferences. CTPA members have been officers or held NFTGA Board positions and assisted on committees directing its development. This involvement has included electing officers, voting on policies, writing and changing By-Laws, approving the organization's logo and determining the NFTGA website design and text. Click here to go to www.nftga.com; the NFTGA website.
• Representation in the World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations (WFTGA). As a WFTGA member, the CTPA is affiliated with the international guide community. In the future the CTPA expects that members will attend the biennial WFTGA-sponsored world conference for tour guides, and then share their experience with the CTPA membership. Click here to go to www.wftga.org; the WFTGA website.

The CTPA is affiliated with the following:

Sample Member Directory Listing

When it comes time to complete your CTPA Membership Application Form, you may want to review the following sample biographical listings before composing your own.

Note the type of information included:

• level/years of experience
• education and/or training
• special skills or abilities, age or group preferences
• types of tours
• anything else you want your potential employers/guides to know about you/your company
• availability: week days, day time, specific hours, weekends only, etc.

Remember to show your strengths and promote yourself! What do you want people to know about you?

Samples:

Alvin Capone is a dynamic guide who received his guide training at the Chicago Architectural Foundation where he has been a docent for 25 years. He wrote his master's thesis on Frank Lloyd Wright and he fills his tours with interesting personal anecdotes about the gangster era in Chicago.

Louise Rawls, CTG, was born and raised on the south side and has special insight into the musical side of the city. She has excellent knowledge of the club scene (blues, jazz, new wave, big band, etc.) and also loves to talk about films made in Chicago. Black History, ethnic tours, North Shore or city tours-she does it all!

Although a newcomer to Chicago and guiding, Bob Busser is an experienced transportation and program coordinator. His strength is on-site registration, hospitality desk work and airport meet and greets. If you have a large group coming in town, call Bob to handle the transportation and staffing.

In business since November 1995, Excellent Adventures is a full-service Destination Management Company, capable of handling all your planning and coordination needs. They prefer to hire certified tour guides, but will train as needed. Guides should send their resumes to: Garth.

Optional CTPA Name Badge

The CTPA offThe CTPA offers all members the opportunity to purchase an optional name badge with the CTPA logo. A replica of this logo name badge is shown below. Actual size is 1.75" x 3.5".

Name Badge orders are solicited in January each year during the annual membership enrollment and renewal drive. Cost is $7 per badge and badges are usually distributed along with the CTPA directories at the March meeting.

CONTACT US!

Get in touch with the CTPA President via e-mail by clicking here: president@tourguidesofchicago.com. If you prefer to communicate by more traditional means, the full contact information President is on our Home Page.