How an Encore Performance Tour Works: From Planning to Final Concert

Planning an international performance tour can feel very different depending on where you are starting. Some directors are organizing their first trip overseas. Some have traveled before but are new to Encore. Others have led domestic tours and are exploring an international experience for the first time.

If you are looking for ideas, you can browse plenty of sample itineraries on our destinations pages. Every Encore tour, however, is fully customized based on your ensemble, your goals, and what matters most to your travelers. When you are ready to take the next step, request a quote and a Program Consultant will start shaping options for your group.

Wherever you are coming from, the goal is the same: a tour that feels well planned, transparent, and fully supported from the first conversation through the final performance.

Encore performance tours are shaped by more than three decades of experience designing educational travel worldwide. As a division of ACIS, established in 1978, Encore benefits from the financial stability, global infrastructure, and institutional knowledge of a larger organization, while remaining fully focused on performance travel. The process below exists because it has been refined over thousands of tours and built to support directors at every stage.

This is how an Encore performance tour comes together.

Step One: The First Conversation

Every Encore tour begins with a conversation, not a commitment.

This initial discussion is designed to understand your goals, experience level, and priorities. Directors often come to this conversation with ideas at very different stages, from early curiosity to a clear vision of where they want to go. All of that is expected.

During this first conversation, Encore is listening for:

• The type of ensemble you lead
• Your group’s experience with travel
• Musical and educational goals
• Timing considerations
• Budget range and flexibility

You are not expected to have final numbers, confirmed repertoire, or a locked plan. This stage is about determining fit and direction. If something feels too early to decide, we say so. Transparency starts here.

Step Two: Your Proposal Becomes a Living Planning Page

After the initial conversation, Encore creates a proposal, but it is not a static document or a generic itinerary.

Your Encore proposal is delivered as a custom landing page designed to act as a working planning hub for your tour. It brings together the key details of your itinerary, helpful links and resources, and clear options so you can plan with confidence.

A typical proposal includes:

• A personalized overview of your tour goals
• A thoughtfully paced day-by-day itinerary
• Clear explanations of what is included and what is optional
• A link to your TripSite, which participants will later use to register and manage their accounts
• An overview of director support and benefits

Because group size and participation are still taking shape at this stage, proposals are intentionally built around options rather than assumptions. You may see:

• Multiple pricing scenarios based on estimated enrollment
• Variations that account for directors, assistants, and chaperones traveling free
• Land-only and land-and-air options
• Scholarship or fundraising considerations, including scholarship opportunities and our Fabulous Fundraiser
• Sample performance venues
• Sample hotels selected for location, comfort, and logistical practicality

If something is a sample, it is clearly labeled as such. If something is not yet confirmed, we explain what needs to happen for it to be finalized. The purpose of the proposal is not to lock you in prematurely, but to give you clarity so you can make informed decisions. Proposals also include details on price guarantees and our travel protection options so you understand how your tour is protected from unexpected changes.

Step Three: Reviewing and Refining the Plan

Once you have reviewed the proposal, the process becomes collaborative.

Directors commonly use this stage to adjust pacing, refine destinations, rebalance rehearsal and sightseeing time, or explore alternate pricing scenarios. Encore’s role is to advise based on experience, explain tradeoffs clearly, and help refine a plan that works in practice, not just on paper.

If revisions are needed, we make them. If a decision benefits from waiting, we say that too. The goal is not speed. The goal is confidence.

Step Four: Opening Registration

When you are ready to move forward, registration opens and the tour begins to take shape as a real program for students and families.

At this stage, participants register individually and billing is handled directly by Encore. Directors can choose between individual billing and group billing based on what works best for their program. Either way, Encore handles the logistics and participant questions directly, while you retain clear visibility into your group.

Registration is not about pressure. It is about clarity. Families understand what the tour includes, how payments work, and what support is in place. Directors gain real enrollment data that informs the next planning phase.

Encore also supports directors through the recruitment process itself, offering guidance, resources, and participation in recruitment meetings when helpful, so you are never navigating enrollment alone.

Step Five: Confirming Flights, Hotels, and Performances

This phase is where experience matters most.

Flights, hotels, transportation, and performance venues each follow their own timelines. Some elements confirm earlier than others, and Encore communicates progress clearly so you always know what is confirmed, what is still in progress, and what to expect next.

Encore’s ability to offer guaranteed pricing, comprehensive protection plans, and steady problem-solving is rooted in decades of operating tours at scale and the stability of a larger organization behind the scenes. If something changes, you will know. If something is not finalized yet, you will understand why and what comes next.

Step Six: Preparing for Departure

As departure approaches, Encore shifts focus toward preparation.

This includes pre-departure communication, final travel documentation, and the introduction of your Tour Manager. Directors receive guidance on preparing students and families so expectations are clear and nothing feels rushed or uncertain.

By the time you depart, the goal is for you to feel informed, supported, and ready.

Step Seven: On Tour

Once on tour, roles are clearly defined.

Encore’s Tour Managers handle logistics, coordination, and real-time problem solving. Performances, transportation, accommodations, and daily schedules are managed so directors can focus on their ensemble and students.

Experience shows up as calm. Most issues are handled before they become visible, and those that do arise are resolved quickly and professionally.

Step Eight: Returning Home and Looking Ahead

The tour does not end when the plane lands.

Encore follows up after travel to close out details, gather feedback, and support next steps. Many directors find that returning home brings new perspective on their ensemble and program, and for some, it naturally leads to planning a future tour or engaging more deeply with the Encore director community through Prelude.

Why This Process Works

Encore’s approach is the result of decades of refinement and thousands of performance tours. Transparency, flexibility, and communication are built into the process because experience has shown they matter.

A successful performance tour is not defined only by where you perform. It is defined by how confidently you get there and how supported you feel at every step.

Ready to explore what an Encore performance tour could look like for your ensemble? Browse our destinations pages for inspiration, then request a quote to receive a customized proposal and talk through ideas with a Program Consultant.