travel agent professional july 2015

Travel AgentProfessional

July 2015Issue 37

Keeping Clients —Taking Dating to Long Term MarriageBy Cindy Bertram

Vicki Freed, RCI

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=11





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Travel Agent Professional TA

P2015

Ad In

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64 Keeping Clients — Taking Dating to

Long Term Marriage

By Cindy Bertram

Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

68 My Summer Adventure Begins

By Les-Lee Roland

Owner of The Package Deal

12 The Season of Mists &

Mellow Fruitfulness

By Paull Tickner

16 The Affluent Traveler

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger

President, MJS Consultants

ShowcaseAuto Europe.............................................................15The Well-Being Travel ............................................20Travel MarketPlace..................................................22

July

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July 2015Issue 37

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Amadeus .......................................19

Auto Europe .................................IFC

Britain Greatdays.............................3

HostTravelAgency.com .................23

TRAVELSAVERS.............................21

Royal Caribbean Line ....................BC

Cover Photo: Roelof Bakker

July 2015 Issue 37

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the firstmagazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abelsran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfa-ther, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they tookthe publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agentindustry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agentsthroughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade showsand three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and HomeBased Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the NealAward, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hit-ting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and stay-ing with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by hisword and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping thatthis new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Tradeeditorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel andthose who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent Professional

P.O. Box 120198Staten Island, NY 10312

E-mail:[email protected]

Phone: 718.360.3153

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

[email protected]

Bonnie WallingEditor

[email protected]

Alan CohenVice President Marketing

[email protected]

Meet Our Editorial Board

Paull Tickner,Creator of Special Interest Britain

[email protected]

Cindy Bertram,Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

[email protected]

Mitchell J. SchlesingerPresident, MJS Consultants

[email protected]

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Sherry Laskin, ACCTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

Sue Sh apiro, PresidentShapiro Travel [email protected]

www.shapirotravelresources.com

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

July 2015

The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

This online magazine is dedicated tothe memory of Joel Abels, Travel

Trade's editor and publisher. Joel andhis life's work may be gone, but with

your help it can live on.

Travel AgentProfessional

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July 2015

While attending travel conferences over the past several

years, this question always comes up - “What’s the best way

to not just get that first booking, but get that client to come

back and book again?” Statistics shared are a bit disturbing.

Three out of five people don’t use the same travel profes-

sional when they decide to book their next trip.

So what’s missing? I really think it gets to one key thing. For

people to come back and rebook again and again, our focus

should be on building relationships. We also need to make

sure those clients realize they’re important, that we provide

value, and are passionate about making their travel experi-

ences wonderful and amazing.

In a way, it really is like dating, isn’t it? We need to transition

from dating and “courtship” into building a long term mar-

riage.

By Cindy Bertram

Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

The client relationship just begins with the first sale

Theodore Levitt, a well-known, famous professor at Harvard Business School and author of numerous

business books, including The Marketing Imagination, was also editor of Harvard Business Review.

During his lifetime, Levitt contributed over 25 different articles to Harvard Business Review. One is a

personal favorite of mine - “After the sale is over…”

In this piece, he wrote, “The relationship between a seller and a buyer seldom ends when a sale is

made.” He further explained, “The sale merely consummates the courtship, at which point the mar-

riage begins. How good the marriage is depends on how well the seller manages the relationship. The

quality of the marriage determines whether there will be continued or expanded business, or troubles

and divorce.”

If we think about how that fits building ongoing relationships with our travel clients, it really is like a

marriage, isn’t it? To avoid that “divorce” situation, Levitt so wisely brought up, we need to focus spe-

cial ongoing attention, time and efforts managing the ongoing relationships with our clients.

Keeping Clients —Taking Dating to

Long Term Marriage

5


Keeping Clients —Taking Dating to

Long Term MarriageInsights from Vicki Freed, Royal Caribbean International

Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and

service at Royal Caribbean International, has often addressed

this question of why people don’t come back to rebook.

One key point, she said, is that people usually travel on just

one vacation a year. When they return, they talk up the trip,

share things with their friends, and remember the brand,

including the cruise line and ship they sailed on.

However, during that time, they’ve probably forgotten who

booked their vacation - unless that travel agent professional

has reached out and done ongoing, subtle follow-ups, all in a

genuine, relationship building way.

Pick up the Phone!

“You have to pick up the phone and touch base with those people on a regular basis to build an ongoing

relationship,” Freed said. “In today’s technology world with all the noise around, people want to feel valued

and appreciated.”

She added that travel agents should use the communications tools available to them, but remember some

key points: “E-mail is a monologue, while a phone call is a dialogue.”

It’s critical to view that first client interaction as building the relationship along with having that face to

face connection. Staying in touch with clients after they return from their trip is an ongoing part of building

that relationship. It can be as simple as sending a birthday or anniversary card and just reaching out from

time to time, in a non-sales way.

Pull the “Referral Gene” out of People

“It’s the little things that stand out from the clutter,” Freed said. “People are

loyal to brands, but are not born with a referral gene. We need to ‘pull’ that

referral gene out of people, and there are ways to do that.”

6

How does one do that? “It’s really using a cer-

tain type of phasing when you talk to those

clients.” She added that she likes to tell people, “It

was such a pleasure planning your trip and I’m so

happy I was able to help you have an amazing expe-

rience.” Then she likes to mention that she would

also love to provide the people closest to them the

same type of amazing travel experience as well.

Vicki Freed is also one who’s known for one who

practices what she preaches. While on supplier panels

at a wide range of cruise and travel conferences, she

has talked about how she sends out personal cards

with handwritten short notes on a regular basis.

A favorite quote of hers is from the great

American poet Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that

people will forget what you said, people will forget

what you did, but people will never forget how you

made them feel.”

Freed noted that for travel agent professionals, it’s

really all about making a connection with your

clients. “Be proud of the services you deliver to

people, because your clients will never forget how

you made them feel.”

Bonnie Friedman of VIP Vacations –

Building the Personal Level

A travel colleague of mine, Bonnie

Friedman, owner and president of

VIP Vacations, Inc. already had a

successful business track record

when started her own travel

agency in 1999. A former health

educator and university lecturer,

she is a natural born sales person

who’s passionate about travel.

Over the past 16 years, she has successfully grown her agency and with that, an extremely loyal client base.

She recommends, “Get to know every customer on a personal level. Value their friendship and appreciate

the opportunity to plan their exciting adventures. I maintain the VIP motto of ‘Value, Integrity and

July 2015

7


Professionalism.’ I strive to give each client the ‘VIP treatment’ and provide a personalized and unique

travel experience. Also, never fail to follow up, ask for referrals, listen, share in their enthusiasm, and show

gratitude.”

Building the excitement for upcoming group trips, including her cruises, is another savvy talent Friedman

has. She does this via social media, creating special Facebook pages for those upcoming trips. Her clients

“chime in” about how much fun this particular cruise group trip will be, sharing real stories.

She noted, “My customers have become my advocates. They are my unpaid sales team that keep my

phones ringing. I’m not sure if I’m just lucky or blessed.”

Bonnie Friedman is really what I like to call

the consummate matchmaker. She even said,

“Sometimes I think I’m a ‘travel pimp,’ but in

a good way. I actually network and socialize

to ‘pick up’ clients. Sometimes I use shame-

less lines and surprisingly, they work!

“My best elevator pitch is ‘I can change your

life.’ Although I sell all types of travel, my

most successful trips have become repeat

cruise groups that are predominantly single

professional people.

“Social media has been an easy platform for

my customers who love the idea of traveling

with the camaraderie of a group of like-

minded peers. I loved hearing my last cruise

group described as ‘Summer Camp for

Grown-ups.’

“When I host a group, I always introduce my

clients to each other and make sure that no

one feels left out. The fun times, lasting

friendships and memories made bring them

back year after year. There’s a lot of work

that goes behind the success of these

groups and I can’t think of anything more

rewarding.”

Know Your Clients –

Taking dating into a long term

marriage

Think back to any successful personal genuine rela-

tionships you’ve built over the years. What was

important to you? Being made to feel like you were

special and important? Extra touches that person did

for you that were “above and beyond” what was

normally expected? Perhaps some fun, unexpected

surprises? Along the way, it was very evident that

this person was also genuinely enthusiastic about

creating these memorable experiences for you.

As travel professionals, we can use that passion,

along with taking that same dating scenario mindset

into building long term successful relationships with

our clients. It’s about knowing them, taking it to a

personal level, and realizing that the first sale is

merely a way of “consummating the courtship.” This

is where the long-term marriage actually begins.

I took my first sailing on Star Clippers. I emphasize

the word “first” since I am certain I will return.

It was a total surprise to me that I enjoyed my

one week so much. I have a fear of being in the

water, I do not swim. I was in a boating accident

over 40 years ago, and I was rescued only because

people saw me and my orange life jacket bobbling

in Lake Huron. The bathing suit was already in

shreds. Not a pretty sight.

So why would I even go on a small vessel with

emphasis on water sports, snorkeling, paddle

boarding, kayaking, and interesting destinations?

Even though the Star Clipper, my ship, didn’t

have a platform that came down, their larger

ship, the Royal Clipper does. And they made

sure that we had morning stops at beaches and

provided the equipment FREE for whatever we

wanted to do.

With my way over 100 cruises, I have never been on

a ship that has so many repeaters. I estimate that way

over 80% were constant customers, and many had

signed up for a two week sailing, going to the same

ports! They said they never tire and are never bored.

They fly into Nice and transfer to Cannes — how

bad is that?

The cabins are a decent size with such good

storage, I actually had a place for everything.

July 2015

8

What a whirlwind in June. So much to share.

Le

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By Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

My Summer Adventure Begins

9


Service was exemplary from the first hello to

the last goodbye.

This was a new sailing for Star Clippers - doing the

coastline of Corsica. Even though it is a French

island with an Italian sounding name, everyone is

proud of being a Corsican. We visited L’lle Rousse,

Figaro, Bonifacio (my favorite) Porticcio, Ajaccio,

Porto and a surprise visit to Elba.

Let me get the downsides out of the way, and

this will be quick. There was very limited TV

access for English speaking viewers. Basically, it

was just BBC news. The upside of this is that

you have more interaction with the passengers

enjoying something that is missing from big

ships: conversation! With about 140 people,

everyone becomes a family quickly - yes, even

those from France and Germany and the U.K.

There was always conversation – evening enter-

tainment consisted of interaction, not produc-

tion shows.

The only thing I do recommend is to do your own

research in advance about the ports. On this new

sailing, little info was given out. But I have been

told that on their other ships, the info is plentiful.

Shore excursions are optional, but at most stops,

the passengers explored on their own. With a lit-

tle fast checking on the Internet, you could have a

surprise adventure every day.

The one excursion most people signed on for was

to visit a World Heritage Site, the Scandola Nature

Reserve. It was a maze of jagged and sheer cliffs,

with inlets and coves that only a small vessel could

maneuver through. So very interesting!

I discovered the art of walking – yes, walking is a

big part of the ports and of the ship, since

there’s no elevators. But with the minimum of

steps between the three decks and top side, I

actual ly looked forward to the exercise .

Anything to work off those extra calories. I

My Summer Adventure Begins

10

July 2015

especially loved the plentiful veggies and salads –

so European.

The beauty of the ship that makes it unique to

other vessels with sails is that 70% of the time you

are sailing and not motoring. That’s almost double

the under-sail time of other lines. The way the keel

is designed, the ride is smooth and quiet. You can

feel comfortable booking your clients on the lower

deck – or for a slight increase of $100 or so, the

middle deck. Now why can’t river cruises have

price equality like Star Clippers?

Our final port was to be St Tropez, But a rain-

storm was brewing that would hinder our tender-

ing in. If this had been a mega ship, they would have

just stayed at sea to wait out the storm. But our

Captain had options and made sure we didn’t miss

a sightseeing day.

He announced we would sail to Portofino. Who knew

that these cobblestone narrow paths were the Rodeo

Drive of the area? The scenery was breathtaking.

11


I will certainly market this to groups of couples

or singles, especially people who like to take pho-

tos. One gal on our sailing took 4000 shots.

Thank goodness for digital cameras.

The cruise is what you choose to make it. If

you want quiet time, just hang out on the top

deck and relax – possibly by sharing a giant

hammock off the side of the ship, big enough

for 20 people. You can stretch out and watch

the dolphins swimming next to the hammock,

an experience you can’t have on these 4000

passenger ships.

For the daring, you can climb a rope ladder to the

crow’s nest, wearing a safety belt. And the first

person in line for the climb was a 70-year-old

woman! Besides my fear of water, I have a fear of

heights. So I had fun watching the others do this

once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

The Captain must live on coffee, since he was

always around. He would go out and check the

areas, before we got on the tenders. And he was

welcoming us back when we returned.

Passengers were able to mingle with the officers

who would explain the charts and share their

experiences and watch the crew hoist the sails -

on this ship, 17 was the magic number. Their larg-

er ship has 42 sails.

With ships in the Med for the summer, and in the

Caribbean during the winter, (out of St Maartin

or Barbados), and their new sailings in Asia, I rec-

ommend you go through your database to see

who you can market this to.

Just remember to qualify your clients. Even with-

out the elevator, no casino, and some multilingual

sailings, this can be a unique experience.

The rates are extremely reasonable with many

dates where single supplements are waived, and

the itineraries so interesting, Star Clippers is

more affordable than the mega ships.

July 2015

Pa

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Paull Tickner has been designing and operating niche travel programmes for the UK and Ireland for over 30 years.

For more information E-mail Paull at [email protected]

12

This first line in John Keats’ “Ode to Autumn”

sums up the appeal of England in the fall when the

Indian summer days are awash with bright ideas for

shoulder season travel. An abundance of fairs and fes-

tivals have themes like food, gardens, literature, tex-

tiles and antiques, offering creative tour planners the

chance to develop eye catching new travel experi-

ences.

Here are a few suggestions for you to think about for

the many untapped sources on your doorstep.

By Paull Tickner

The Season of Mists Mellow

Fruitfulness

Top Photo By: Henry Wilmer

A Taste of Olde England

Think about a foodie tour that starts with the Melton Mowbray Food Festival

(Oct. 3-4), one of the largest regional food events in the country. Set in the

heart of the U.K.’s rural capital of food, it is home to traditional Melton

Mowbray Pork Pies and Stilton Cheese, delicious artisan cheeses, gold-infused

bubbly, steamed puddings, chocolate kebabs, gourmet British game and locally-

brewed ales.

With a couple of days of

pubs and tearooms in the

Cotswolds, complete the

trip at The Great Bath

Feast, held throughout

October. It’s one of the hottest prospects on the food

calendar this year, with an extensive list of unique

activities, celebrity appearances, and remarkably

diverse gourmet food.

Shades of Autumn

If your garden contacts missed this year’s Chelsea

Flower Show, talk to them about a trip to the Shades

of Autumn Show. Staged by the Royal Horticultural

Society (RHS) in London between Oct. 23-24, it’s an

art and design show that celebrates the beauty of

autumn colour and it’s packed with inspirational planti-

ng ideas to extend the gardening season. Expand the

potential with a visit to Kew Gardens, a side trip to the

RHS Garden at Wisley, a West End theatre show and

some shopping time.


13The Season of Mists Mellow

Fruitfulness&

July 2015

Girls Getaway to London and Paris

October is a great time for a Girls Getaway. Start with a sophisticated London 3-

night shopping program and add a Eurostar train ride to Paris for three more nights.

There, you can browse at leisure in the Galeries Lafayette or Printemps depart-

ment stores on the Boulevard Haussmann in the Saint-Honoré fashion district,

or go designer shopping on the Avenue Montaigne and Avenue des Champs-

Elysées. Also, check out the St-Ouen flea market (the city’s largest) and for

eclectic fashion, unique jewellery and fine art head for Le Marais. Fly into

London and back from Paris or vice versa.

Quilting, Knitting and Stitching

As you’re sure to have clients who are interested in quilting, let’s put our heads together and create a tour

based around the Scottish Quilt Championships, Sept. 25-28. If sewing and knitting is more their thing, let’s

apply our little grey cells to the Knitting and Stitching Show in London (Oct. 7-11) or in Harrogate (Nov.

26-29). The two shows cover everything from home furnishings and crochet to quilting and dressmaking.

Antiques, Collectors Fairs and London Markets

Here’s another shopping trip, but this time with a focus on 1700 indoor and outdoor stalls at the

International Antiques and Collectors Fair at Ardingly (early September and early November) and the

London markets at Bermondsey, Portobello, Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane. I’ve also included a tour of the

exotic Royal Pavilion, a visit to a privately owned castle on the way to London and a visit to the extraordi-

nary Dennis Severs House as part of the Sunday Londoner’s London programme.

The Cheltenham Literary Festival

For lovers of fiction, culture and books, the Cheltenham Literary Festival (Oct. 2-11) boasts one of the

most remarkable line-ups of writing greats that you’re likely to see. In its spectacular program of over 500

events, the festival touches upon subjects as diverse as history, politics, sport, food and fashion.

All the events are carefully designed to bring together highly sought-after speakers creating stimulating,

surprising, and entertaining events that ignite once-in-a-lifetime conversations. The festival’s spectacular

Book It! family program also offers an unrivalled array of events for children and young people. Sign up at

www.cheltenhamfestivals.com to be the first to hear the 2015 line-up.

14

1 . 8 0 0 . 2 2 3 . 5 5 5 5 • w w w. a u t o e u r o p e . c o m39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112

Auto Europe Introduces New Wi-FiCalling App

Auto Europe is introducing their new Wi-Fi Calling App, Auto Europe Talk, which allows

travelers to make calls via Wi-Fi avoiding high roaming charges, to any phone from over

195 countries for pennies per minute.

The free Auto Europe Talk App is available from iTunes or Google Play App stores and is

compatible with iPhone® 4S, 5, 5S, 5C 6 & 6 plus as well as iPad®, iPad® mini and

Android phones. Additional benefits include free app-to-app calling, crystal clear Wi-Fi

calls as low as $.02 a minute (comparable to 98% savings with other North American

Network providers), domestic and international calling, US telephone number and voice

mail. The App is also preprogrammed with a speed dial to Auto Europe’s customer ser-

vice department for assistance from Europe. Visit http://autoeurope.wirelesstraveler.com

to learn more.

“More and more travel agents have indicated to us that staying in touch is very important

to the traveler especially when abroad. We also want to make it as easy as possible for

our customers to contact us if they need to so we see the calling App as another big step

to satisfying the needs of our travelers and another tool for our travel partners. The Auto

Europe Talk program also fits in perfectly with our mission which is to provide our cus-

tomers with meaningful products and services at the best rates,” said Imad Khalidi, CEO.

Auto Europe services over 20,000 car rental locations in over 180 countries worldwide.

In addition, through their tour division, Destination Europe, they offer scheduled airfare

to Europe with over thirty carriers and service 3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels. For addi-

tional information contact your local sales representative or Auto Europe at (800) 223-

5555. Visit their web site at http://www.autoeurope.com.

Showcase

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July 2015

The affluent travel market

represents a HUGE earning

opportunity, IF you are prepared to

fulfill the “caviar wishes and

champagne dreams” of the affluent

travel market. And never has the

phrase “follow the money”, been

more meaningful.

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger

President, MJS Consultants, [email protected]

16The Affluent TravelerExceptional Service, Experien ces & Value =

Exceptional Earning Opportunities

From a demographic standpoint, the affluent segment, has its own distinct characteristics:

•It spans a wide spectrum of age and family groups. We have never been more affluent as a society

and this attainment of wealth, includes a younger demographic with “new” money, baby boomers

who are inheriting in significant amounts, and seniors/retirees with a lifetime of “old” money.

•The extent of the wealth is significant. While small in terms of percentage of the population,

affluent consumers are valued at $400-500 billion worldwide and luxury research resources

indicate that could double over the next 5-10 years.

•And because affluent consumers span demographic groups, it is even more important to follow the

money. In many cases affluence creates its own indicators of where these consumers live and spend

dollars in a local market. While they may not be “recognizable” in a supermarket, they certainly are

in expensive housing communities, foreign car dealerships, upscale shopping malls, specialty bou-

tiques, country clubs etc. Following the money is an excellent way for you to source these clients.

17


It is the psychographic characteristics of the affluent segment that are

challenging and you must be prepared to

meet their extensive needs:

•SERVICE is central. It must be very personalized, (but not stuffy), attentive, professional and

reflect the experience they will encounter on their trip. There is an expectation by each customer

that they are literally, your ONLY customer. This is how you earn their initial trust.

•The second aspect of fulfilling service expectations is your cataloging all of their personal tastes,

needs, wants, etc. This includes room locations at hotels or on cruise ships, favorite wines, dining

arrangements, activities, etc. As you plan for them, you are not asking, but confirming that this

meets their desires. It reflects a very personalized approach to service.

•Luxury travel is about experiences and emotional reactions to them. These experiences come in

two (2) major categories. The first is the physical surroundings, at a resort, on a cruise ship etc. It

includes both the things they expect (great beds, high sheet thread counts, fancy bathroom ameni-

ties, wonderful dining etc.) and special touches and services they did not expect (neck massages at

the pool, special transfers, champagne on the beach, cold towels brought to them on a golf course),

especially at unexpected locations.

•The second category is focused on the destination and how they “experience” it. This cannot be

the standard or ordinary, but must enable them to return with “emotional memories”. Boutique

lunches or dinners, tickets for performances in St. Petersburg or the Sydney Opera House, exclu-

sive tour events, personal interactions, etc. The goal is for your clients to return with memories of

specific experiences. You must be cognizant to attract them with travel opportunities that will fulfill

these “experiential” expectations.

The Affluent TravelerExceptional Service, Experien ces & Value =

Exceptional Earning Opportunities

18

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July 2015

•Don’t ever presume that the affluent with are not concerned with cost. They have achieved affluence

in most cases because they are savvy consumers. They understand that the things they want cost

more, but value is something they will demand. They may live in expensive homes and drive expensive

cars, but they also shop at COSTCO, just like everyone else. The expectation of value never escapes

them, ESPECIALLY, if they have a sense of what something should cost. Sell them the travel that will

fulfill their psychographic for prestige and exclusivity, just make sure that they clearly see the “value”

in what they are spending.

•There are excellent websites (justluxe.com and 4hoteliers.com) with information and articles on lux-

ury traveler expectations and new and innovative products for them.

There are two final vital aspects you must incorporate if you are to besuccessful in dealing with the affluent market:

1Be imaginative in sending information to stimulate travel appetites and retain

loyalty. A personalized letter on textured paper with a new brochure from a

luxury cruise line including a request to “make an appointment” to discuss new

itineraries and destinations. An email with a web link for a new resort in a des-

tination they indicated interest in visiting. For golfers, a complete itinerary for a

7 day package in Hawaii, Pinehurst or Scotland. And at birthday/anniversary

time, send something they will regard as personal.

2And finally, everything comes down to your ability to have prospective clients

recognize that you are an expert at selling luxury travel and servicing affluent

clients. This includes a style you portray that reflects the level of service clients

can expect, communicating the “experiential” elements they seek and recom-

mending upscale travel alternatives that meet their expectations. You must

establish yourself as a “luxury service” brand that clients will trust, learn to

rely on and best of all, share with their affluent family and friends.

1The affluent customer segment represents a significant compensation opportu-

nity that can change the way you approach selling travel overall. I have a very

close friend in the retail business who, every year, sends a group of 20-30

guests on a full world cruise. Consider that. If there is an affluent audience

prevalent in your marketplace, you have the opportunity to make this travel

July 2015

Well-Being Travel Symposium DeliversUnmatched Content and Trade Show

Showcase

For more information about the speakers and sessions that we have prepared and toregister, visit www.wellnesstravelsymposium.com.

The Well-Being Travel Symposium two-day conference,

held in Toronto, was attended by over 150 travel profes-

sionals. The attendees participated in group and panel

sessions, networked with peers and attended a trade

show that had nearly 70 exhibitors, including many

tourism boards. Although wellness travel is a relatively

new niche, it has already broken the rules and now

spans everything from spa getaways and spiritual healing

to holistic nutrition, medical travel, wilderness programs

and wellness resorts and cruises. The theme at the con-

ference brought to the surface the overwhelming

demand to reconnect with a simpler healthier way of life

and how travel agents can embrace this new market.

“We are thrilled that so many travel professionals

joined us in Toronto to exercise their minds to learn

more about wellness travel, products and services

and to hear how suppliers are responding to the

healthy consumer,” says Anne Marie Moebes,

Executive Vice President, Well-Being Travel.

“Travelers are becoming more conscious of their

mental and physical well-being when they're travel-

ing and they want to blend these interests and activi-

ties into their vacations. We are so excited about the

success of this year’s Well-Being Travel Symposium

that we are already planning the 2016 program!”

“I attend this conference to learn from; wellness profes-

sionals, spa directors, my peers, hotel executives and

destinations that are related to health and wellness trav-

el, including the ever popular traveling for medical

treatments,” says Jeri Donovan, Founder of Well

Traveled, Certified Wellness Travel Specialist. “In addi-

tion, the conference offers sessions about how to;

advance my business, create a future vision, and use

social media and marketing to grow my bottom line.”

Over 40 years of travel industry success Full staff of personal business consultants Unique protected territory system Excellent preferred supplier relationships Award-winning suite of marketing programs Social media tools Powerful technology solutions Proprietary cruise booking engine Website and mobile solutions Meeting and incentive resources Hotel program with rich amenities A full suite of corporate travel solutions Over 19 travel brands servicing you daily

We invite you to learn more about why our

The TRAVELSAVERS Difference.

Over 40 years of travel industry success Full staff of personal business consultants Unique protected territory system Excellent preferred supplier relationships Award-winning suite of marketing programs Social media tools Powerful technology solutions Proprietary cruise booking engine Website and mobile solutions Meeting and incentive resources Hotel program with rich amenities A full suite of corporate travel solutions Over 19 travel brands servicing you daily

We invite you to learn more about why our

The TRAVELSAVERS Difference.

July 2015

Travel MarketPlace Conference and Trade Show Exceeds Expectations

The second annual Travel MarketPlace Conference drew over400 attendees to Toronto last week to educate travel agents withover 30 sessions and panel discussions, a trade show with nearly70 exhibitors and networking opportunities. Topics ran the gamutfrom; learning the power of the end-to-end sales process to digitaldata, marketing and social media and how to create partnershipsand the importance of hiring the right person for your team. Theexhibit hall brought everyone together to share experiences andmeet with suppliers and the many tourism boards who do notgenerally get to meet directly with agents.

“The Travel MarketPlace conference is my annual resource foreducation about how to manage and grow my business. Itprovides the right mix of broad concept sessions, detailedworkshops and panel discussions. The trade show was filled withenergy and offered the perfect balance for agents to network withsuppliers,” says Flemming Friisdahl, Founder, The Travel AgentNext Door.

“I have not seen anything like the Travel MarketPlace conferencein a long time. The event was the perfect platform to delivereducation and training for travel agents to fine-tune, brand andgrow their business so that they can add greater value toconsumers,” says David McCaig, President & COO, ACTA.

Travel Marketplace was a great show. Air Canada was excited toparticipate in this educational event for the travel agencycommunity in Canada. The speakers, agents and suppliers wereengaged and we were able to meet many of them during the tradeshow to discuss their marketing plans for the remainder of theyear,” says Steve Goodfellow, Director, Sales - Eastern Canada.

“We doubled the number of attendees in just our second year! Atrue testament to that fact that we are meeting the learning needsof Canadian travel agents by providing them with education andtopics that are relevant and meaningful, enabling them to growtheir business to new levels of excellence,” says Anne MarieMoebes, Publisher, Travel Market Report.

Showcase

About Travel Market Report

Travel Market Report is an online

business publication that serves as

an independent forum and voice for

retail travel sellers around the globe.

We provide in-depth coverage and

analysis of news and trends affecting

leisure and corporate travel agents,

along with practical business advice

and insights into key growth

markets. The editors are guided by

an independent Editorial Advisory

Board whose members represent a

cross-section of the retail travel

industry in North America.

Launched in 2009 by American

Marketing Group, Travel Market

Report delivers news updates by

email to subscribers.

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