Vacation.com Kicks Off 16th Annual Conference and Trade Show

John Lovell, president of Vacation.com, at the opening event
John Lovell, president of Vacation.com, at the opening event

Travel Agent is on location this week in Las Vegas as Vacation.com hosts its 16th International Conference & Trade Show, the first major event for the company that shows off its new brand strategy, Belong. Inspire. Grow.

Vacation.com launched its brand strategy in the beginning of the year with a new logo, a new website and a fresh, new style that speaks more to our digital world. Approximately 1,500 agents and suppliers are on location at Caesars Palace this week for the program.

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The event kicked off yesterday, June 8, with an opening general session where John Lovell, president of Vacation.com, welcomed attendees to the All Access-themed event. “All access begins now,” he said. “Access to the tools for your growth, to a whole new world of opportunity.”

Tiffany Glass, COO of Vacation.com, took the stage next to preview a couple of new solutions that Vacation.com is bringing to its inventory. The first is well-known by members, CruisePRO, but Glass announced a few new enhancements that agents can look forward to, which we will detail later. Glass also discussed Agent Snapshot, which is Vacation.com’s latest way for agents to market themselves as a brand, convey their value and merchandise their inner travel agent. 

RELATED: At Vacation.com Conference, Passport Online Launches Automated Social Media Posting for Travel Agents

Finally, Stephen McGillivray, CMO of Vacation.com, took the stage to discuss that tidal wave that is sweeping the industry: Millennials. “One of the reasons you belong to Vacation.com is because you look to us to keep you on the front edge of the wave in terms of technology, trends and marketing,” he said. “Agent Snapshot is the latest tool to help you get ready for the next generation of travelers.”

McGillivray detailed how the Boomer generation has been the most lucrative for agents for years, and will continue to keep agents relevant for many years to come, but the Millennial generation, the children of these Boomers who grew up traveling to far-flung destinations, cannot be ignored.

“Seventy percent of Millennials want to visit every continent, and 75 percent want to travel abroad as much as possible,” McGillivray said.

Agent Snapshot is the connection to position agents online to reach these Millennials in a way that speaks to them, McGillivray said. Millennials trust peer reviews, customer ratings and chats with friends. Agent Snapshot allows travel agents to reach these travelers on their level. “They want to do business with people they trust. They want to talk to people who have specializations. They want to deal with someone who is inspired and has a passion for what’s important.”

Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for more updates on Vacation.com’s 16th International Conference and Trade Show.