Vacation.com Conference: Agency Awards and Power of Partnership Awards
Vacation.com presented the 2008 Agency Awards and the Power of the Partnership (POP) awards to honor top member agencies and preferred suppliers during its recent 10th Annual Conference, held at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
The 2008 Agency Awards honored the members in North America who produced the highest amount of preferred supplier revenue, as well as agencies with largest year-over-year growth within the last year.
“The Vacation.com mission has always been to facilitate The Power of the Partnership through exceptional preferred supplier offerings for our members and their clients and it is important for us to acknowledge those agencies that use this partnership to their full advantage,” said Steve Tracas, president and CEO, Vacation.com.
Awards were presented to nine agencies in two categories: Chairman’s Award for the highest preferred supplier sales, and President’s Award for the largest preferred supplier sales growth in three revenue categories.
Chairman’s Award:
U.S. Agency – Cruise.com, Port Everglades, FL.
Canadian Agency – Merit Travel Group Inc., Toronto, ON.
President’s Award:
U.S. Agencies – Continental Travel Group, Coconut Grove, FL; Campbell Travel-Landmark Vacations, Dallas, TX; Cain Travel, Boulder, CO; Crucon Cruise Outlet, Center Harbor, N.H.
Canadian Agenies – Solaway Travel Ltd., Burnaby, BC; Eglinton Travel Downsview, ON and BNW Travel Management Ltd., Vancouver, BC.
The POP Awards honored the preferred supplier partners who consistently met the needs of member agencies. The awards were distributed based on votes from Vacation.com members.
“The POP Awards were designed to reinforce the value of a Vacation.com partnership by recognizing and rewarding those suppliers that present quality products and programs to our members and their clients,” said Tracas.
POP awards were bestowed upon 14 companies in 11 categories.
U.S. Tour Partner of the Year: Globus Family of Brands
Canada Tour Partner of the Year: Signature Vacations
Hotel & Resort Partner of the Year: Marriott International
U.S. Insurance Partner of the Year: AIG Travel Guard
Canada Insurance Partner of the Year: RBC Insurance
Car Rental Partner of the Year: The Hertz Corporation
U.S. Airline/Consolidator Partner of the Year: Air New Zealand
Canada Airline/Consolidator Partner of the Year: Intair
Rail/Ground Transportation Partner of the Year: Amtrak
President’s Partner of the Year: Globus Family of Brands
Premium Cruise Partner of the Year: Holland America Line
Luxury Cruise Partner of the Year: Crystal Cruises
Specialty Cruise Partner of the Year: Viking River Cruise
Contemporary Cruise Partner of the Year: Royal Caribbean International.
Members submitted votes over a two-month period via www.AgentNet.com. Judging was based on a specific criteria including quality of service; marketing support provided to agencies; value delivered by suppliers; point of differentiation offered; reliability, responsiveness and effective problem-solving; and overall commitment to the travel agent channel. Visit www.AgentNet.com.
By: George Dooley
Vacation.com Conference: Hotel Elite and World Connect Programs Launched
Hotel Elite, Vacation.com’s newest hotel program, featuring contracted space with negotiated rates and higher commissions, was introduced by Vacation.com during its 10th Annual Conference in Las Vegas. The new program can generate commissions of 13 to 15 percent for agents and expands sales opportunities in the luxury vacation market.
"Affluent customers are the best clients as they tend to remain loyal to an agent who serves them well," said Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com. “Hotel Elite is designed to stack the cards in our members’ favor by exceeding client expectations, while increasing the agent’s commission as well.”
Travelers booked through Hotel Elite will receive an enhanced experience at approximately 100 of the world’s most luxurious properties including room upgrades, free breakfast, early/late check-in when available and local offices in nearly every major city to assist vacationers.
All properties in the Hotel Elite luxury portfolio can be booked centrally through Vacation.com preferred supplier Travel Bound at 800-316-3136. A complete listing of the four and five star properties is available on the Hotel Elite portal on AgentNet.
Vacation.com also launched its new World Connect program, designed to create commissionable, personally tailored experiences for clients via one toll-free number without having to contact multiple overseas companies. World Connect offers concierge level support in 40 destination cities. Vacation.com members can use World Connect by calling 800-316-3136.
By: George Dooley
Vacation.com Conference: $1,000 Incentive with EZguider
Steve Tracas, president and CEO of Vacation.com announced today at the 10th Annual Conference that member agencies will receive a $1,000 first-year booking incentive when they sign on for EZguider, a new and fully integrated, leisure-focused selling system and booking platform. Tracas said the EZguider platform being launched at the four-day conference was a significant advancement for Vacation.com’s 5,000-plus members. Agents will have the ability to research, plan, quote and book comprehensive cruise, tour, insurance and ancillary travel products in an all-inclusive, easy-to-use internet site.
Developed for the exclusive use of Vacation.com members, EZguider will be provided at no additional cost to members. The booking-based incentive as high as $1,000 is being offered in the first 12 months after they begin using EZguider. The platform offers a dedicated booking engine that connects preferred suppliers on one desktop platform.
Air capabilities will be added later this year, Tracas said. EZguider will offer a diversity of suppliers and products previously unavailable in a single travel agent desktop anywhere in North America. "As our industry continues to grow both in complexity and volume, we are driven to develop new tools for our members to ensure they stay ahead of their competitors," Tracas said.
EZguider will also bring more value to Vacation.com’s preferred suppliers, Tracas said. The state-of-the-art platform includes a variety of features such as side-by-side product comparisons, integration with software already in use by member agents including TRAMS, client record management and tracking of bookings. Agents will access EZguider via their AgentNet desktop.
Tracas also said that over 60 percent of Vacation.com membership revenue is now driven by the cruise segment. During the conference, Vacation.com members will be urged to register to use EZguider. Extensive training support will be offered agents throughout the year, Tracas said. The conference includes over 400 learning and networking opportunities, including nearly 200 hours of training in Vacation.com’s extensive marketing and technology programs.
By: George Dooley
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