Column: Why You Should Embrace Change in Your Travel Business

John McMahon Executive vice president/Group Publisher
John McMahon Executive vice president/Group Publisher

As many of you know, we lost a baseball legend last month — the New York Yankees’ great Hall of Fame catcher, Yogi Berra. After taking time from his early pro career to fight in World War II, Yogi went on to earn 10 World Championship rings as a player and, as a manager, he won a pennant with both the Yankees and the Mets. These were his accomplishments on the field. Off the field, he was a gentleman who never got caught up in controversy like so many athletes today do.

What he is probably most well known for among the current generation is what came to be known as “Yogisms.” Perhaps the most recognizable and widely repeated ones were “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” and “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

I must say these two sayings resonate with me when I think about the travel professional community and how you all stand true to your resilience in adapting your business to the ever-changing landscape of travel. This industry is not, and never will be, “over.”

Agents take in a panel discussion at Travel Industry Exchange.
Agents take in a panel discussion at Travel Industry Exchange.

We feel these words as well. Travel Agent magazine in its 85-plus years of existence has had to adapt again and again over time. Our brand exists in helping you become the best you can be and guide you at those forks in the road. A new road we just took — and one that we hope you will follow us on — is Travel Industry Exchange, held last month in Orlando. The only event of its kind that is all about specialization, Travel Industry Exchange received tremendous positive feedback from agents and suppliers alike. In this issue you will read about some of what you missed if you couldn’t be there and gain some insights into what was learned by the agents who attended.

I hope to see you next year in San Diego on a road that will lead you to a Yogi-like success, with no worries on what road to take in that fork. We will continue to guide travel professionals as we have for almost as long as Yogi Berra lived on this Earth.