Results! Travel recently finished hosting its National Meeting, which ran from September 23 - 25 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. At the event, which saw a record number of registered participants, members learned about the new opportunities that will be available starting January 1, 2017, as Results! Travel becomes part of the new Travel Leaders Network.
Travel Leaders Network, which was announced back in August by Travel Leaders Group, will combine three of the group’s agency brands into a new entity: Results! Travel, Vacation.com and Travel Leaders Associates. The names Vacation.com and Results! will sunset as a result of the move.
The theme of this past weekend’s National Meeting, “The Next Chapter,” is a reference to the upcoming changes for Results! as it becomes part of Travel Leaders Network, John Risner, vice president and general manager of Results! Travel, said during a fireside chat with John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Network and Leisure Group, and Roger E. Block, president of Travel Leaders Network.
At the meeting executives highlighted the new educational marketing initiatives that will be available to help current Results! Travel Members grow their businesses, better serve their clientele and gain new leads:
CruisePRO — A cruise booking tool -- exclusive to Travel Leaders Network members -- that aims to make booking and comparing cruises simple. By understanding the key features and benefits of using CruisePRO, Members will have more power and information at their fingertips, as well as time-savings, effectively increasing their bottom line, executives said.
AgentMate — Members can increase their front office efficiency with this proprietary next generation business solution for travel agencies. The online tool manages the client database, back-office accounting, invoicing, group inventory, and more.
Agent Profiler — Members will be able to create their Agent Profile, determine their target audience, identify their unique selling proposition, and initiate reviews and ratings from their existing clients – exclusively through this proprietary offering.
Other highlights on the agenda included:
Keynote speaker Haydn Shaw, who has been hailed as a “leadership guru” by The Washington Post, delivered the keynote address: “Don’t Miss Half the Market: Selling to Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Millennials.” He discussed the need to understand the differences between the generations in hiring and retaining employees, as well as, selling and communication techniques. He also presented a workshop entitled “Leading through Change: Why Change Stalls and What You Can Do about It.”
Understanding The 6 Change Reactions. Although change may be the new normal, it invokes a variety of emotions in people. This humorous presentation helped agents identify how they respond to change and how to make it through change faster, and easier.
Travel to Cuba. This workshop was designed to demystify Cuba by highlighting what the United States’ relaxed policies governing travel mean for travelers.
Multi-Generational Groups. This session taught attendees how to effectively plan and market multi-generational travel and how best to take advantage of the increase in group travel opportunities – all while increasing their customer base and adding more revenue to their bottom line.
Department of Labor Wage & Hour Law. This workshop reviewed the new DOL ruling on salary thresholds as they relate to overtime pay protections under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Taking ClientBase a Step Further. In this workshop, Members received an overview of the Res Card feature in ClientBase for integrating all processes in trip planning and using Live Connect to improve efficiencies.
Puzzling for Profits. This agent incentive program, in its third year, recognized and rewarded those agents and Independent Contractors (ICs) who learned more about participating suppliers to improve their selling techniques.
The “Experience Room,” a trade show format staffed by subject matter experts from the Travel Leaders Network headquarters team, was designed to provide one-on-one opportunities to answer questions or demonstrate “how to” regarding various program offerings and wide-ranging tools.