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| photo by Paul O'Meara @paulomeara |
As you can see, our own Ruthanne Terrero has been pretty busy at Vacation.com's 12th Annual International Conference & Trade Show. Before she addressed the audience at the event, held by the travel industry's largest consortium, she shared several reports that are of interest to agents and members.
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With the "It Only Takes A Minute" incentive, you can win a free ride to the Luxury Travel Expo |
The big news toward the end of the conference was the joint announcement by Vacation.com and American Express in launching a new incentive for members, titled "It Only Takes A Minute." When members book a trip with one of Vacation.com's Preferred Suppliers, they can win up to 15,000 as well as a fully-paid trip to this year's Luxury Travel Expo.
And speaking of luxury, one of the first big announcements at the conference was that Vacation.com will offer its members a luxury travel agency product by the end of the year. The news comes after the consortium reported an increase in luxury travel sales earlier this year. To prep agents in selling this new product, among others, Vacation.com is bolstering its training opportunities as well as expanding its features and Preferred Suppliers.
For starters, there will be more Regional Meetings and Owner & Manager Mixers to come after the consortium had succes in Denver, Boston, Columbus, OH and Rochester, NY. Expect to see some in Orlando, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Jose, CA. If you cannot attend the events, don't worry, Vacation.com is also expanding its training opportunities both virtually and in-office with new programs.
In these meetings and sessions, you'll learn up on the latest developments of feature programs such as the expanded sailings for the 2011 Vacation Vignettes. While you're at it, you'll notice the growing roster of Preferred Suppliers in Vacation.com's network, including the newest member: Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures.
Although it wasn't directly about Vacation.com, another cool gem of information we found out about was Passport Online Inc's new social media service for agents.
The Conference may be drawing to an end, but you can still keep finding the latest news and information about Vacation.com, its product and more at Travel Agent's special section page for the consortium: www.travelagentcentral.com/vacationdot.com.
Keep coming back for more.