Nancy Paredes, Peter Ouzounov & Allison Ramos hosted the educational
evening for Avalon Waterways.
An enthusiastic group crowded the meeting room in anticipation of thepresentation.
Wendi Peterson & Yukako Carrothers of ExpediaCruiseShipCenters with
Peter and Ming.
Avalon Waterways has been hosting agent events across Canada and the U.S. for the last few months and their road show took place in Vancouver last week on the 3-stop BC portion of the tour. Held in an intimate meeting room of the Georgian Court Hotel, over 60 agents packed the room for cocktails, pasta buffet and to learn about Avalon's 2017 product offerings.
In addition to local BDM hosts Peter Ouzounov and Allison Ramos, the guest speaker was Nancy Paredes, one of Avalon's onboard Cruise Directors who has been with the company since 2009. As a veteran of river cruising since 2002, Nancy has a wealth of knowledge in the business having worked on other river brands and hashelped develop many river cruise programs from their infancy. But she is most proud to be working for Avalon, and her enthusiasm clearly shows. Nancy spoke passionately about river cruising, while pointing out Avalon's unique features and benefits. She gave excellent insight into life on the rivers and the various programs Avalon has in place to cater to the comfort and enjoyment of each guest that sails on their vessels.
The evening was a huge success in my eyes because it was presented by an onboard expert. Nancy knows the ins and outs of river cruising not only because of her years in the business, but because she lives it daily at her job. She spoke about her experiences on different sailings, her interactions with guests onboard, and really brought the destinations and ships alive for all of us. Her personable and infectious attitude left many agents pumped and eager to sell Avalon.
I met Yukako Carrothers and Wendi Peterson of Expedia CruiseShipCenters who will be sailing the Danube on Avalon this summer, and both are very excited to experience Avalon for the 1sttime. When asked how easy is it to sell Avalon, both cited the Avalon Waterways Specialist Program as being an excellent training tool. Yukako sold an Avalon cruise immediately after completing the program, and sold her 2ndcruise shortly thereafter. The training provided her with so much knowledge and confidence that it became an easy sell for her.
Dan Peach, another Expedia CruiseShipCenters consultant, shared similar enthusiasm with me. Compared to other brands, he feels Avalon has excellent value with a good price point, and his clients have always returned satisfied. He also praised the local Avalon BDM team and the Toronto office for their availability to help with questions or resolve issues in a timely manner.
Nancy mentioned one of her favourite quotes: "Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer", and I cannot agree more. And this year with great offersincluding savings up to $3,320 per couple, waived single supplements and an agent gift card incentive, there is no reason why you shouldn't be enriching your clients' lives by sending them on an Avalon Waterways cruise.
Ming Tappin is a cruise veteran with over 20 years' experience in the industry and has sailed on 38 cruises and counting. Based in Vancouver, Ming is Owner of www.yourcruisecoach.com.
