They are an important part of the Travel Leaders Network calendar: regional meetings which give advisors and agency managers the opportunity to upgrade their skills and network with key suppliers – as well as each other!
This year’s other meetings took place in YEG on 17OCT (with some 160 in attendance) and YVR on 19OCT (190 attendees). The Toronto event, held at the massive Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale, attracted 262 including 60 suppliers.
One powerful element was the keynote speech by Carlo Trinidad of Hyatt All Inclusive Resorts. Trinidad gave advisors sterling tips on how to upsell that all-inclusive experience, illustrating that even when clients want the convenience and value of an ITC, advisors can provide value-add such as private transfers and off-resort experiences (think: cooking classes) - contributing to an agency’s invaluable offerings.
One area that Christine James, Vice-President Canada for TLN is definitely buoyant about is AI. “It’s the way of the future and I’m pleasantly surprised at how many of our members are using it to their advantage. From building itineraries to responding to irate clients, it provides a huge wave of relief for advisors who love to sell, but are not content providers.”
Open Jaw sat in on the Land and Insurance panel, notable for the calibre of its participants and for the fact that suppliers were asked to respond to questions submitted by attendees.
Such as: how can we avoid the Christmas nightmares of last year? A combined wish list from the panel included: No broken baggage belt at YYZ. Not having to cancel flights from YQR and YXE due to lack of pilots. Not as many security staff shortages. Not as many back-to-back flights without any “wiggle room” for delays. Oh, and no weather delays. Challenging issues which are fixable (except for the weather – we are, after all, in Canada).
An issue which is raised across the board is staffing, “We are still struggling to find staff,” says James, adding that suppliers are in the same situation. Groups departments in particular are desperate for staff as that segment continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
These TLN Regional Meetings are complemented by “Mixer” events, mini-trade shows held in some 24 smaller cities across the country. “These are so popular that we now have to source larger venues for our events,” said James. The Mixers, she added are already sold out for 2024.
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