PHOTO: (Left to Right) Corey Ratley; Michele Saegesser, Vice President of Sales at Viking Cruises; and Cruise Planners franchise owner Michael Consoli, the first-ever top Global producer with Viking Cruises. (Courtesy Cruise Planners)
WHY IT RATES: Another piece of strong evidence of how river cruising is growing. As Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of the Cruise Planners franchise network put it, Consoli won an award that didn't even exist last year.
At the Travel + Leisure event to celebrate Viking Cruise's success as the world's best river cruise line according to Travel + Leisure readers, Cruise Planners franchise owner Michael Consoli, from Roswell, Ga., was the surprise recipient of a new award.
In November, Consoli was awarded top producer for Viking with Cruise Planners at the company's annual convention in Florida, but little did he know that he would also be honored as the first-ever top Global Producer for Viking Cruises. At The Clocktower restaurant at The New York Edition hotel, he was presented the award by Michelle Saegesser, vice president of sales at Viking Cruises.
"It was a surprise and quite an honor to be named Viking's top producer globally," Consoli said. "I love working closely with the amazing team at Viking and have focused heavily on river cruise sales, promoting the line's unique itineraries and learning about and experiencing their newest ships. Viking is growing and I am happy to help support that growth."
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This is the first time ever the river cruise line has awarded a global honor to an individual travel professional. For the past few years, Consoli has focused on growing his river cruise business, and he plans to continue building on that niche.
"Michael Consoli is the consummate professional," said Michele Saegesser, vice president of sales at Viking Cruises. "He understands the needs of his clients and is never afraid to offer new product to expand their travel views. We are all very proud to work with Michael and support his efforts."
Consoli has been a Cruise Planners franchise owner for 13 years and started with no travel industry experience - just a passion for travel. Cruise Planners is the nation's largest network of home-based travel agents who independently book amazing vacation and travel experiences for their clients and Consoli continues to be a leader within the network.
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"Michael is an ideal franchise owner and by embracing all of Cruise Planners' training and support he has really excelled," said Michelle Fee, CEO and co-founder of the Cruise Planners franchise network. "As a franchise owner, he has received numerous awards and earned the status of American Express Travel Insider. He is a great example of how someone with strong people skills and a passion for travel can create wonderful travel experiences for their clients, build a successful business and receive top accolades from our travel partners. Talk about breaking boundaries - he won an award that didn't even exist last year."
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