PHOTO: Nearly 600 travel agents attended TMTC Summit at the Moon Palace in Cancun. (Photo by Theresa Norton)
The Mark Travel Corporation (TMTC) just concluded its third annual Summit Sept. 23-27 at the Moon Palace Resort, Cancun. Almost 600 top-producing travel agents joined nearly 300 industry suppliers, including hotel and resort companies and destinations.
The TMTC Summit is primarily an educational event, providing agents with courses on customer engagement, business operations, and supplier and destination information. The 2016 edition featured keynotes by authors Todd Henry and Scott Stratten, as well as TMTC executives Bill La Macchia, Jr., Ray Snisky, Mike Going, John Ische, and Mark Noennig.
At the first general session on Sept. 24, Going outlined the company's goal of the event: "How can we at The Mark Travel Corporation help you be more fabulous than you are?"
He recalled the predictions not too many years ago that travel agents were dying out after the advent of the Internet. "They were dead wrong," he said. "Travel agents are here to stay. Travel agents are not just surviving; travel agents are thriving."
TMTC's Summit featured an extensive schedule of academic-level workshops and seminars throughout, focusing on topics that will help travel agents become more successful - even if it helps them sell Mark Travel competitors, Going noted, adding "We will help every travel agent who wants a hand up."
Travel agent attendees also learned about many destinations and suppliers, both at workshops and by visiting several resorts in the Cancun area. TMTC is a firm believer in wellness, so morning yoga sessions and afternoon exercise classes were held daily.
In a major announcement, Going unveiled the company's Agent of Change movement, which is designed to protect and enhance the vitality of the travel agent profession through a rigorous academic program that changes the way training and education is provided to agents.
Agent of Change will provide front-line agents, independent agents, and agency owners and managers with hands-on and online training from industry-leading professionals; training opportunities on the company's brands, products, travel tools and technology, and supplier- and destination-led content; and tailored subscriber content such as educational coursework, e-newsletters, webinars, podcasts, travel industry whitepapers, and more.
"We will take the Summit on the road," Going said, with a series of regional training events designed to position travel agents for success.
"Agent of Change represents our company's unwavering commitment to assisting, empowering and educating travel agents on the critical issues they face in this ever-evolving market," said Bill La Macchia Jr., chief engagement officer of La Macchia Enterprises, parent company of TMTC. "This movement is part of the natural evolution of our efforts to invest in the agents who play such an important role in the leisure travel industry."
Platinum sponsors of TMTC Summit 2016 were AIC Hotel Group, Blue Diamond Resorts, Excellence Group Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Fiesta Americana Resort Collection, IBEROSTAR Hotels and Resorts, Karisma Hotels & Resorts, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Lomas Travel, Palace Resorts, Palladium Hotels & Resorts, Playa Hotels & Resorts, RIU Hotels & Resorts, and Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
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