WHY IT RATES: Travel advisors had the chance to attend exclusive post-American Express Travel Forum training and education events. -Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is always looking for ways to strengthen and grow its relationships with industry partners.
Cruise Planners travel advisors recently had the opportunity to attend one of two exclusive post-American Express Travel Forum training and education events - the first, Viking Cruises' Executive Retreat, and the other, Travel Corporation's Family Day.
"Viking Cruises and The Travel Corporation are great partners of Cruise Planners. Their teams provided a great educational program exclusively for our travel advisors," said Vicky Garcia, COO and co-owner of Cruise Planners. "The events were an opportunity for our franchise owners to strengthen their relationships and learn how to increase their sales."
American Express Travel Forum
The invite-only events followed the American Express Travel Forum in Los Angeles, California where 130 top-producing Cruise Planners travel advisors were honored to attend a special, invitation-only training session and dinner to directly learn from American Express executives and Preferred Suppliers.
This exclusive event enabled independent travel agents with training opportunities to further their goals and find success in growing their travel agency franchise.
During the event, Cruise Planners franchise owner Julie Irovando was honored by American Express Travel with the prestigious Excellence in Card Benefits Fulfillment Award, an accolade that symbolizes a major career milestone that American Express Travel Representatives' aspire to achieve.
Cruise Planners franchise owner, Michael Consoli was one of the nominees.
Cruise Planners is the only home-based travel franchise with an American Express Travel Affiliation, which brings franchise owners immediate credibility and brand recognition that other travel franchises can't provide.
Cruise Planners franchise owners have access to exclusive American Express Travel benefits giving them a leg up on competitive travel advisors. Being an American Express Travel Representative gives travel advisors access to exclusive programs allowing them to provide caring service to their clients whether they are card members or not.
Viking Cruises Executive Retreat
Thirty Cruise Planners franchise owners attended a full day of training with Viking Cruises executives for a comprehensive training of the entire Viking Cruises product line. This included:
-Important information about the various rivers
-Valuable river cruise sales tips to earn the most commission
-Lessons on how to qualify clientele
-Planning events and cruise nights to generate more interest and business
Cruise Planners travel advisors received a Master River Cruise Expert Designation. The training was lead by Viking Cruises' Vice President of Sales and National Accounts, Michele Saegesser.
Also in attendance was Director of Sales Erik De La Cruz and Director of National Accounts Ana Parodi, as well as Cruise Planners' Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Theresa Scalzitti.
The Travel Corporation's Family Day
Another group of 40 Cruise Planners travel advisors were invited to The Travel Corporation (TTC)'s Family Day in Cypress, California for continued training and education.
TTC's family of 30 brands includes guided and escorted vacations from African Travel, Inc., Brendan Vacations, Costsaver, Contiki, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold, Trafalgar and Uniworld.
Melissa Da Silva, president of Trafalgar, Brendan Vacations and Costsaver, welcomed Cruise Planners travel advisors at its new headquarters and shared information about TTC, its parent company.
Travel advisors toured the facilities and received training on the company's land-based products and river cruises to increase their sales, which included:
-Portfolio of each brand, social media and their sustainability efforts
-Group booking tools and management
-Early payment discounts and past guest offers
Garcia added, "We're proud of the strong relationships we have with our industry partners. Cruise Planners travel advisors receive a wealth of opportunities for exclusive training programs and education to continuously develop their competitive edge and find new ways to grow their travel agency."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
