Ensemble Travel Group is continuing to address the ongoing challenges in the travel industry and launched a new symposium for owners and managers to "Reimagine the Future."
The event was held October 13-14, 2021, with speakers and panelists chosen to address specific issues among Ensemble members. A range of topics included insurance and new product updates. Panelists included AmaWaterways, Collette, Royal Caribbean, Abercrombie & Kent, Silversea, Princess Cruises, ALG Vacations, Oceania, World Travel Holdings Luxury Villas and Titanium. There were also presentations from Globus, Cunard, Auto Europe, Holland America, Celebrity, ClubMed, WestJet, Southwest Adventure Tours, Carnival, Ya'lla and Adventure Canada.
In his opening remarks, CEO David Harris reflected on the challenges of the past 20 months but with an eye towards the future. "Despite this being the most challenging 20 months in our 53-year history, we have not let it deter us from moving forward in areas that are critical to ensuring we are ready for the future," said Harris. "This includes fulfilling years of discussion and planning to deliver groundbreaking technology and data-driven solutions to support our members' businesses."
Harris also stated that while no one in the travel industry has been unscathed from the pandemic, he did not want it to define Ensemble. "We have all been impacted by this unprecedented crisis, but have chosen to embrace the changes as best we can. We are a more intimate-sized consortia, but that is going to allow us the ability to offer more customized and personalized services for members."
Ensemble has launched a number of products designed to help advisors as the pandemic subsides, including the introduction of OneConnect, which integrated three booking platforms into one providing advisors with the ability to access their reservations across all sales channels with one login as well as access to GDS and supplier reservations.
Ensemble's Data Monetization Center is another new tool that enables Ensemble to see industry trend lines early and ensure that members can take full advantage of that information.
There were also panels that discussed relevant issues within the travel community, including shifting consumer trends and how clients are traveling differently.
The American Society of Travel Advisors' president and CEO Zane Kerby and Wendy Paradis, president of ACTA, also hosted a session on the importance of advocacy. There was also a presentation from Ensemble partner Trees4Travel.
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