Education Registration Opens, Speakers Revealed for ASTA Global Convention 2018

The 2018 iteration of the American Society of Travel Agents' (ASTA) Global Convention promises to be more beneficial than ever and is now just two months away.

Hosted by travel celebrity Samantha Brown, the three-day event will take place at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. August 21-23, 2018.

The convention will feature an impressive roster of inspiring speakers as well as hand-picked education sessions that travel professionals can register for at astaglobalconvention.org beginning Thursday.

Notable speakers will include American Airlines' Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Distribution Alison Taylor, TEDx speaker and Guinness World Record holder Tom Krieglstein and United Nations Office of the High Commissioner Human Rights Officer Fabrice Houdart, among others.

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Meanwhile, highlighted education sessions such as "The Art of the Upsell," "Artificial Intelligence (AI) 101 & 201" and "Attracting Great Talent"—which was ranked the No. 1 topic of choice by attendees in 2017—will provide travel professionals with strategies for improving their selling prowess, educate them on the latest technological advances and elevate their business acumen.

The convention will also offer four live ASTA Verified Travel Advisor classes for those seeking advanced accreditation and feature a "Shark Tank" style competition to determine the 2018 ASTA Entrepreneur of the Year. ASTA is accepting submissions for the award and the $10,000 cash prize that comes with it now until June 30.

"With more than 87 years in existence, ASTA has stood the test of time alongside the agent community, always evolving to fit the consumer needs from trip planning to travel policy. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the last 20 years. Our conference is tailored to address those changes and continue to move us all forward, together," said ASTA President and CEO Zane Kerby in a statement.

"This is more than just a trade show. It’s an immersive educational experience where you'll gain a competitive edge and it’s the only place where you can network with all the industry’s top leaders under one roof."

More than 1,000 travel professionals attended last year's conference.