This past week, ALG
Vacations launched its first-ever “Pros on the Go” Mega-FAM event, with a
series of educational workshops, networking and community activities taking
place at the Breathless
Riviera Cancun resort in the enchanting Mexican Caribbean. The year’s new event format will see two Mega-FAMs replacing the 20 or
so escorted FAM trips that ALG Vacations has hosted in years past. The first
took place this past week from April 9-13, while the second will occur in Punta
Cana from June 19-23).
The luxurious
all-adult hideaway Breathless Riviera Cancun and its sister property, the
equally elegant Secrets
Riviera Cancun (both part of Hyatt’s
Inclusive Collection), sit on a beachfront parcel halfway
between the bustling tourism epicenter of Cancun and the Riviera Maya region’s charming Playa del Carmen to the
south, complete with a gorgeous stretch of white sand.
Since spring just
started, the event’s organizers could not have asked for better weather (as
long as you like 90-degree afternoons) and the captivating resort setting made
it challenging to focus on business matters. But, being consummate
professionals, the Mega-Fam’s roughly 150 travel advisor participants spent
their first morning and afternoon onsite making the most of educational
opportunities. As they gathered together on day one, advisors wore T-shirts in
one of four colors to represent the regions they hailed from.
Following the
morning’s general opening session presentation, attendees got to choose from
among two sets of the various available workshops—one for the morning and another for
the afternoon—two from ALG Vacations focusing on topics like ways to
earn more with the group, its programs and incentives, and how to leverage its various
tools and technologies; and two other training sessions provided by third-party
presenters. This pair of supplementary expert-led seminars centered on travel photography
tips and tricks, and how to confidently charge professional fees.
Aerial view over Breathless Riviera Cancun. (Photo Credit: Hyatt)
That’s not to say
there wasn’t a good amount of fun and jocularity mixed in with all the learning,
as well as games and prize giveaways. One whole-group bingo game tested
advisors’ knowledge of ALGV’s various programs and incentives, with a three-day
all-inclusive Hyatt vacation awarded to the winner. The later afternoon saw
advisors working on a service activity that gives back to the destination
community, as they came together to construct pinatas for local children. When
they were finished, participants were surprised with an in-person visit from
kids who would be receiving the fruits of their labors.
Advisors got to
select where they wanted to stay from among several of ALGV’s partner
properties in the region, including Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, Hotel Riu Palace
Mexico, Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya, Iberostar Grand Paraiso, Breathless
Riviera Cancun, Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, and Aventuras Dreams Riviera Maya,
and embark upon site inspections at all of them on day two. Everyone got to
experience their own welcome parties at the various properties on their arrival
night and had the opportunity to dine around and experience different dining
concepts according to their preferences.
On day three,
participants enjoyed a snorkeling excursion to the Cancun Underwater Museum,
home to over 500 life-size submarine sculptures that populate the waters
between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. Snorkeling and diving in to discover the
underwater museum is one of the region’s most popular activities, and helps to
bring awareness to the modern-day threat to the ocean’s all-important coral
reef system.
Day three also
included a visit to the recently debuted all-inclusive, Hyatt Vivid Grand Island, the first of the new adults-only Hyatt
Vivid brand, located just outside of the Cancun hotel zone. The all-suite
property also hosted the large group’s farewell event and dinner, wrapping up a
few days’ worth of learning, relationship-building, and interacting firsthand
with one of Mexico’s most beautiful and popular destinations.
Heather Hendrix, ALG Vacations' Director of Sales, East Coast (left) and Kathy Mehring, Director of Sales, Midwest (right). (Photo Credit: Northstar Travel Group / Laurie Baratti)
New Mega-FAM Format
Asked what
inspired ALG Vacations to go with the new Mega-Fam format for 2024, Heather
Hendrix, the East Coast region’s Director of Sales, said, “You know, we’ve
always done fams for each individual BDM every year, so we wanted to really
maximize that opportunity and rather than having, you know, 25 different FAMs
going on at different times, we thought ‘let’s do them all at the same time’
and then we can build in extra components, like a full day of education and
workshops.”
Kathy Mehring,
Director of Sales for the Midwest region, pointed out that, by combining
multiple smaller FAMs into one large group get-together, “Then, [advisors are]
with people from multiple regions, together, instead of just your region, which
I think kind of diversifies your learning opportunities, too.”
Hendrix added, “You
meet new people you hear new ideas, and…being able to pick where you stay and
what hotels you’re going to see and what excursions, it helps you pick what you
need to do. Versus, if a BDM is hosting their own individual FAM for their
territory, it’s going to one hotel and it’s going to see the sites that it’s
going to see. This gave them a choice of options.”
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