Kristie Keller (Photo Credit: AMADEUS River Cruises)
Written By The American Society of Travel Advisors.
When Kristie Keller launched Addicted To Adventures, river
cruising wasn’t part of the plan. Her agency was built around adventure travel
and a simple love of helping people experience the world. “I started my travel
agency purely out of my love of travel,” Keller says. “Friends and family kept
asking me to help plan their trips, and I realized how much I loved doing
that.”
Early on, Keller came across ASTA’s River Cruise Expo
and a phrase that caught her attention: “commissions with commas.” Curious but
unsure how river cruising fits into her business, she decided to attend the
Expo in Budapest in March 2023. "I honestly had no clue what I was
doing," she says. "I had never even seen a river cruise ship, and I
wasn't sure what I would get out of the Expo."
Her first impression wasn’t exactly seamless. She arrived a
day late due to flight issues and without her luggage. But almost immediately
after stepping onboard her host ship, AMADEUS, she ran into Marcus Leskovar,
President of AMADEUS River Cruises. “We’d only emailed before, but he was so
kind and welcoming,” Keller says. “I knew instantly I wanted to work with him.”
As the Expo unfolded, Keller attended onboard presentations
and group sessions across multiple river cruise lines. While she was impressed
by the industry as a whole, AMADEUS stood out. “I loved their ships, the staff,
the food and I felt an immediate connection with the AMADEUS team,” she says.
One key differentiator was AMADEUS’ willingness to hold group cabin allotments
for 90 days, giving advisors time to promote without fear of losing inventory.
“ASTA creates an environment where meaningful relationships
can truly take shape,” says Marcus Leskovar, President of AMADEUS River
Cruises. “Meeting Kristie at River Cruise Expo in Budapest was one of those
moments—an opportunity that quickly grew into a mutually successful
partnership.”
After the Expo, Keller agreed to try promoting her first
Rhine River group sailing. AMADEUS provided 11 cabins and 90 days to sell them.
“I honestly didn’t think I’d book even one cabin,” she says. Back home, she
created a simple promotional flyer and asked her hairdresser if she could place
it next to the mirror where clients would see it. The result surprised her. She
sold 22 cabins (44 passengers) on her very first group. “All it takes is one
couple,” she says. “They invite another couple, and it just snowballs.”
That momentum never slowed. Since that first sailing, Keller
has hosted four river cruise groups and has three more planned, with group
sizes ranging from 40 to 75 travelers. One recent Christmas Markets sailing
sold 32 cabins in just two weeks. “There is absolutely no way I would be this
successful without attending the River Cruise Expo,” she says. “I went from
knowing absolutely nothing to feeling confident selling every river cruise
line.”
That confidence, Keller says, comes from firsthand
experience. Touring ships, walking through cabin categories, meeting supplier
partners, and documenting the experience through photos and video give advisors
credibility that clients can see. "When clients see you onboard, and
you're an expert on the ship, they book with confidence," she says, even
admitting she's not naturally comfortable being on camera.
ASTA designs its events with that kind of outcome in mind.
“ASTA events are built to create real business outcomes, not just education for
education’s sake,” says Sarah Little, Senior Vice President of Business
Development for ASTA. “When advisors step onboard ships, build relationships
with supplier partners and leave with practical tools they can use immediately,
that’s when you see transformation. Kristie’s story is exactly why we invest so
deeply in these experiences.”
For Keller, the impact of attending the Expo extended well
beyond river cruise sales. Within her host agency of more than 1,100 advisors,
she rose from the bottom of the rankings to become the number one advisor two
years in a row; a success she directly attributes to river cruising and the
foundation built at ASTA events.
Most recently, Keller was asked by AMADEUS to serve
as the godmother of its newest ship, AMADEUS Aurea — the first time the
company has selected a woman outside of its founding family for the role. “What
an honor,” she says. “It’s a testament to AMADEUS and their commitment to
travel advisors.”
“Kristie went on to become not only a top producer for
AMADEUS River Cruises, but a genuine ambassador for our brand,” continued
Leskovar. “Her success organizing and booking groups across multiple
itineraries speaks volumes, and we are incredibly proud to have her as our
first advisor Godmother.”
Now a regular attendee, Keller returns to ASTA's River
Cruise Expo each year. "Every time I'm there, I'm learning," she
says. "And every time I post from the Expo, I get a surge of new river
cruise requests. There really is no other travel industry event that
compares."
For Kristie Keller, the path from rookie to river cruise
godmother began with a single decision: to show up and fully step into what
this industry makes possible.
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