What a busy week in the retail community as agencies introduced a new name, new conference and events, new team members, and presumably new a record for selling out an event. This week’s round-up includes Tripcentral.ca, Uniglobe, Trevello, The Travel Agent Next Door, Travelsavers, and Ensemble.
TRIPCENTRAL.CA
Experience Kissimmee recently hosted tripcentral.ca’s top performers for a fun-filled week in the Florida sun. The trip was led by Denise Graham, Canadian account manager at Experience Kissimmee, represented by VoX International. The group arrived courtesy of Sunwing Airlines and stayed at the Margaritaville Resort Orlando heart of Kissimmee.
While in Kissimmee, participants enjoyed a number of activities, including VIP visits to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, SeaWorld, Wild Florida, Orlando Tree Trek Adventure Park, a scenic bike tour of Celebration, kayaking on Shingle Creek, and testing out the waterslides at both the Island H2O Water Park and Aquatica Orlando, plus much more.
UNIGLOBE Canada
UNIGLOBE Travel (Eastern Canada) held its annual conference last weekend in Toronto, the first since the outbreak of Covid 19, bringing together an audience of 190 travel agency owners, managers, travel advisors and preferred supplier partners. Dean Dacko, Regional President, announced during his opening presentation that Uniglobe Travel (Eastern Canada) had formally acquired the territory rights for all of Canada and has rebranded as Uniglobe Travel (Canada) – a move designed to represent a “new beginning” in the organization’s 40-year history and an opportunity to accelerate growth plans across the country.
“Previously, Uniglobe ran two separate Regions in Canada, one in the east and one in the west, and while there was often co-operation between the two entities, this newly combined Canada-wide Region will be able to take advantage of many synergies that will help drive Uniglobe to new heights in Canada” said Martin Charlwood, President & COO, Uniglobe Travel International. “In fact, we’re coming back full circle to the early days when Uniglobe first entered the Canadian Market as one Region, and we feel strongly that some of Uniglobe’s best days here in Canada are yet to come.”
THE TRAVEL AGENT NEXT DOOR
The Travel Agent Next Door’s 10th annual conference will be in Jordan in 2024, but never mind registering, it sold out in 45 seconds. The event was announced at TTAND’s recent national conference and marks the first time it will be held outside North America. For the record, the 2024 event will be held in partnership with G Adventures and Royal Jordanian Airlines from April 20 to 24. Activities will include a candlelit private dinner in Petra and an afternoon at the Dead Sea. Bruce Poon Tip, founder and CEO of G Adventures will be a keynote speaker.
TREVELLO
With a focus on human connections in the travel industry, Trevello (formerly TPI) held its annual conference, Connex, at the Breathless Soul Cancun Resort in Mexico. Highlights of the three-day event included keynotes from industry leaders and panel discussions discussing the latest trends, insights, and future plans of the organization.
The event also saw the launch the new Trevello Connex tech platform – a “game changer,” according to Trevello CEO Zeina Gedeon – which is designed to streamlines operations, enhances customer experience, and boosts sales for advisors, and Trevello Launchpad, a training program for new advisors entering the industry.
TRAVELSAVERS
Christopher Brothers has been appointed Director of Business Development at Travelsavers Canada, joining Jane Clementino, who was recently named Sr. VP and GM Canada for the organization. Brothers will oversee strategic acquisition and service for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta regions. Previously, he served as the Business Development Manager at WestJet where he worked with travel agencies across Western Canada, implementing sales strategies, managing key accounts, and driving revenue growth.
The company says it will continue to add to its leadership team and is currently recruiting a Marketing Manager to enhance strategic marketing plans at a national and regional level, working in tandem with Travelsavers Canada’s preferred suppliers.
ENSEMBLE
In the first of its new series of annual events, Ensemble, recently held its inaugural ‘Uncharted’ advisor-focused virtual event. With the theme of ‘Seeking Spectacular,’ more than 1,000 advisors had the opportunity to learn about destinations and partners through virtual sessions that allowed them to take a deep dive into the experiences, destinations and trends that are top of mind for today’s travellers.
The day’s agenda – including a live session broadcast from the Park Hyatt Toronto – also included one-on-one networking appointments, opportunities to virtually visit partner booths throughout the entire event, and discussion rooms where members could learn more about the many new Ensemble programs that have been introduced over the past several months.