Ensemble recently hosted its annual Summit at the iconic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City, welcoming more than 200 attendees from across North America for three days of learning, leadership, and collaboration under the theme “Reimagine the Future.”
Designed exclusively for agency owners and managers as well as top supplier partners, the Summit focused on the challenges and opportunities unique to running a modern travel business. The agenda explored everything from leveraging the surge in air demand to reimagining reporting, marketing campaigns, and customer engagement; providing attendees with actionable strategies to drive performance and profitability.
Ensemble President Michael Johnson opened the event alongside the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) including the newly appointed SVP, Partner Relations, Danny Finkel, with a brief update on Ensemble’s strong performance and continued growth over the past year, including the addition of nearly 55 new member agencies and nearly 120 new preferred partners.
The growth has been particularly notable in the cruise and sun and sand categories, which Johnson attributed the consortium’s complete transformation across all disciplines from technology and marketing to partner engagement and training/development. He also reinforced Ensemble’s purpose and mission to equip members with the tools, training, and visibility they need to thrive.
Ensemble Census
During the opening session, members of the SLT shared results from Ensemble’s annual Census, highlighting feedback that is helping shape future priorities and guide investments in the programs and resources that matter most to members.
“The Census is invaluable in helping us understand what’s resonating with our members and where we can focus our efforts to better support their evolving needs,” said Kristina Boyce, SVP, Member Services. “It validates that we’re on the right path while also pinpointing where continued investment will deliver the greatest value ensuring our programs and resources drive meaningful impact for our members and their businesses.”
To that point, new programs specifically created in response to feedback from the Census included a new Hotel Group Desk to streamline the process for members sourcing for larger groups as well as a new social media management platform to help members enhance their online presence.
Keynote
The event’s keynote, delivered by Jeremy Kressmann, VP of Skift, drew on insights from Skift’s 2025 ‘State of Travel Report’ to explore the evolving travel landscape and its implications for the advisor community. Kressmann examined the impact of geopolitical events on destination trends, the growing role of live sports and entertainment as travel drivers, and the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, particularly how it is reshaping both workflow efficiency and the search for information.
The Summit concluded with a meeting of the President’s Circle, an executive-level strategic discussion with the network’s top members (by production) aimed at driving tighter control of supply programs and increased sales through Ensemble programming.
True to Ensemble’s spirit of connection and discovery, attendees also had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Québec City’s charm through a selection of curated experiences including vineyard visits, culinary tours, an art walk, e-bike explorations a St. Lawrence River zodiac excursion, and more reflecting the diversity and personalization that define Ensemble’s approach to live events.
It was also announced that the next Summit would be held from Nov. 4-6, 2026, in Mexico.
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