Ensemble went off the charts, CAA is minding the (knowledge) gap, and SkyTeam named its Canadian honour roll of travel partners in this week’s round-up.
Ensemble
Ensemble recently hosted its second annual “Uncharted” event featuring a day-long virtual meeting aimed at connecting members and partners for a day of learning, one-on-one networking, training and development, and updates on Ensemble’s member-only programming.
Themed “The Power of We,” the agenda offered access to immersive 360-degree experiences with top destinations, experiences, hotels – among them Crystal, Kerzner Int., Abercrombie & Kent, Tourism Australia, Princess Cruises, Intrepid, Seabourn, Globus, AmaWaterways, and others.
“Uncharted… not only serves as a platform for learning and networking but also as a catalyst for driving growth and innovation,” said Ensemble president Michael Johnson. “The collaborative spirit that we enjoy is a cornerstone of Ensemble’s ethos and our commitment to the vital interplay between advisors and partners united in unlocking endless avenues for growth.”
Complementing the daylong event is a month-long Uncharted Virutal Expo taking place throughout May. The expansive expo will showcase weekly live programming, guiding advisors on a virtual voyage to various corners of the globe. Each week will spotlight a different region, offering immersive deep dives into Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
With the leadership team broadcasting from two locations – Toronto’s Shangri-La and Las Vegas’ Resorts World International – Uncharted doubled as the official launch for the opening of registration for the annual Horizons consortium-wide gathering, scheduled from Sept. 16-19 at Resorts World.
In other Ensemble news, the organization has announced the appointment of Heather Nelson as Vice President of Partner Relations, Hotel. In this role, Nelson will oversee the network’s revitalized hotel program which encompasses a diverse array of hotel properties spanning 170 countries including an extensive selection of luxury and boutique hotels. Her focus will also include Ensemble’s hotel amenity program featuring more than 500 properties from around the world offering exclusive amenities for Ensemble member clients.
Nelson brings more than 28 years of knowledge and expertise in the global hotel sector to her new role. Most recently, she served as the Head of U.S. International Sales for Radisson Hotel Group.
CAA
CAA Club Group of Companies (CCG) the parent organization of CAA South Central Ontario (SCO) and CAA Travel, is launching The CCG Travel Academy this spring to help bridge a skills gap that has been observed in the travel industry.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, CAA say it has increasingly noticed a gap in the quality of candidates seeking travel agent positions, which has made it hard to hire qualified people who provide the level of quality and care that CAA expects for its members and customers.
“CAA Travel is growing, and we want to ensure that we can continue to provide the top-quality service and expertise that we are known for,” said Catherine Sieniewicz, VP Travel and Retail, CAA Club Group of Companies. “As an organization with extensive experience in Associate training, learning, and development, we decided to build a customized, best-in-class program designed to train qualified travel agents from the ground up.”
Every year, CCG’s Learning and Development department delivers hundreds of in-house courses to foster Associate growth, many of which have been customized to fit unique business needs. The CCG Travel Academy is an extension of this longstanding approach to provide Associates with educational support throughout every stage of their career.
The CCG Travel Academy is a paid two-month program that will run twice in 2024 and then quarterly in 2025 onward, and includes a mix of classroom education and on-the-job training. New hires will automatically join the Academy that is scheduled closest to their hire date.
“Participants will gain fundamental industry knowledge, a deep understanding of CAA products and services, and the system and process training that is required to perform successfully in a travel role at CAA,” continued Sieniewicz.
Job shadowing and on-the-job practice will be woven throughout the program to help ensure that participants can expertly apply key learnings. Travel licencing (TICO) reimbursement will also be covered.
SkyTeam
Delta Air Lines, KLM and Air France recently joined forces to celebrate their top top-tier Canadian agencies at an exclusive event held at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta in historic Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – a fitting backdrop for the occasion as its exhibits pay homage to aviation pioneers, showcasing the passion and innovation that continue to drive the industry.
Among the honourees were: ABC – Jade Travel, Airline Ticket Centre, Air Miles Reward Program, American Express, BCD Travel, CWT, Direct Travel, Flight Centre Canada, Huntington Travel, Maritime Travel, Mondee Canada, Omega Travel, Royal Scenic, SkyLink Voyages, Skyroute/ Voyzant, Tour East Holidays, and TravelBrands.