Travel Edge Explores A World Of Difference
Travel Edge Network recently held its bi-annual virtual conference, Limitless. With hundreds of luxury travel advisors in attendance, the theme of this year’s event was “A World of Difference: Fresh New Places and Perspectives from Around the World” and featured several sessions and networking opportunities for the network’s advisors.
Nadiya Makarenko, Senior Vice President of Travel Edge Network, said that: “While the luxury travel sector has been booming, we are always looking to help ensure that our advisors have the information, tools and resources they need to stay ahead in a competitive market in order to meet the evolving needs of their clients.” Makarenko added: “We also wanted to showcase our partners as we celebrate the return to popular destinations through fresh eyes, and discover the up-and-coming experiences that our advisors’ clients are asking about.”
The daylong agenda included sessions with highlights on the state of the business, marketing and training updates and a Q&A with leadership.
In addition to one-on-one appointments with preferred suppliers, there were also Partner Booths available throughout the entire event offering information, videos and resources for advisors.
This included information presented by Tourism New Zealand/Air New Zealand on this break-out trending destination, which is gaining popularity for its mix of adventure and nature offerings as well as its acclaimed wine destinations and growing art community.
Highlights included:
Panel on the Future of Luxury Travel – Advisors and partners shared their outlook on the future of luxury travel including top trends to watch out for, the one change they would make to improve the travel experience if they could wave a magic wand; marketing techniques to help advisors grow their business and how to deliver exceptional customer service with actionable takeaways. They also spoke about the evolution of the travel advisor profession and how more young advisors are entering the field today along with other professionals such as doctors and lawyers who are leaving those fields to pursue careers in travel.
New Programs for Training and Development — Over the past year, TEN has launched several new programs to support the development and training of its advisors. Most recently, TEN launched its Champions program of ambassadors to represent the brand at industry events, trade shows and in media. In 2022, TEN also launched Knowledge Trips to help advisors gain critical firsthand knowledge of Travel Edge Network’s preferred partners for hotel, air, tour operators and more. It also launched Edge Advantage for both new-to-business advisors as well as for tenured advisors who may need training in limited areas.
Growth of Travel Edge – The network has welcomed 25 new advisors so far this year and anticipates another 30-40 new advisors to join in the coming months.
Updates on ADX – a proprietary booking platform – including plans to introduce cruise; launch of a true 24/7 support team, expanded air desk support and new training modules to help onboard new advisors quickly.
As with every Limitless, there were several prizes including for Overall Engagement, Networking Engagement, The Limitless Quiz, and more. These included stays at Round Hill Hotels & Villas; Secrets Santorini; Carnation Hotels in London; Rocco Forte Hotels encompassing its five properties in Italy and London; Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam; Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa; The Lodge at Blue Sky an Auberge Resort, a trip to Fiji, flights on Iceland Air and more.
Featured sponsors of Limitless included American Airlines Vacations, Fiji Airways, Grandy Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Oceania Cruises; and The Lodge at Blue Sky an Auberge Resort. The next Limitless event will be held in August and will also incorporate live regional events to complement the virtual format.
In the Photo
Nadiya Makarenko SVP and Gavin Miller EVP of Travel Edge
