Montrose Travel's 'Homecoming' Conference a Hit with Agents
Montrose Travel’s ‘Homecoming’ Annual Educational Conference for their independent travel professionals concluded Monday, establishing the event as the most successful in the host agency’s long history. A record number of agents and suppliers were welcomed to the host agency’s hometown in Montrose, CA and continued on a three-night Pacific Coast cruise aboard the Golden Princess.
Trainings Galore
In definitive Montrose Travel fashion, the core curriculum of the event was based largely on feedback from their independent travel professionals. Pre-conference attendees enjoyed two CLIA sessions to qualify towards their Cruise Counselor Certification and a trade show with preferred suppliers. Custom sessions were presented by Montrose Travel’s in-house management team focusing on search engine optimization, social media marketing, luxury travel, price matching procedures and more.
The pre-conference agenda marked only the beginning of what was in store for the participants, prompting Montrose Travel affiliate Sharon Ruggiero to comment that “I’ve learned more from this conference in the last two days than I have in three years of running my agency."
Technology Unveiled
New technology was also introduced including Sabre Cruises, a dynamic B2B booking tool that enables agents to shop multiple cruise lines’ live inventory at once, as well as Montrose Travel’s unique web-based group reservation and cruise/tour management application which enables agents to market and sell groups on their website.
Further advances were revealed in the “Overview and New Developments" session hosted by Andi Mysza, MTravel.com President, who highlighted a 30% increase in overall host agency revenue year to date in addition to other company growth trends.
A Family Feel
The intimate, informal quality of the conference was another outstanding aspect of the event. Attendees and supplier partners were all invited to attend an on-theme ‘Homecoming’ party at Mysza’s home complete with her husband, kids and mom, and were welcomed with cheers and pom poms from the Montrose Travel staff upon arrival at the host agency’s headquarters.
“Having the conference in our hometown gave us the opportunity to introduce our extended family to our participants, many of whom they only know via phone and email,” said Mysza. “They all want as much face time as possible alongside our training. Ample time at supplier roundtables, parties, networking opportunities and one-on-one dialogues are vital components to our agenda so all participants get the most out of the event and develop genuine relationships.”
According to Montrose Travel affiliate Kathy Campbell of Camelview Travel, this approach is working well. “[This conference] surpassed expectations – I will come again and recommend to others. If an agent is serious about his or her business, this conference is a must!”
About Montrose Travel
Established in 1956, family-owned Montrose Travel has hosted independent travel professionals for over 40 years. With over 500 independent contractors and more than 50 years of experience in the travel industry, Montrose Travel boasts award-winning programs in training, technology and marketing to support home-based travel professionals nationwide. Information and details can be found at www.MTravel.com or by calling 800-870-5799.
