Travel Leaders to Convene 2016 Host Agency Forum in Chicago
Annual event expands to two days, April 26-27, due to high-demand and Travel Leaders’ IC growth rate of 20% per year.
Plymouth, MN (April 15, 2016)—Today, Travel Leaders Associates—America’s top retail travel agency brand—publicly announced that Travel Leaders’ Independent Contractor (IC) Center of Excellence will convene its second annual Host Agency Forum at the Chicago Fairmont Hotel on April 26-27. The forum is offered as a networking and training opportunity for Travel Leaders Associates and managers of all agency sizes who are interested in learning how to expand their relationships with ICs or better manage their existing relationships. Registration for Travel Leaders’ Host Agency Forum is complimentary and exclusive to Travel Leaders members.
“Due to high demand and last year’s success, our Travel Leaders’ Host Agency Forum has expanded to two days of educational opportunities that will help our members successfully shape and grow their host agency business,” stated Roger E. Block. CTC, President of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “Since launching our IC Center of Excellence in 2012, we have successfully increased the number of ICs within all of Travel Leaders by more than 20% each year. As an ‘extension’ of our member agencies, we are committed to providing our members with these types of exclusive opportunities in order for them to continue growing their businesses.”
Each day during the Travel Leaders Host Agency Forum, there will be top, industry subject matter experts to facilitate panel discussions that address important host agency management matters, including current legal issues, fraud avoidance, supplier views on IC sales and best practices in IC recruitment. Participants will hear from a broad range of speakers including:
- Pam Bonin, ASTA Membership Director, will discuss the growing role of Independent Contractors in the industry and the new ASTA membership level/benefits.
- Debbie Erickson, Manager of Loss Prevention, ARC, will discuss the ins and outs of fraud prevention as it relates to ICs.
- Globus family of brands’ Colleen McGuire, along with Funjet Vacations’ Terry Morrison and Kathy Mehring, will provide their views on the evolving world of Independent Contractors and discuss how suppliers can work with host agencies on challenging subjects such as commissions, communications, direct bookings and managed sales growth.
- Bob Brill, Travel Leaders Group’s Senior Vice President and General Counsel, will provide an in-depth review of the current Department of Labor issues regarding ICs.
- Veronique Deblois, Travel Leaders Group Hotel Division Senior Director, will share new ideas and technologies to improve IC hotel sales with an emphasis on incentives.
“Whether the Travel Leaders agencies have one IC or 100, they will want to hear from these leading industry speakers and their expert colleagues about opportunities to grow their IC business,” noted Block.
“Travel Better” with Travel Leaders. To learn how you can participate in Travel Leaders’ Host Agency Forum by becoming a member, please visit TravelLeadersHosts.com or call 877-404-4172. To find the Travel Leaders location nearest you, visit Travelleaders.com or call 800-335-TRIP (8747).
