Cruise Planners Committed to Helping Travel Advisors Boost Their Luxury Sales with 2019 Luxury and River Cruise Forum
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (PRWEB) August 15, 2019 -- Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, the nation’s largest travel agent network with more than 2,500 travel advisors in all 50 states, recently hosted their 2019 Luxury and River Cruise Forum at Secrets the Vine in Cancún, Mexico.
The action-packed event was attended by 150 Cruise Planners travel advisors and 50 suppliers, who included high-level executives from Azamara Club Cruises, Ponant Yacht Cruises and Expeditions, Viking Cruises and Silversea Cruises.
Luxury travel means higher commissions from higher ticket vacations. Cruise Planners developed the Luxury and River Cruise Forum to help its nation-wide network of travel advisors grow their luxury travel niche with best practices when it comes to boosting travel sales, and how to attract, service and retain luxury clients.
“Affluent travelers seek out advisors who can anticipate and exceed their travel desires and needs, making Cruise Planners travel advisors a match made in heaven,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. “Our travel advisors are the best in the industry and we’re invested in each of our travel advisors reaching their sales goals by giving them the best training in the business.”
Hosted by Cruise Planners Executives
At Cruise Planners training events, Cruise Planners advisors can expect to hear from the cream of the crop from executives with decades of travel industry experience – and more than a century between them – have an active hand in planning and leading events such as the Luxury and River Cruise Forum.
- Michelle Fee, CEO and founder, led the Luxury Agent Panel, River Cruise Panel, and a session utilizing Cruise Planners’ American Express Luxury Resources
- Theresa Scalzitti, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, led the discussions with Luxury Cruise Partners, Expedition Panel, South Pacific Panel and sessions on how to use CP Tools and Cruise Planners’ American Express Luxury Resources
- Scott Koepf, Vice President of Strategic Planning, led the Luxury Land Panel, Luxury FITs, Luxury Resorts, and sessions on how to use CP Tools and providing Luxury Customer Service
Insights from Travel Executives
One of the best ways to understand a travel product is straight from the source, so executives from leading travel partners presented and shared what differentiated their offerings and what clients would be ideal for their brand. In addition to joining panels, travel partners met with Cruise Planners travel advisors during one-on-one networking meetings and brainstormed tangible actions advisors can take after leaving the event. Keynote speakers at the event included:
- Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises
- Mark Conroy, Managing Director of the Americas, Silversea Cruises
- Michele Saegesser, Vice President of Sales and National Accounts, Viking Cruises
- Edie Rodriguez, Brand Chairman and Corporate Special Advisor, Ponant Cruises Americas
Fee adds, “Cruise Planners has a strong relationship with our luxury travel partners, which is why we believe its is vital for advisors to attend the luxury and river cruise forum. They left Mexico with tangible takeaways to grow their business. Cruise Planners plans to continue being a force in all types of travel.”
About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 2,500 franchise owners who independently book vacation and travel experiences for their clients. Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. since 1994, Cruise Planners supports its network of franchise owners with innovative marketing, booking and technology tools, professional development and training with the industry’s top executives. Cruise Planners and has been named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 16 consecutive years and was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology. Consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, Cruise Planners is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, has been ranked as the #1 travel franchise by Franchise Business Review for 6 years and is recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line including Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Viking Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as well as many land vendors such as Travel Impressions and Sandals and Beaches Resorts. As an American Express Travel Representative, Cruise Planners maintains a reputation for quality and offers exclusive American Express Travel benefits such as Pay with Points. Cruise Planners has earned the American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award since 2004, as well as numerous marketing, technology, franchise and philanthropy awards including an International Franchise Association FranTech award for innovation, Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly and Travvy Awards from travAlliance media. Cruise Planners celebrates diversity and supports are troops as one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. Visit our website, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors.
Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room or Socially Yours page for social media updates and handles. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit the Cruise Planners franchise website.
Caitlin Gardner, Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, 954-344-8060, [email protected]
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