VAX VacationAccess was represented at both GTM East in Ft Lauderdale earlier this year and most recently GTM West held in Henderson, NV July 11-13 at the Hilton Lake Las Vegas. I’ve lost count of how many times I have been to Vegas. It’s upwards of 50 visits, and I have never stayed or even visited Lake Las Vegas, so this was a very different experience for me. Lake Las Vegas is approximately 40 minutes from the famous Las Vegas Strip, but I can see how some people like the option to stay away from the nonstop action of the strip yet are close enough to take advantage of all it offers when they like. Great for golfers and hikers and with the temperatures in the 100’s, many guests were taking advantage of the 320-acre manmade lake with fun water sports.
While guests were outside enjoying their vacation, it was business inside the conference center with 125 hand selected travel advisors and 167 suppliers attending the 10th year of Global Travel Marketplace West. GTM is an invite only advisor event, where the advisors who are chosen to attend take pride in being selected and are truly looking to make new business relationships. Advisors and suppliers then provide referrals for advisors they feel would be a great fit for next year’s conference.
GTM is two very full days of assigned board room presentations, general sessions, networking receptions and (27) six-minute one-on-one appointments each day. What I love about GTM is the suppliers are the ones that move from appointment to appointment, which is different from most conferences. This allows the advisors to get creative with setting up their tables to really showcase their business and personality. One of my favorites was Joseph Fehlen from Small Town Wanderer who left each supplier with an envelope that included information on his agency, where he’s located, a few items of swag from his agency and a handwritten note thanking them for meeting with him which I thought was an amazing touch.
As much as I love meeting with the advisors, I always learn something new from suppliers as well. Attending GTM a few years back I remember seeing Tia Froehle from Visit Anchorage speak at a sponsored luncheon. Her presentation was so good that I moved Alaska up on my bucket list, finally making it a reality this past May when I visited. Tia and Heather Dudick from Alaska Railroad hosted one of the lunches this year, and I was able to relive one of my favorite trips ever. I would highly recommend visiting Alaska via the Alaska Railroad, and you can check out this article for a great itinerary and ideas.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority never disappoints when hosting an event and this year rewarded the advisors and suppliers to a night out at Brooklyn Bowl located on the LINQ Promenade right off the Las Vegas Strip. On our way back to Lake Las Vegas, I was blown away to see the new MSG Sphere at The Venetian Resort in person. This addition to Vegas is going to be the newest and most unique music and entertainment arena I’ve ever seen. It’s impossible to even explain how incredible it is and how it changes the skyline of the Vegas strip, so you will just have to go check it out for yourself – maybe when attending GTM West 2024, which will be held at the Westin Lake Las Vegas June 2-4, 2024.
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