According to Travel Show Marketing Group President and CEO Jim Cloonan, nothing beats face-to-face events. And this rang true at the recent Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum. From Friday, March 31 to Monday, April 3, 2023, more than 1000 travel professionals joined together at Paris Las Vegas to attend the conference.
“You just have to walk around out here, and seeing people hugging one another and the personal interaction – people want to be around other people,” Cloonan said.
The conference attracted several seasoned veterans as well as numerous new advisors, each with a different goal of what they’ll gain from the show.
“This show brings in all levels of agents,” Cloonan said. “It brings in the newer agents that are striving to become established, and it brings in the established agents who are looking to cement current relationships and build new relationships with suppliers around the world.”
In three short days, travel advisors have the opportunity to consume a vast amount of knowledge and education. The event included several business-focused sessions, with topics including tips to selling group business, selling luxury travel and understanding travel insurance, among many others. There were also a number of sessions that were supplier- or destination-focused.
For the past few years, Shayla Northcutt, founder and CEO of Northcutt Travel Agency, has been a speaker at the forums. This year she was able to go and attend the sessions. She chose this particular event due to the number of suppliers that were in attendance.
“It is always great to see our travel partners face to face and be able to introduce my team to the brands that I know and the ones that I don’t know,” Northcutt said. “The industry is ever evolving and changing and there are people that move around in the industry as well as new faces in old spaces that need to be connected with in the world of travel.”
The Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum also had an afternoon of roundtables, where advisors were able to learn more through small group conversations with suppliers. These conversations continued on the exhibit floor, where more than 350 domestic and international suppliers had booths set up.
Each evening, travel advisors and suppliers enjoyed networking receptions, where they could catch up in a more casual setting while enjoying a beverage and taking in the views of Las Vegas.
Hailey Huchingson, a new travel advisor at Northcutt Travel Agency, attended the conference for the first time this year. She gained a lot from attending with her team and became more familiar with several suppliers and destinations.
“I was able to sit down and speak with representatives from all over the world to discuss new destinations I can send my clients to, and see how they could help me make those dream trips happen for my clients,” she said.
“My favorite part of the LVTAF was meeting amazing suppliers and travel partners that go beyond just a business transaction,” Huchingson added. “This event allowed me to personally get to know these people so that we can work together to create priceless memories for our clients.”
Travel Show Marketing Group’s next event is the Romance Travel Forum, which will be held at Secrets Moxché from June 25 to June 29, 2023. To learn more about all the events on offer, visit www.travelsmg.com.
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