As sales calls resumed, a handful of Travel Industry Supplier Representatives
from Texas and Colorado came together to form a new kind of event, one that was
collaborative and welcomed everyone. Let’s look at how it all began.
In late 2021, five travel industry supplier representatives: Steve Miller
(Kensington Tours), Danny Becker (Rocky Mountaineer), Mary Grimes (American
Cruise Lines), Maribel Lascalere (Club Med) and Betsy Burk
(Silversea Cruises) joined forces to see Travel Advisors together in one
location and split the cost of the venue equally. The first series of multivendor
events were held in three cities across Texas and were more of a success than they
could have imagined!
A second round of multivendor events was scheduled for November 2021, and I
joined them representing Playa Hotels and Resorts. The six of us visited The
Woodlands, Tulsa, and Oklahoma City. Requirements to participate were
simple – split the cost of the venue equally and invite your contacts in the area.
Each event was held at a hotel conference room and scheduled for four hours so that
Travel Advisors could attend at their leisure, sit down, and get to know their Travel
Industry Supplier Representatives.
During this second series of events, we averaged 40 Travel Advisors per city at a cost
of less than $100 per supplier. It was a great success and word was spreading to our
travel industry supplier colleagues. Something different was happening in
this territory and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
At the beginning of 2022, the six of us invited more travel industry supplier
representatives to join us in what we were calling the Travel Advisors
Roadshow. This coopetition of hoteliers, tour operators, cruises, rail, and travel
insurance is filled with people who love travel and want to see our travel industry
rebound in a big way.
In May, July, and August, we held events and visited 11 cities in total across Texas
and Oklahoma. At a cost of less than $100 per supplier and averaging 40-50 Travel
Advisors per city, these events continued to gain in popularity and demand. Travel
Advisors from all over the USA began asking when we would visit their city and
travel industry supplier representatives were inquiring about how they could get
involved.
And here we are today…. WOW!