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Chuck Conine, Owner of Travel with Charley LLC, a member of the Avoya Network, receives the Avoya Flowerfly Award at the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum Welcome Dinner. Left to Right: Chuck Conine; Ashley Hunter, SVP of Partnerships; Viola DeVelasco, VP of Sales Operations; Sam McCully, SVP of Marketing; Steve Hirshan, SVP of Sales; Mickey McBride, AVP of Strategic Partnerships; Andy Craig, AVP of Marketing. -
Chuck Conine, Owner of Travel with Charley LLC, a member of the Avoya Network, receives the Avoya Flowerfly Award at the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum Welcome Dinner. Left to right: Ashley Hunter, SVP of Partnerships; Chuck Conine. -
Avoya Travel executives applaud the Independent Agencies recognized at the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum Welcome Dinner. Left to right: Viola DeVelasco, VP of Sales Operations; Sam McCully, SVP of Marketing; Ashley Hunter, SVP of Partnerships; Steve Hirshan, SVP of Sales; Andy Craig, AVP of Marketing -
Vibrant vibes, Neon Night Farewell Dinner at the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum -
The 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum was held at the Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Hybrid virtual and in-person event showcases technology enhancements and reecord land vacation sales.
FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Avoya Travel has just completed the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum, which took place virtually May 23 – 25, and in person June 20 – 24 at Dreams Bahia Mita Surf & Spa Resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Hundreds of Independent Agencies in the Avoya Travel Network participated between the virtual and in-person events which featured the sponsorship of nearly 40 of Avoya’s preferred land partners, a robust offering of networking opportunities, and an agenda full of educational and professional development options. The hybrid event included enlightening and energizing presentations, panels, and workshops from esteemed travel suppliers in the land vacation space, headlined by Mike Ehlers, Vice President of Groups at Apple Leisure Group Vacations; Tonya Joyce, Director, Regional Sales at Inclusive Collection by World of Hyatt; Kevin Carter, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Collette; and many more.
The in-person event was hosted by Inclusive Collection by World of Hyatt, which celebrated the successful event, the Avoya Network’s impressive engagement and sales performance, as well as the continually growing partnership with Avoya. “We are beyond thrilled with the attendance, engagement, and feedback from this year’s Avoya Land Forum and want to thank Inclusive Collection by World of Hyatt for being such gracious hosts,” said Ashley Hunter, Senior Vice President of Partnerships at Avoya Travel. “There were double the number of attendees year over year, and it was so inspiring to see the amount of new Avoya Independent Agencies present that are excited about the travel industry and specifically want to learn about and focus on land products. It was incredible to see the organic mentorship happening between seasoned Avoya affiliates with the newer agencies – sharing best practices and encouragement on growing their businesses. The amount of advisors and suppliers that commented on the collaborative culture of Avoya and the lack of competitive mentality between Independent Agencies was humbling and speaks to the power of Avoya’s unique vacation platform model.”
The Avoya Travel Land Forum featured an energetic atmosphere, driven in part by the many technological enhancements within the Avoya vacation platform that were announced at the event, sparking even more enthusiasm and eagerness to learn among Avoya Network members in attendance. Some of the groundbreaking initiatives highlighted were upgrades to trip records for land products within Avoya’s proprietary SaaS technology, Agent Power, which allow for increased efficiencies and analytics that are unprecedented in land travel; the seamless integration of Avoya Hotels into Agent Power, allowing for one-stop-shop planning and booking services within one software ecosystem; and the upcoming integration of Sabre Red 360 into Agent Power, offering a powerful, easy-to-use flight booking engine that iterates off of the existing Avoya Flights program to further enhance the use of a graphical user interface system in lieu of cumbersome, outdated GDS systems. It was also announced that the Avoya Flights beta test ends June 30, 2023 at which point the program opens to the entirety of the Avoya Network.
Avoya also unveiled a number of stunning statistics regarding its land business over the past few years. When comparing bookings on land products year-to-date in 2023 compared to the same point in 2019, some of the key figures included a 25% increase in booked land sales, a 40% increase in sales with preferred land partners, and a 30% increase in new-to-Avoya travelers on land vacations. Additionally, those Independent Agencies attending the Avoya Travel Land Forum have achieved a 340% increase in land vacation sales when compared to 2019, another testament to Avoya’s exponential growth in the land space.
Independent Agencies that attended the 2023 Avoya Travel Land Forum varied from those looking to expand their existing land business to those seeking to add land products to their portfolio for the first time. One example is Alex Lopez, who already crossed the $1 Million gross sales threshold selling mostly cruises after affiliating with Avoya in September 2022, “Avoya’s Land Forum allowed me to look at land sales from a whole new angle,” said Lopez, Owner of Next Level Travel LLC, a member of the Avoya Network. “The supplier relationships I’ve made and the information presented will no doubt help my business continue to grow. The Avoya Travel Land Forum is a prime example of what Avoya does differently and only solidifies my decision in joining Avoya.”
In addition to a wide array of networking opportunities including roundtables and office hours with suppliers, cocktail parties, dine arounds on property, and multiple themed dinner parties, Independent Agencies were given time each day to explore the property and become more familiar with the product to help them better sell all-inclusive vacations to travelers through experiential learning. Avoya also partnered with a local charity, an orphanage named Manos de Amor, to help raise funds for the children. Nearly $5,500 was raised between Independent Agencies, suppliers, and Avoya and its staff, in addition to a significant amount of clothing donations. Another highlight of the event took place at the Welcome Dinner, where nearly two dozen Independent Agencies were recognized for achievements including top seller of land products, highest closing rate percentage, and more. Avoya’s most prestigious award, the Avoya Flowerfly Award given to an Independent Agency that displays outstanding integrity, professionalism, and character, acting as an ambassador for Avoya, was given to Chuck Conine, Owner of Travel with Charley LLC, a member of the Avoya Network.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
