Virtuoso’s dedication to professional development drives sales, supports advisor advancement and promotes client retention.
LAS VEGAS – International luxury travel network Virtuoso has gathered some of the industry’s brightest lights to share their wisdom with the network’s advisors during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. On Sunday, August 13, Virtuoso’s award-winning professional development program offered sessions on 24 topics to help thousands of advisors develop their expertise, sharpen their competitive edge, and increase sales. The roster of expert speakers, including members of the media, consultants, partner executives and agency owners and managers, presented on topics as varied as increasing productivity to culinary travel trends to attracting new clients. Virtuoso is expecting a strong turnout for the eagerly anticipated sessions Sunday, with more than 5,000 classes to be taken by attendees, a 26 percent increase over last year.
A pioneer in professional development, Virtuoso has been providing educational opportunities to its advisors since 2002. In addition to its highly rated Virtuoso Travel Week sessions, the network offers training all year long through the Virtuoso Travel Academy. In 2016, more than 9,000 Virtuoso advisors took over 100,000 courses through the Academy. Virtuoso also offers an intensive week-long “Virtuoso Certified Travel Advisor” (VCTA) program to help new consultants develop into million-dollar producers in record time. The network has held 13 VCTA in-person classes since introducing the first-of-its-kind industry training, with 250 graduates to date.
The below are a few of the outstanding sessions and presenters at this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week:
- What Serious Food Travellers Really Want, Kim Severson, national food correspondent for The New York Times and 2015 gold medal winner from the Society of American Travel Writers. The session will outline what makes a great culinary vacation for sophisticated food and wine lovers.
- Get Out of Burnout: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder, Lindsey Epperly, Founder, Epperly Travel, an independent affiliate of – Century Travel – a Worldview Travel Company. In less than a year, Lindsey Epperly turned her eighty-hour-a-week travel career into a 9-to-5 business, while increasing profits by 40 percent. This session will help advisors set boundaries around their schedules and clients to better manage time and resources, increasing efficiency and business growth.
- Social Media Musts for Luxury Travel Agencies: Corey Perlman, President, eBoot Camp and author of Social Media Overload! This session provides a digital strategy to earn clients’ business before they leave their computer, drive new business, stay top of mind with prospects, and earn referrals from happy clients.
- The Art of Selling: The Power of Storytelling in Sales and Marketing, Anne Scully, CTC, President, McCabe World Travel. Each trip is a chapter in a client’s life story. Advisors will learn how to get to know clients on a deeper level and create itineraries based on personal tastes and aspirations. Challenging and expanding clients’ horizons with unique experiences will increase their satisfaction and advisor profits.
- Trends of Today’s Affluent Traveller: Larry Pimentel, President & CEO, Azamara Club Cruises. Today’s luxury traveler seeks exclusivity, authenticity, localised experiences and the human connection. Larry Pimentel will discuss how the changing demographics and buying behaviour of affluent travellers have evolved, and offer advice on how to market and sell to high-value consumers.
- Ten Ways to Have Better Conversations: Celeste Headlee, host of the Georgia Public Broadcasting program “On Second Thought.” Headlee says that listening is a competitive advantage, and that humans are incapable of multitasking. This motivational course focuses on science-based communication fundamentals, offering practical lessons to inspire self-confidence and enhance relationships.
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
