TravelAge West and sister publication Travel Weekly have created an Advisory Board for Global Travel Marketplace (GTM), an elite appointment-based conference for travel agents in the U.S. The nine advisory board members were selected from a pool of more than 400 past attendees, and each will serve a two-year term. The inaugural GTM advisory board meeting, hosted by The St. Regis New York, took place Feb. 29 to March 1.
The board members are Donna Alkarmi, owner of Lone Star Travel; Rob Clabbers, owner of Q Cruise + Travel; Lisa Fletcher, independent contractor for Signature Escapes; Deb Fogarty, owner of Be Well Travel; Ginny Mariano, owner of Avanti World Travel; Geoff Millar, owner of Ultimate All-Inclusive Travel; Rebecca Norrbom, frontline agent for Holiday Cruises & Tours; Connie Risse, owner of Ships & Trips Travel; and Melissa Varela, owner of Modern Romance Travel.
Five of the board members — Alkarmi, Millar, Risse, Varela and Norrbom — are based on the West Coast.
“The GTM Advisory Board members have proven themselves to be some of best travel advisors in the business,” said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, senior vice president of events, Travel Group for Northstar Travel Group. “With diverse business models, backgrounds, tenure and expertise, the group provides an invaluable perspective on the industry and travel advisor needs.”
GTM and GTM West are travel industry events that connect top-producing advisors in North America with cruise, hotel, tour and destination suppliers through one-on-one appointments, boardroom presentations and networking events over the course of 2.5 days. Participants undergo a rigorous screening process, which evaluates their business model, confirms annual sales and requires industry references prior to being accepted into the event.
GTM West will take place at The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in Tucson, Ariz., from May 4 to 6. Its sister event, GTM, will be held at Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, Fla., from Aug. 21 to 23.
To apply to be part of GTM or GTM West, visit www.globaltravelmarketplace.com. The application deadline for GTM West is March 25.
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Global Travel Marketplace www.globaltravelmarketplace.com
