More than 2,000 travel industry professionals convened at Travel Leaders Network’s (TLN) annual Edge conference, where travel advisor members and supplier partners learned the latest news from the network, currently serving more than 100,000 travel advisors across 5,700 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The event, which took place from May 3-6 at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, is following a record quarter of growth for the consortium, which grew at a rate of one new member, per day, in the first quarter of 2026, representing $130 million in sales. It also used the event as a fundraising opportunity for TLN’s Family Bonds Foundation; the group raised $238,830 this year, well surpassing its original goal of $150,000.
Here are six updates from the event.
1. Travel Leaders Is Becoming CRM Agnostic
TLN’s Engagement marketing platform, a legacy program that launched in 2001, is in the process of introducing integrations with some of the most popular customer relationship managers (CRM) in the travel industry; this week, users of Tern, Travefy, Tres and PlanitEasy can input their customer data directly into Engagement.
The four new companies will join three existing CRMs that have already integrated: ClientBase, AgentMate and VacationCRM.
Advisors must give permission to share client data, which includes past purchase history and demographic information such as age and household income. TLN will then use the data to inform which clients will receive personalized preferred supplier marketing, including direct mail.
The current Engagement program has data on about 11 million households, and TLN will soon begin grouping ultra-high-net-worth households (those who make $2-20 million) into its own buckets for more targeted messaging from suppliers.
"The more past-purchase history data we have, the smarter the marketers become in targeting the right clients for the right supplier offers," said Cory Voss, TLN’s chief information officer, during Edge's general session on May 3. "There will be fewer irrelevant offers and more sales-ready booking requests coming your way."
The data flow between the CRMs and Engagement will allow members to bypass a former, more manual process where they extracted client lists, reformatted them and then uploaded them to Engagement, noted Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer at Internova Travel Group, the parent company of Travel Leaders Network.
Another new direct marketing tool unveiled at Edge is Client Builder, which is launching this summer and will allow members to reach new clients within their communities via customized postcards.
2. The Consortium Debuts Its Social Lab Educational Program
Social Lab, announced at Edge, is a new multi-tiered educational program for advisors looking to elevate their social media skills.
Its launch comes from a broader shift across the industry, where travel advisors are increasingly looked to as “storytellers, creators and trusted voices with growing audience,” according to Lindsay Pearlman, president of TLN.
Before joining Social Lab, advisors must complete “Social Spark,” a webinar series that covers social media basics. Social Lab is more advanced, including modules on social analytics, strategy, photography, videography, short-form video editing, writing captions and using AI, and comes at an enrollment cost of $150.
The program came as a direct result of member feedback, according to McGillivray, who says that social media training is the No. 1 requested education from members.
“At the end of it, we want to advance advisors’ social media skills [and explore] how to take some of the fear away,” he said.
Graduates of Social Lab are automatically eligible for “The Final Cut,” a series of exclusive TLN fam trips where advisors can get on-the-ground practice capturing content with the aid of TLN’s social media team.
3. AI Is at the Forefront of Technology Updates
AI was a central part of the conversation at Edge. The network’s consumer-facing Agent Profiler, which features 23,000 consumer-facing TLN profiles, has delivered more than 2 million leads for members; it will now have an AI tool to help advisors build out their profiles with generative AI engine-optimized language.
On the back end, TLN is also working to prevent fraudulent client leads by using AI to scan incoming queries and identify which leads might be spam; since its implementation, the safeguards have blocked more than 50,000 incoming submissions.
Protective measures put in place include a re-captcha, blocking international IP addresses and limiting the number of submissions per day.
4. More Advisors Are Booking Air Through SNAP
March 2026 marked the highest month of air sales in the network's history, thanks to growing adoption of the network’s Simple Navigation Air Program (SNAP) tool, which has grown in adoption by 400% since its introduction in March 2024.
TLN executives unveiled new upgrades for the point-and-click air booking platform this week, including new chat support functionality, a "Booking Buddy" feature and a trip proposal function, which allows members to share customized proposals with clients and refine results for roundtrip and multicity flights, as well as filter by cabin type or specific legs of the journey.
The platform has been co-developed with Sabre, and is responsible for 50,000 air tickets sold so far. TLN also launched its new Booking Buddy feature, which includes one-on-one guidance during the air-booking process from a TLN SNAP team member.
Megan Wollak used Edge as an opportunity to re-introduce the members of TLN’s growing Member Services and Support Services team.
Photo Credit: 2026 Emma Weissmann5. TLN’s Member Services and Support Services Team Expands
Eleven representatives have joined TLN’s Member Success team to help cater to TLN’s “emerging travel agencies.”
“We’re focused on leadership development, scalable technology and programs that help you grow without sacrificing your or the client’s experience,” said Megan Wollak, senior vice president of member services for TLN, during May 5’s general session. “To deliver on this commitment, we’re strengthening our member sales and services leadership and structure. We’ve hired more representation in the field, with smaller territories allowing for more meaningful connections.”
6. TLN Unveiled a New Family Travel Certification and Alliance
Multigenerational travel is a segment that TLN is prioritizing education for this year, with a new Certified Family Travel Specialist program for advisors looking to sell the niche.
The new certification will feature traditional coursework, supplier-led sessions and exams; members who enroll have two years to complete the program.
Also new is Connections, a digital family travel magazine that features an advisor’s individual branding, which has been distributed to 500,000 TLN customers since its debut this spring.
A new Leaders Alliance focusing on the family travel segment is also in development.
Save the Date
Next year’s Edge conference will take place May 19-22, 2027.
