This summer, my nephew is getting married — three times. OK, he’s really getting married just once (I hope), but he and his fiancee are having three celebrations. One will be in Ohio, where they live and the bride is from; one in California, where he’s from; and one at a winery in North Carolina, just because. A few of us lucky friends and relatives get to turn this into three summer getaways.
I offer this example to show that every wedding plan is unique. Destination weddings — just like all vacations — need to be customized to clients, and advisors who go into the process with preconceived ideas based on outdated models are not going to be successful. In this issue’s cover story, “What’s Trending in Destination Weddings” (page 16), experts share the latest developments in this growing market.
Changing with the times is important in every business, including here at TravelAge West. This month, we made a major leap forward with a relaunched website. The new site continues our trademark style of presenting first-person stories combined with vivid images, but it gives us even more opportunities to add photos, videos and other multimedia. In addition, visitors to the site can now use maps to zero in on content, and they can filter searches to quickly get to the story they want. We’re also calling out more travel types than ever before, including stories related to romance, luxury, wellness and culinary travel.
Agents will also appreciate the new professional development section of the site, which features topical stories that are meant to increase your business. Here, visitors will find features on sales, marketing, branding, emergency planning and recruiting. There are also industry interviews, webinars, thought leadership pieces, digital guides and more.
Go to TravelAgeWest.com and check out the new site (it’s designed to adapt to your tablet or phone, as well); we would love to hear what you think. With this new relaunch, we’ve made an investment to keep up with the times — which, really, is an investment in the importance of travel agents in the West. As always, you can count on us to bring you the information you need to succeed.