What
TravelAge West and parent company Northstar Travel Group hosted the inaugural Future Leaders in Travel Retreat from Sept. 4-6 in Aspen, Colo. The 66 travel professionals in attendance — including 41 travel advisors who were fully hosted — were between the ages of 22 and 37.
Why It Matters
The Retreat, which was designed to connect like-minded travel buyers and sellers, is a first-of-its-kind travel conference. Its unique mix of destination immersion (via activities such as hiking, biking and yoga) and educational content was designed to further the progress of these future industry leaders. Next year’s retreat will take place Sept. 3-5 in Aspen.
Fast Facts
- The three-day event took place at Aspen Meadows Resort, which is home to the world-famous Aspen Institute.
- Activities during the retreat included hiking, biking and yoga in the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness and exploring Lost Forest adventure park in Snowmass, Colo.
- Evening events showcased Aspen’s unique accommodation and nightlife options.
- Educational content included a panel discussion on the future of travel; keynote speeches; and breakout workshops that focused on sales and marketing and personal branding.
What They Are Saying
“In the last few years, we’ve seen a real flood of awesome new talent join the industry, so we wanted to honor that,” said Mindy Poder, executive editor of TravelAge West, during The Retreat’s opening address. “We realized there are a lot of travel conferences out there, but we knew that if we created an event specifically for this demographic, we could do things differently. By focusing on our peers, we could be more active, more adventurous, more experiential in our educational content and more fun.”
"The travel industry lacked a space for young professionals to connect, develop their leadership skills and discuss the future of our industry,” said Alicia Evanko-Lewis, senior vice president of events, Travel Group for Northstar Travel Group. “TravelAge West and Northstar Travel Group saw that hole and developed The Retreat.”
The Details
Future Leaders in Travel Retreat
www.futureleadersintravel.com
