Nexion Holds First-Ever Luxury Travel Sales Summit

Dec 04, 2016

What:
Host agency Nexion recently held its inaugural invitation-only Luxury Travel Sales Summit for its top independent professional travel agents who are focused on this growing segment. Held in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Nexion Luxury Travel Sales Summit provided in-depth luxury travel sales technique training and included top industry leaders and industry suppliers.

Why It Matters:
Luxury travel is one of the most important industry niches, so a focus on this market can make a big difference for an agency. This three-day event, which was for Nexion travel advisors with demonstrated sales in the luxury segment, increased agent expertise with a variety of classes and provided opportunities to connect with luxury travel supplier partners. In addition, attendees were given the chance to inspect and explore two luxury cruise ships — Azamara Quest and Silversea Cruises’ Silver Whisper — to add to their luxury cruise knowledge.

Fast Facts:
- Speakers at the event included: Larry Pimentel, president and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises; Mark Conroy, managing director of the Americas for Silversea Cruises; Steve Spivak, vice president of Global Sales for Tauck; and Perry Lungmus, CTC, vice president of Luxury Travel for Travel Leaders Network.

- AmaWaterways, Crystal Cruises, Abercrombie & Kent and Seabourn provided additional sponsorship for this exclusive training event.

What They Are Saying:
“Nexion’s research shows that luxury travel is among the fastest growing niche areas for independent travel agents to specialize in,” said Jackie Friedman, CTC, CTIE, president of Nexion. “Our goal is to support our Nexion agents in achieving success, and one way we do that is by providing specialized training opportunities that simply aren’t available elsewhere. High-end clients are typically very discerning; there are nuanced ways of counseling these clients and tailoring the experiences that they desire. This summit provided our agents with a unique opportunity, specifically designed to elevate their understanding of this segment and to assist them in expanding their luxury sales.”

“The Nexion Luxury Sales Summit was such a great experience for agents who specialize in luxury travel or who want to grow their luxury travel business,” said Diane Hutchins, CTC, ECC, a Nexion agent with Points of the Compass Travel. “Since this invited group was so small, we had greater access to suppliers and now have personal relationships with them instead of being just names on a sales report.”