An often-overlooked secret to building a good organization is finding quality people to surround yourself with. Without the right teammates, you’ll be facing an uphill battle — no matter how solid a business plan is.
At TravelAge West, we’re fortunate to have a great team — and I’m thrilled to announce that our crew has gotten even better with the selection of a new Agent Advisory Board.
The members of our new board were handpicked by our editorial staff. They are all retail agents based in the West, and they are experts in a variety of travel styles. The board includes Donna Alkarmi of Lone Star Travel; Brianna Glenn of Milk + Honey Travels; Daniela Harrison of Avenues of the World; Beci Mahnken of MEI Travel; Steve Orens of Plaza Travel; Hope Smith of Born to Travel; Lynda Turley of Alpine Travel; David Van Ness of All-Travel; Melissa Varela of Modern Romance Travel; and Leslie Wahlgren of Kahala Travel.
I’m excited to be working with our new advisors, but I know there are plenty of amazing agents out there. To acknowledge those superstars, we created our annual Trendsetter Awards, and the 2018 awards are now open for nominations. This year’s categories are: Best Use of Social Media; Upward Bound Rock Star Agent Under 40; Best Group Booking Sales Effort; and Best Targeted Marketing Idea. If you or someone you know excels in any of these areas, please let us know by applying online at TravelAgeWest.com/WAVE/Trendsetters. The deadline is March 9. Winners and runners-up will receive travel awards from our sponsors: Globus Family of Brands, AMResorts, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. Trendsetter agents will also attend our WAVE Awards gala in Los Angeles, and they will be on the cover of an upcoming issue of TravelAge West.
Please know that we’re part of your team as well — you can count on us to provide you with resources and support that will help your agency succeed. After all, that’s what good teammates do.
