After a multi-year hiatus from in-person events, the Family Travel Association (FTA) is reinstating its live summit this fall. Set for Oct. 12-15 in Boston, the event is now open for registration, and organizer Kasie Smith, president of Serendipity Media and director of the FTA, is eager to once again gather with advisors for a mixture of connection, learning and fun.
Smith and Serendipity Media came onboard with the FTA in 2021, helping renew memberships and more. Smith reminds advisors that it’s easy to join the association via an online form and by paying a $95 annual fee. Those simple steps bring big benefits, she says. Advisor members have access to a free family travel certification program — the only one of its kind — and are privy to the results of an annual survey conducted with New York University that specifically researches family travel.
“The FTA is the only association that focuses on emerging trends and research related to families,” Smith said. “Members get access to the entire survey, and throughout the year, we break the results down into parts, letting advisors dive deeper into specific topics.”
Additionally, only FTA members may register for the annual summit. An incredible opportunity for professional growth, the event allows attendees to meet with top family travel suppliers in the business, network with peers in the field and build community as they explore Boston in cohorts.
Kasie Smith, director of the FTA
Credit: 2023 Kasie Smith“For advisors to network with these suppliers, and have business appointments with them one on one, certainly gives them an advantage in their work,” Smith said.
Education seminars around family travel will also be part of the summit, and brand-new findings from the latest family travel survey will be revealed live at the event. Researchers will be on hand to point out and discuss post-COVID-19 trends and what they mean for advisor business. And in addition to gathering relevant facts and supplier details, advisors might use the summit as a forum in which to share their own insights — and wonderings — with colleagues from around the nation.
“The summit is a great way to have your voice heard in the industry,” Smith said. “If you are booking any family travel, participating in this event really makes sense.”
For advisors to network with these suppliers, and have business appointments with them one on one, certainly gives them an advantage in their work.
And according to data gathered in the 2022 survey conducted by NYU and the FTA, plenty of advisors are booking family travel. Results showed that 25% of traveler respondents have used a travel advisor to book at least one family trip in the past three years, and that’s an eight-point jump over 2021.
In addition to receiving the latest family travel data and building industry relationships at the October summit, attendees can expect some adventure, as well.
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“We are making this an immersive experience, too,” Smith said. “We won’t just be in a conference room all day. We’re going to get advisors and suppliers together and go out to see what Boston — certainly a top family travel destination — has to offer.”
Event capacity is set at 125 attendees, and registration is currently open. All guests will stay at the Hilton Boston/Woburn and have access to a special rate as FTA members.
