Written By: Mary Pat Sullivan, President – Sullivan Marketing Advisors
Registration for Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld has been open for just about two months and the fast-growing registration numbers are incredibly encouraging and prove that the travel advisor community is ready and eager to meet with supplier partners and plan for a successful 2021. We’ve begun to see the first signs of leisure travel returning, with many advisors pivoting and finding options for their clients who are ready to travel with road trips to the mountains, domestic flights to less-crowded cities, and stays at the re-opened resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.
Unprecedented business changes and challenges and an adjustment to a new normal will require more education for today’s travel advisors seeking expanded partners, destinations, products and more. Travel Weekly understands that education is a key component of an advisor’s value and the opportunity to access in-person training, networking with peers, creating new supplier relationships and hearing from industry leadership is more important than ever. That’s why, like in past years, these elements will continue to be a part of the CruiseWorld program in 2020. Session content will support the new landscape and needs of today’s advisors.
When asked, the already-registered advisors touted these core components of CruiseWorld as reasons why they feel attending this year is more important than ever:
“CruiseWorld will be more valuable than ever to my business. It will be an action-packed conference and allow me to connect with suppliers. There’s no better use of my time as a travel advisor right now!”
“The relationships with suppliers and other advisors are absolutely invaluable and push me to higher levels than I thought I could reach on my own.”
“CruiseWorld helps me to stay connected with the people who make our industry go. I love the face-to-face interactions with my long-standing partners and getting to meet and develop relationships with new ones.”
“Our industry is changing daily and there is not a better place to learn all the new protocols than CruiseWorld.”
“CruiseWorld is an amazing use of your time and in just that short week you can learn more than you can in an entire year! How can you be a travel advisor and not attend?”
CruiseWorld will bring the industry back together and promises to provide exciting, uplifting, and important content, trend analysis and networking. In addition to the live event being a chance for the industry to reunite, CruiseWorld is also celebrating its 10th anniversary, and it will certainly be a year for celebration.
The event will be held November 11-13 in Miami Beach for the first time. The program will include general sessions jam-packed with industry leaders and education, supplier training programs and breakout sessions, peer-led workshops, and the signature Exhibitor Showcase featuring suppliers from every facet of the travel industry.
The Travel Weekly-supported STAR Program is also returning for another year. Accepted participants receive complimentary registration, two nights hotel accommodation, and exclusive opportunities onsite. The program is already more than half full, so interested advisors should complete their applications as soon as possible. More information can be found at www.cruiseworldshow.com/star.
CruiseWorld isn’t just about cruise.This event brings together all facets of the leisure travel industry. Exhibitor categories include: airlines, attractions, business tools, car rental, cruise, destinations, hotels and resorts, professional services, rail, tour operators and packaged vacations, and more.
For additional information about CruiseWorld, visit www.cruiseworldshow.com.