Karisma Hotels & Resorts recently hosted the 14th Annual Gourmet Inclusive Vacation Consultant (GIVC) Awards honoring the brand’s top performing travel advisors. This year’s event was held at the newly launched Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya and kept the tradition of surprising attendees with the location of the host hotel upon arrival.
Over 200 travel advisors from the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Mexico were present at the three-day event from September 27-30. Key executives from Karisma Hotels & Resorts and Grupo Lomas were in attendance, besides the governor of Quintana Roo, Carlos Joaquin Gonzalez.
The GIVC Awards’ Sales & Marketing Forum was held at the resort’s main entertainment venue, the Main Stage. This was the first event held there since Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya officially opened on August 1, 2021. The event featured a welcome reception at Aqua Nick, one of Mexico’s largest themed water parks, complete with a fireworks display, resort tours and immersive on-property experiences throughout each day. A pool party was organized at the nearby Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun, where guests were treated to live music, signature floating taco bars and poolside massages.
The main event—the Gala Cocktail Reception and Awards Ceremony—was held at El Dorado Royale. This year, the ceremony acknowledged partners in 21 categories spanning top overall producers, top producers by brand, top producers by region, top wedding producers, Diamond & Elite levels, and the new Palm Award, whose winners included James Berglie, Be All Inclusive; Michelle Fee and Vicky Garcia, Cruise Planners; Mark Faldmo, Columbus Travel; Monica Karnes, LaMacchia Travel; Laure Poffenberger, Travel & Luxury Vacations; and Sarah Bonsall, Sunset Travel.
The highest recognition, the "Hall of Fame Award", is given to an individual who has made a difference to the El Dorado Spa Resorts, Generations Resorts, Azul Beach Resorts, Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts and Margaritaville Island Reserve brands through an overall increase in business. This year’s award was presented to Michael Schellhase from Travel Haus of St. Louis, Missouri.
For more information, visit www.karismahotels.com.
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