Avoya Travel kicked off its 11th annual Avoya Conference today with sold-out attendance of independent agencies in the Avoya Network, industry leaders, supplier partners, and support staff. Held from May 23 - 25, at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach, CA and onboard the Norwegian Bliss, the conference will celebrate Avoya’s growth and innovations in vacation-planning.
President Michael Anderson
The 2018 Avoya Conference began with an announcement that the company has recorded double-digit sales growth year in 2017, as well as continued expansion with new independent agencies joining the Avoya Network at record rates. From 2016 (January through April) to 2018 (January through April), new independent agencies affiliating with the Network are up 370 percent.
Avoya says that its new technology and marketing capabilities have been a major factor, helping drive 2018 sales to out-pace 2017’s record-setting numbers. As a result, more independent agenct than ever are to be honored at the conference as top producers for their agencies’ annual sales, with some reaching sales over $5 million. Avoya will also announce future technology and Network enhancements designed to improve efficiencies and accelerate independent agency sales and incomes for 2018 and beyond. The Network has not yet released the details on these enhancements.
New to the conference, Avoya introduced an optional Pre-Conference Academy on May 22, which invited Avoya’s Diamond-level preferred supplier partners to join the independent agencies for a day of exclusive networking and education.
Keynotes during the conference will include Ellen Bettridge, president and CEO at Uniworld Boutique River Cruises; John Diulus, vice president of strategic accounts at Norwegian Cruise Line; Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service at Royal Caribbean International; Brett Tollman, chief executive at The Travel Corporation, and more.
There will also be educational workshops, an exclusive tradeshow and private networking events for independent agencies and suppliers. Royal Caribbean International will host Caribbean Nights, with entertainment from Mo5aic, who performs on Symphony of the Seas, and Carnival Corporation will host a preview soiree for its refurbished Long Beach Cruise Terminal, followed by the Chairman’s Great Gatsby Gala onboard the Queen Mary.
Visit www.JoinAvoya.com.
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