26 Sep Leading the Way at the 2019 ASTA Global Convention

The entire Nexion Travel Group Executive Leadership Team, along with members of our staff and many of our travel advisors, congregated in Hollywood, Fla. in late August at the ASTA Global Convention 2019.

President Jackie Friedman, who serves on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Travel Professionals (ASTA), spoke during the Hosts/Consortia panel workshop on Sharing How Top-producing Members Find Success.

“Independent travel advisors have a lot of choices on how they want to operate their business. It’s important to me to ensure they have the facts when making decisions about their agency,” says Jackie.

Vice President of Sales and Marketing Cris De Souza presented Marketing YOU: Promoting Your Value and discussed how advisors can position themselves in the travel industry, so they don’t compete on price while carving out a unique and legitimate space for themselves. “Effective marketing delivers the right message, at the right time, to the right people,” Cris said.

Heather Kindred, Senior Director of Business Development and Education, presented two roundtable “think tank” workshops on Salesmanship-Overcoming Objections and Opening the Sale. Heather gathered a group of seasoned travel industry professionals in a room with 50 advisors, and together in small groups, they broke down common objections that advisors hear daily, beginning with, “Do travel agents still exist?”

The team also greeted advisors during an independent advisor reception and took part in the Chapter Connections, a gathering of the different ASTA chapter communities. Several Nexion Travel Group advisors are active chapter leaders across the country.

Partnership Power

A highlight of the convention was when Jackie got to share the stage with Becky Powell, President of Protravel International, and Cindy Schlansky, Co-President of Tzell Travel Group, during the Women in Travel History presentation. The three women recognized the long line of strong, brave female businesswomen who have helped steer the travel agency industry to success. “Back in the 1800s, women weren’t even allowed to have passports. Married women had to be listed on their husband’s passports. But that didn’t stop many intrepid adventurers and explorers from making their mark on the world.”

Jackie continued, “To ensure the role of women continues to rise in our industry, we all need to step up our game,” stated Jackie. “Women make up half of this country’s population, but less than 30 percent of our executives are women. Of those women executives, only a tiny percent are Asian, black or Hispanic.”

Of course, the convention would not be complete without plenty of networking, a trade show and an advocacy dinner. And, to top it all off, Nexion Travel Group was awarded ASTA’s Host Agency of the Year for the second year in a row and third time overall!

Here’s a quick video recap of the convention …

Nexion Travel Group looks forward to seeing you next year for the ASTA Global Convention August 25 – 28, 2020 in Washington, D.C.

Nexion Travel Group is a Diamond Level Proud Partner with ASTA, the highest level offered through the partnership program with ASTA. We invest our time and resources to support ASTA’s mission and ensure a healthy and robust travel agency distribution channel. Plus, we understand that travel advisors are an essential tool to your success. We’re dedicated to providing our advisors with the tools they need to be best advocates for travelers across the world.

All travel professionals interested in learning how to succeed as a professional business owner, backed by Nexion Travel Group’s many great benefits, are encouraged to call 800-747-6813 or email sales@nexion.com.

Written by Suzanne Harbison, Nexion Travel Group Marketing and Communications Manager