CANCUN – More networking, more training and more site inspection opportunities were on the menu at the first of ALG Vacations’ new “mega-fams” series, which kicked off here. earlier this month.
The fam trip strategy aims to bring together larger groups of advisors fewer times during the year to learn about the wholesaler’s different products, destinations and brands.
At the four-night Pros on the Go event here, that meant more tips attendees and immersive educational opportunities, workshops and team-building sessions than previous ALG Vacations families have offered.
“With all of our events and families, our goal continues to be education for our travel advisors,” said Jacki Marks, global head of business brands at ALG Vacations. Mega-families, he said, “have a much larger network pool than a traditional family, and [advisors] they can share insight or ask questions with even more of their peers.”
ALG Vacations will host mega-fams of about 150 travel advisors twice a year, compared to the 20 fams of 10 to 12 advisors each that the company has traditionally hosted annually. The inaugural mega-fam was split between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and the second will take place June 9-13 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Kathy Mehring, ALG Vacations regional sales manager for the Midwest and co-host of the mega-fam, echoed Marks, adding that the larger family creates more networking opportunities among advisors, while in smaller fams the face time between counselors was sometimes limited. via assigned routes.
“Previously with our traditional family tours, we assigned a hotel and guest itinerary, and agents assisted with their individual BDM,” Mehring said. But on the mega-fam, “bringing a large group of agents together for a day of training and breaking into smaller groups for events at their host hotels allowed more time for networking.”
The mega-fams share similarities with the brand’s flagship ALG Ascend conference, which brings together 650 travel advisors together with many of the company’s travel partners over the course of a week. But Marks said a megafame is very much its own kind of meeting.
“It has the feeling of a mini Ascend conference since we also implement workshops and training in the agenda, but it is still very much a family in the sense of offering that first-hand experience for the board,” said Marks. The participants, he added, “have several site inspections on the agenda and also have an excursion with Amstar.”
Tips to the Riviera Breathless Cancun for the four-day event ALG Vacations Pros on the Go, part of a “mega-fam” strategy that the wholesaler launched this year. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
Choice of all inclusive
More choice was a boon for advisers during the megafame here. They can choose hotels to inspect, training workshops to attend and excursions to join, options they didn’t have on previous ALG Vacations families.
Participants will be able to choose from several resorts for their accommodations and site inspections, including the Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, Hotel Riu Palace Mexico, Iberostar Grand Paraiso, Breathless Riviera Cancun, Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya, Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya and Dreams Adventures Riviera Maya.
Heather Hendrix, regional sales manager for ALG Vacations for the East Coast, which co-hosted the mega-family alongside Mehring, said advisers choose hotels to stay in and inspect to make sure they see properties that would benefit them. .
“It really allowed for more flexibility and more options for counselors to get what they needed from the family,” Hendrix said.
Lindley Diecks, vice president and global travel specialist for Greater Pittsburgh Travel, said the mega-fame offers a more curated selection of resort properties to inspect than other brand names. Those trips, he said, sometimes included too many site inspections, making it “hard to remember which resort was which.”
“With this mega-fam setup, I really liked that it was a combination of resort tours, seminars and time to experience the destination,” said Diecks.
Lindley Diecks, an advisor with Greater Pittsburgh Travel, holds a pinata her team of advisors created during the ALGV Pros on the Go renovation event. Photo Credit: Nicole Edenedo
A learning experience
The mega-fam introduced a day of training and workshops that were not part of the previous ALG Vacations fams. Breakout sessions focused on helping advisors strengthen their businesses and improve sales.
One workshop, titled “In the Money” and led by Mehring and Hendrix, focused on ways advisors can make more money using ALG Vacations programs and tapping into their technology.
A workshop hosted by Sandra McLemore, CEO of Travel Marketing & Media, focused on the importance of charging service fees.
Stacee Sevals, a counselor with Travel Leaders based in Rice Lake, Wis., called the training “extremely valuable.”
At least one board member had a tip for ALG Vacations. Yolanda Corbin, owner of Luxe Life Travel in Wilmington, Del., said the family was beneficial, but giving advisors more time to experience the properties and the area would elevate the experience. “Make the families for at least five days,” he said.
