October 2023 - Newsletter for Agents of First Travel Alliance

"Passport to Success" in Orlando, Florida

Dear Travel Family:

We have had an amazing year so far and September for our annual bootcamp was a huge highlight. If you have never been, invest in yourself and your business and just come! I promise you it will be worth it! Our travel family will wrap their arms around you and make you feel right at home!

This one was jam packed with many, many travel suppliers and we had guest speakers and challenges from FTA that were met with fun, competition, and a new way to look at things.

We enjoyed some meals together; the bar was like Cheers where everyone knew our names and even a suite for the traditional Fishbowl Friday.

Bootcamp is for learning, networking with new friends and travel suppliers. Never underestimate the power of a conversation - it can change your whole life or at least the way you do business.

We try to have our bootcamps within the last 2 weeks in September so you can plan. 2024 we are going to give a Cruise Ship a whirl. There will be information coming out soon but Save the Date now! We'll be heading out on 9/23/24 for a 5 night cruise on the Carnival Freedom out of Port Canaveral, FL.

I am working on a Goals Planning Series for November/December to start your 2024 off right and we look forward to you joining us virtually.

A huge thank you to all our travel suppliers and guest speakers for joining us and really staying throughout the weekend to connect. And last, but definitely not least, to our home office team who helped in many different ways or keeps things going so we can concentrate on bootcamp - you all are fantastic! We appreciate you!

Enjoy this very special issue and visualize yourself with us in 2024! And hey, while you are visualizing and manifesting great things - see yourself accepting an award too!

Best,

Tami Goad-McDaniel

Vice President of Travel Operations

We had so many vendors attend this event. They brought a lot of great information - most conducted two different sessions, providing updates and new information on their brands, as well as training on how to use their booking platform. You leave the event feeling 100% confident that you know how to sell and find booking resources for each brand.

The TraveleSolutions.com training ("TESS") was especially helpful. The TESS Customer Service team showed our agents how to utilize the Standard & Advanced portions of their site - everything from entering trips/bookings to creating extensions that can be used to automate client e-mails. There are so many primarily unused portions of this program that can be a great time saver for your business!

Agents also had a chance to chat in small groups with the vendors and ask questions during the "Date your BDM" rotating table discussions. This really gives you the one-on-one time to make a connection and exchange business cards with the Business Development Manager (BDM) of your favorite brands.

Tami loves to give our agents a challenge too! Groups brainstormed how to market to a "niche within a niche" and really tailor their product and marketing strategy to that particular group. The groups then gave a presentation to all FTA Agents on Saturday.

Our agents rose to the challenge and had a ton of fun with this, sharing a bunch of unique ideas on how to sell all types of travel to a variety of clients - this is networking and idea sharing at it's finest!

And a Bootcamp wouldn't be complete without tons of FUN! Our after hours cocktail parties round out the event (we'll never forget the "Fishbowl Friday" tradition)!

Our themed party this year was a Disney costume contest (since our hotel was part of the Disney Springs complex) and our agents got really creative!

What a few Travel Advisors are saying about their experience at Bootcamp...

I cannot stress the value of attending our annual FTA Bootcamp. Each day is filled with training sessions by various suppliers/vendors and with group exercises that encourage us to build our businesses. The interaction with our fellow TA’s is also invaluable as we are able to share our best practices and tips with each other. I have seen my sales grow tremendously each year after coming back to the office and applying the new information/education learned at Bootcamp. - Dawn Eckhart

What is Bootcamp?

Bootcamp is a learning experience that teams travel advisors with travel suppliers to get the latest and greatest information on the travel experiences available for us to offer to our clients. It is a chance to collaborate with our fellow travel advisors to gain insight on how they are achieving success in building their businesses. It is a chance to learn "best practice" information from our parent company and the speakers they bring to speak with us. Bootcamp allows attendees to have FUN together, become friends in the industry and to plan travel together, promoting one another's businesses.

Our business has grown exponentially as a result of attending Bootcamp over the years. We LOVE the experience as we come back energized with new ideas to implement and immediately add bookings. We enjoy seeing our creative fellow agents every year and catching up on what they have been up to since the last time we were together. Bootcamp is one of the main highlighted benefits of being with our parent company, First Travel Alliance. Thank you, FTA, for giving us this critical tool to help GROW OUR BUSINESS and have FUN for a few days at the same time.

Warm Regards,

Betty Villani

Exclusive Global Travel

This year was my first Bootcamp! I was feeling like I could give more to my clients, and wanted to better myself as a travel advisor! I also was looking to network with other travel advisors for advice, tips, support, and more options for suppliers to help better assist those I was working with.

Wow! Bootcamp DID NOT DISAPPOINT! I was so excited to finally meet many of my fellow travel advisors! I was able to put a face to the ones I have seen within our group! During Bootcamp I felt so welcomed, being my first time and coming by myself! All of the suppliers were very informative and made learning lots of fun!

I absolutely love booking with ALG vacations and will continue, but I have so many options that I will be able to assist all parts of the world and offer the best value! I am very excited to offer more destinations!

It is hard to narrow down my favorite part, but I was so excited to hear about the new ships, destinations, properties coming, and suppliers. Makes me personally want to travel!

The knowledge that was learned and the people that surround me, has given me the courage and confidence to watch my business blossom!

I was so honored to be acknowledged for all my accomplishments within First Travel Alliance! I am very blessed to have found and be a part of this family! I am so looking forward to BOOTCAMP 2024!

Jacqui Marano, Marano Travel Agency

Just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with the 2023 Bootcamp! I’ve only missed one in the past 10 years and each year my business has received a terrific boost after attending. Meeting our BDMs is always a huge benefit allowing me a chance to fine tune my groups for 2024-2025. TESS training was outstanding! I’m ready to register for 2025. And last but not least spending time with my fellow travel agents filled my heart and soul with joy!!

Thank you so much!! - Sandy Graham

This was my very first Bootcamp and I will scream it from the top of my lungs from here on out… ATTEND BOOTCAMP!

Not only is our FTA family super fun and welcoming, but surrounding yourself with fellow agents will make your business grow. Everyone is so willing to share all their knowledge, expertise and how they’ve found success.

Not only did we learn in depth about some of our favorite vendors but we met our BDMs who are awesome resources to help our businesses grow. Meeting them in person and knowing they truly care and want to help and are easily accessible when we need them is so valuable! Oh and to learn how to take advantage of all the benefits of TESS will truly be a game changer in my business!!

I could go on and on but the point is, if you want to grow your travel business, invest in your business and come to Bootcamp!

-Melissa Namowitz, Under the Palms

Congratulations to our Award Winners!

Every year we end our Bootcamp by celebrating the accomplishments of you, our amazing Travel Agents. We'd like to extend a huge Congratulations to all of our 2023 award winners.