CANCUN — Team-building exercises and educational workshops were a big part of the program at ALG Vacations' first “Mega Fam” held last week.
Approximately 150 travel advisors gathered at Breathless Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa to participate in the four-day ALGV Pros on the Go event. The event is a family outing consisting of a full day of training and education sessions, as well as on-site visits to numerous Hyatt resorts. Inclusive Collection (Hyatt owns his ALG Vacations) and giving back efforts to support local communities.
ALG Vacations announced Megafam earlier this year. The goal is to reduce the number of times per year that we gather large groups of travel advisors for sales and product training.
Prior to this new fam strategy, ALG Vacations hosted multiple fam trips per year with smaller groups of advisors, but the company said this method required more resources. I did. This new approach streamlines the fam of sales and events teams and provides greater education and networking opportunities for advisors.
The first day of programming began with a general session hosted by Kathy Mehring, ALGV's Midwest Regional Sales Director, and Heather Hendricks, East Coast Sales Director.
The two sales directors provided an overview of Apple Leisure Group's portfolio, loyalty programs, technology resources available to advisors, and product lines and destinations, including its rapidly expanding European portfolio.
“Last year we spent a lot of time building our European product, which was very important to us, and this year we will continue to expand that offer,” Hendricks told advisors in the audience, adding that ALG Vacations has 100 He added that he has more than $1,000 in funding. Sales to Europe last year reached $1 million.
Hendricks said ALG Vacations will focus this year on building hotel partnerships similar to what the company currently has in Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii and using those relationships to leverage better booking opportunities for advisors. He said that he has put
“We're increasing our boutique and luxury hotel operations,” Hendricks told advisors. “We have DMCs all over Europe. We also provide transportation from airports to hotels and even cruise ports.” Told. “So if you’re looking to sell a river cruise, why not consider us for your pre- or post-cruise stay?”
Sales executives from Breathless Cancun and the adjacent Secrets Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa gave presentations about the two all-inclusive resorts, how the two brands are marketed, and the types of customers the resorts pursue.
Advisors participated in team-building exercises and educational workshops at the ALGV Pros on the Go event.Photo by Nicole Edendo
Fun and learning
Team-building exercises were a staple of the day's program and a way to test advisors' knowledge of the company's services, from products to fee structures.
ALG Vacations' “In the Money” workshops, led by Hendricks and Mehring, help advisors earn more with ALG Vacations by leveraging programs like the Waves Rewards Program and United Vacations Seat Incentive, as well as resources like Get Paid. We focused on all the ways to make money. Upgrade to set your own fees.
For 90 minutes, advisors divided into teams to decipher tips given to them by two sales directors. The tips were meant to reveal various resources that can help advisors win more sales and maximize their earning potential.
Once the advisor group guessed these programs correctly, Hendricks and Mehring explained how those programs worked and provided additional tips and insights on how advisors could get the most out of them.
This give-back activity also focused on team-building exercises with an active piñata-making class that included games and light motor activities.
A further 90-minute breakout workshop concluded the day's program. The “Using Social to Engage'' workshop, hosted by professional photographer Will Byington, focused on helping advisors improve their photography skills for use on social media.
Byington gave advisors step-by-step instructions on how to use editing software apps on their phones to fix blemishes, improve quality and correct color in images. He said anyone can take great photos.
Additionally, the “Game-Changing Secrets of Business and Revenue” workshop, hosted by travel business expert Sandra McLemore, focused on the importance of advisors charging planning fees.
McLemore talks about how advisors can move from a negative mindset, where simply focusing on time spent on potential and potentially losing clients, to a positive mindset, where doing so will upgrade them to better clients. Provided tips and insights. She also discussed the value of email marketing and her best practices.
“Please do not send any emails to your viewers between Halloween and December 1st,” McLemore said, warning against “angry unsubscribes” during this period.
