Calling all romance travel agents — and especially destination wedding specialists — Love Mexico is coming up, December 5-8, 2016.
This year’s Love Mexico conference, which will be held in Puerto Vallarta, will also feature a very familiar Master of Ceremonies. Our own Will Medina, LoveShack Vacations’ Business Development Manager, will be emceeing the event!
For those that are curious about Love Mexico, Will was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the upcoming conference and why it’s beneficial for travel agents.
In a nutshell, what is Love Mexico?
An in-destination conference for romance travel specialists. This year it is in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Last year it was in Cancun. It’s put on by MeWed events, which are very innovative. They keep working to bring agents to new and fresh destinations that otherwise would be really hard to sell, especially in terms of destination weddings.
What type of agents would you recommend attend Love Mexico?
What I really like about it is that it’s really good for beginners or experts. The info that’s shared is a really good mix of sessions and you can pick whatever is appropriate for you. One of the speakers is a body language and persuasive language expert, so that’s going to be valuable for everybody. There are two speakers who are going to speak about LGBT as a niche — Puerto Vallarta is the most gay-friendly destination in Mexico, so if that’s your market it’s a great location.
How is this conference different from other romance travel industry events and FAMs?
I think it is THE best event for destination wedding specialists especially because you are actually meeting your network of vendors. There’s a big trade show so you can actually network with major suppliers but most importantly, with local connections. So this is the place to actually meet 3 or 4 local photographers directly, and see their work in front of you. You can see the lady who does the Mayan ceremony. It’s a true immersion into the destination.
It’s different than a traditional wedding FAM, where you are just seeing the basic set up on the beach, and you see 10 of them in a day. Each event at Love Mexico is completely decked out so you really feel like you’re walking into a real wedding!
The other thing is that most speakers are industry professionals that have reached the level of success we are striving for. So we are learning from real people who are doing exactly what we want to be doing. Last year, I met a girl who does $2 million in sales as a home-based agent. She does tv shows, and really out there in the community. These are all connections that money really can’t buy.
Why is Love Mexico a valuable opportunity for travel agents?
From this event, let’s say you meet 10 local experts that can help you enhance your bookings. That can help you sell the destination, and it can help you upsell. For instance, if you meet someone who does private tours on a yacht, and he says he can give you a really good discount on that…that’s going to give you something unique to offer to your clients.
Also, there are wedding planners at Love Mexico who are NOT travel agents. When you go there with the right mindset and you meet wedding planners who you build connections with, you can work out something where you refer business to each other. You just have to go with an open mind, because this is an event that’s just loaded with people you want to meet.
What else should KHM Travel Agents/LoveShack Vacations Agents know about attending Love Mexico?
I want to see them in Puerto Vallarta! Also, I highly recommend doing the post-tour, which is $100 per person for two additional nights. The conference itself is really busy, so if you want to further explore the destination I encourage you to do the post-tour. It includes one site inspection of the resort you’re staying at, then you can just relax and get to know Puerto Vallarta.
For KHM Travel Group and LoveShack Vacations agents that register before November 5, we’ve also secured a discounted rate for Love Mexico! Contact our office to learn how. Visit the conference website for more information and to fill out the application.
Thanks to Will for sharing his insight into this exciting opportunity! Current KHM Travel Agents can see more upcoming industry events that KHM Travel will be attending on TravelAgentMeeting.com.
Interested in becoming a travel agent from home, and having access to valuable, fun educational opportunities? Learn more about our host agency with our free information packet – just call 1-888-611-1220 or fill out the form on the right to request it.