KHM Travel Group hosted its first travel agent Boot Camp of 2019 between March 4 – 7. A group of 35 travel agents from around the country joined us in Ohio for four days of business development, travel industry insights, and networking sessions. These sessions gave agents a chance to ask questions, connect with one another, and meet the KHM Travel Group team.
Rick Zimmerman, KHM Travel Group’s President began the event by welcoming the agents and wishing them well during their Boot Camp experience. This led into a discussion about uncovering their passion for travel, and how to use that passion to move their business forward. Our education team also provided an overview of the tools that KHM Travel Group provides, like MyTravelAgentPortal, that will fuel their business.
Later that day, our agents went over one of the most important elements of being an independent travel agent with KHM Travel: our network of support. During our Agent Support Panel, agents were able to learn more about what this team provides all agents and how they can reach this team by phone, email, or live chat. At the end of the first day, agents had a chance to get to know one another and start building their travel agent network at a social hour sponsored by Celebrity Cruises.
The next morning began bright and early as our agents gathered to learn how to work with clients to match them to the perfect vacation. For many clients, the right vacation may be a cruise, which was the focus for day two of Boot Camp. Carnival Cruise Line, one of our Preferred Suppliers, helped agents become more familiar with its Fun Ships, and how to best sell cruising to their clients. Agents explored how to generate itineraries for their clients and dove into learning how to use myTravelCRM to record and manage their bookings.
Day three focused on land travel. We began with introducing our clients to Apple Leisure Group, and its powerful booking engine, VAX VacationAccess. This hands-on session gave agents a chance to work in VAX and see the efficiency and opportunities it provides. Our team also covered the most popular resort brands and the geography of popular vacation areas to help agents establish a foundation of knowledge they can reference when working with clients.
In the evening, we invited agents to the home office of KHM Travel Group for a social hour sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Line. Having agents tour the home office is always a highlight for us, because it allows us to get to know our agents and answer any questions they may have about how we can help them in their travel agent journey.
The final day of Boot Camp is always bittersweet, but it also sets the tone for agents to return home with actionable steps for their businesses! During the compliance session, agents got a full picture of how to operate their businesses under travel industry regulations and KHM Travel Group policies and procedures. Before we said good-bye, we helped them to develop a focus for their business and discussed the next steps, which included a beginner’s guide to marketing.
Sarah, one of our KHM Travel Group team members, attended March Boot Camp to meet our agents and gain a better understanding of how they run their businesses. She said,
“You learn things at Boot Camp you can’t get by reading or watching a short video. You learn a wealth of knowledge from Chantelle and Bill from their expertise in the industry. It’s four days jam-packed with knowledge, but on the last day you walk out with innovative ideas and strategies to help your business grow. You walk out of the training with more confidence than when you entered.”
After four full days, we wished our agents well before they headed home to put their new knowledge into action. We can’t wait to see all that they accomplish! Check out more photos from the event in our Flickr album.
Are you a KHM Travel Agent thinking about attending Boot Camp? We have three more Boot Camps in 2019! Find more testimonials and registration details at TravelAgentMeeting.com.
KHM Travel Group is a leading host agency dedicated to providing educational opportunities and resources to our independent travel agents across the United States. To learn how you can join this network of travel agents and launch your own travel business, fill out the form to the right or give us a call at 1-888-611-1220.