agent @ home- lil black book (2012!12!27 22-18-09 utc)

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Consortium & Host Agency Guide 2010

Supplement to Agent@Home and Vacation Agent December 2009

Apply Today!arccorp.com/vtc

I’m a VTCTH

IS IS

WH

Y

Getting an industry ID number was critical to my travel business.

Becoming a VTC with a unique ARC Number was a big deal. Not only did it complement my brand, but it also allowed me to establish those important relationships with suppliers and other industry partners, without giving up control over my business.

The ARC Verified Travel Consultant (VTC) Program provides travel professionals who don’t ticket through ARC the tools and services needed to boost their bottom line, strengthen their business and make their clients’ travel experiences better. Come find out why the VTC Program is a perfect fit for your travel business. arccorp.com/vtc


To Join or Not to Join 4 Choosing a Consortium 6 Consortium Listings 9 Making the Host Choice 24 The Right PATH to a Host 26 Host Agency Listings 28

Consortium Spotlight Overviews Cruise One 13 Cruise Planners 14 MAST Travel Network 16 TRAVELSAVERS 20 NEST 21 Virtuoso 22

Host Agency Spotlight Overviews Coral Sands Travel 39 America’s Vacation Center 40Cruises Inc. 42 Dugan’s Travels 43 Expedia CruiseShipCenters 44 Nexion 46 Montrose Travel 48 Partners In Travel 49 Travel Counsellors 50 Travel Experts 52 Travel Quest 54 UNIGLOBE Travel Center 56

Table of Contents

Performance Media Group, LLC593 Rancocas Road Westampton, NJ 08060856-727-0035 I 856-727-0136 faxwww.peformancemediallc.com

Publisher: Mark MurphyEditorial Director: James ShillinglawManaging Editor: Michael ArdizzoneSales Representative: Adam McPherson

Publisher, Custom: Jonathan CooperEditorial Director: Jane JamisonExecutive Editor: Stacey ZableDesign Director: Yiu-Wa TsoSenior Multimedia Producer: Nick ChooMultimedia Producer: Eugene KangMultimedia Producer: Seyi Akinnaso

Although every effort has been made to guarantee the accuracy of information appearing within this supple-ment, we cannot be responsible for typographical errors, omissions or changes since this publication went to press. Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTIO

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Today’s travel agents have choices, and even those going it alone at home can benefit from being part of a bigger whole. The real ques-

tion, however, is if your business would benefit most from a consortium, co-op, franchise, or host agency relationship.

“Each of these groups has a common ob-jective: to help its members be success-ful,” says Andi Mysza, president of Profes-sional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH), who is also president, Independent Contractor Division of California-based Montrose Travel. “Of course, how they get there can vary considerably, but most le-verage economies of scale, gained from consolidating the volume of many sellers. Most support their members by offering varying degrees of marketing support, technology access, training, supplier ne-gotiations and so on.”

The Little Black Book Consortium & Host Agency Guide has been created to help you with this decision. Within these pages you will find listings of consor-tia and host agencies. We’ve gathered the top ones, and offered you details on their size, sales, commission struc-ture, marketing, technology, training, fees and membership requirements, and of course, the contact information you need to get in touch with them. We believe the featured Consortium & Host Agency listings are the most complete available. The information provided was supplied by each company upon re-sponse of an email.

Choosing a consortium or host agency begins with extensive research, and this guide is your first step. In addition to the listings, we’ve provided some how-to advice, garnered from experts and travel agents, on picking the right match for you.

The terms host agency, consortium, co-op and franchise are confusing, and for most agents it’s hard to know the differ-ence and how to choose which is better for your business. They are also continu-ously evolving with the needs and chang-es in the travel industry.

Below are the basic definitions:

Host Agency: Host agencies vary in what they offer their members, but essentially they are companies that allow indepen-dent travel agents to use their ARC, IATAN or CLIA credentials to sell travel. In ex-change, the host agency receives a fee or commission. The relationship can be as simple as partnering with a local brick and mortar to joining a full-service host that offers training, marketing support, technology tools and much more. The agent is an independent contractor and may operates under his or her own busi-ness name. Host agencies generally offer other services, such as air ticketing and GDS access, that many consortia some-times don’t.

WHY CHOOSE?Host agencies are good for inexperienced and experienced entrepreneurial agents who want flexibility and services. It al-lows people to start up their own busi-ness with relatively low capital and risk, build their own brand identity and gather clientele. Inexperienced agents benefit from the hand-holding and offering of full services to help them jump-start their business.

Consortium: A consortium is a middle-man who creates economies of scale for buyers (independently run travel retail-

ers) and suppliers. In exchange for con-solidated sales volume, suppliers offer a more lucrative commission structure. Services offered by consortiums have expanded significantly over the years to include marketing, training and more. Co-op: A co-op works as a consortium does, but members buy into the co-op and it’s owned by them. As such, profit-sharing is generally available. They also have an equal say in terms of preferred suppliers and how the co-op is run.

WHY CHOOSE?Independent agents who join a host generally do not need to join a consor-tium as their host will probably be part of one. However, the consortium your host belongs to may be part of the decision factor when choosing a host. If you don’t have a host, a consortium can offer you some but not all of the services of a full-service host.

Franchise: A franchise is essentially a business contract where an independent agent sells the products usually dictated by the larger franchisor. Similar to the consortia and co-op structure, the inde-pendent agent would receive training and marketing support for a fee. Usually the agent must use the franchise name and give a percentage of preferred sup-plier sales. Franchisees are also given a “blueprint” for running their business.

WHY CHOOSE?Those agents who would like to sell travel under an established name in the travel industry would benefit from a franchise relationship.

1. Chemistry2. Offerings in terms of marketing or technology3. Sales requirements4. Cost5. Control/Flexibility

Top Decision Factors

To Join or Not to Join

black-book.pdf 1 10/28/2009 4:05:27 PM

By Stacey ZableThe Consortium and Host Agency Question

black-book.pdf 1 10/28/2009 4:05:27 PM

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Supplier relationships, innovative marketing programs, cutting-edge technology, support, edu-cation and networking oppor-

tunities top the list of requirements for agents seeking to increase profitability and operational efficiency through affilia-tion with a consortium, franchise network or cooperative.

But, how do you make the right decision from the wide array of alternatives avail-able to you? There’s no easy fix, executives say. You have to do your due diligence. Take a close look at your current business profile, where you want to be going for-ward, and then determine who provides the best match for you.

Due Diligence“The real issue is that far too many own-ers are dealing with their day-to-day challenges and do not take the time necessary to research and evaluate al-ternatives,” says Michelle Morgan, CTC, president of Signature Travel Network, a member-owned cooperative. “When re-viewing a potential network affiliation, agency owners/managers need to con-sider the longevity of the network, its core values, how its technology adapts to their business model, consumer benefits (cruise program, hotel portfolio, etc.) and training programs.

“Each company has a different corporate culture, different personality. The driving force is no longer preferred-supplier se-lection–most buying groups today offer a wide array of cruise and land partners,” Morgan says. “Tour and cruise companies have leveled the playing field and are now rewarding individual retailers based on performance. All consortia offer ho-tel and cruise programs with amenities. All consortia offer direct-mail marketing. Today, the true focus should be on tech-nology and training. With more and more consumers going on line to research and search for the best fares/rates, consortia must deliver customer-centric technol-ogy solutions,” she says.

Analyze Your Business First“Every agency should be looking at its existing sales and figuring out ways to maximize those sales, and grow their businesses in a way that fits its vision,” says Keith Waldon, vice president, busi-ness development for Virtuoso.

But, perhaps more than that, Waldon says, particularly with the challenges of the economy, agencies should take the time to analyze their businesses to pin-point which parts are most profitable, and enjoyable.

“Get rid of the portions that are not pro-ductive,” he says, and, at the same time, “You should ask yourself if you’re leav-ing money on the table. Take a look at international air sales, for example,” he says. “The right group can educate you and give you the means to make more money. Find out who comes to the table with the best resources and tools to allow you to do this. Who can make your job easier, faster, more profitable and more enjoyable? Who gives you the resources to meet your goals? Who allows you to place the most focus on the customer, providing a better experience and ben-efits for your clients? The combined buy-

ing power of the right consortium allows you to negotiate amazing things, with the marketing and resources to do your jobs with the maximum returns and enjoy-ment,” Waldon says.

“One size does not fit all,” says Michelle Fee, co-founder and CEO of Cruise Plan-ners/American Express. Cruise Planners, for example, is a home-based travel agent franchise network focused on the cruise industry. But, the network is not for those who want to be call-center agents, she says. “Cruise Planners appeals to en-trepreneurs, agents interested in driving their own business. It’s important to look at your own particular business model and needs to find the right fit for you.

“Typically, home-based business models are one person. You need help. It’s hard to compete on your own. You can’t do everything yourself–marketing, technol-ogy and be a sales agent. You need to join an organization that can help you develop and grow your business, not just give you a big commission split,” she says. For example, Fee points to a Cruise Plan-ners Seminar-at-Sea titled, Be Proactive or Die, and print-on-demand marketing programs that drive customers back to its agents’ websites.

“There’s no quick answer,” says Michael Drever, CEO and founder of Expedia CruiseShipCenters, which operates as both a host agency and franchise net-work. “Every business owner needs to sit down and take a look at their strategic plan and decide what they want their business model to be in five years’ time.” Only then, he says, can you determine your needs and which organization has the best tools to help get you there.

Size Matters“First, make sure the company is financial-ly strong, with a proven track record”, says John Werner, president and COO of MAST.

Choosing a ConsortiumBy Jane Jamison

One size does not fit all; to find the right fit for you, you have to do extensive research

continued on page 8

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The world’s finest travel agencies and advisors are Virtuoso.

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Then he suggests taking a look at the size and location of the group. MAST is a Mid-west-based, regional consortium, with 185 members, that has been serving the local travel agency community for 40 years. “We fill the particular needs of travel agencies in the Midwest, and appeal to those who feel their needs are best addressed on a re-gional level.” MAST’s marketing is regional in nature, and its advertising specials focus on Midwestern gateways.

“You don’t want to be affiliated with a group that is too large or too small,” Fee says. “Choose an affiliation with a group that has a balance between being large enough to have the support staff available to meet your needs, and small enough to give you personalized assistance.”

Look for a group that has a “community feeling”, focusing on areas of most impor-tance to you, Werner says. “There’s great networking among our members. They have an affinity with one another because they’re facing common issues. Since we’re small, we can respond more quickly. We provide direct access to everyone here. There are no layers of management and staff for the agency to have to get through.”

The Checklist“Make a checklist on both sides,” Fee says. “Ask what this host [franchise or consor-tium] gives me. Don’t base it all on com-mission levels. Look to join a company that is well rounded [in its offerings]. Beware of commission clubs. With your client list in hand, they may actually com-pete with you for your business.”

Education is extremely important, Fee says, noting a CLIA survey of its counsel-ors who said they increased their sales productivity by an average of 261 percent since completing its certification courses. “You’re much more likely to be successful if you’re educated on what you sell, rather than being an order-taker.”

The checklist can be “short and sweet,” Morgan says. “Ask local reps what they’re seeing from agencies in their territory. Do

some agencies appear to be better capa-ble of exploiting today’s technology? Are they using tools that drive sales? Network at industry functions and speak with oth-er owners about their affiliation.” Another resource to tap, Morgan says, is the rep-resentatives from top preferred suppliers. “Ask them for references regarding vari-ous networks,” she says. “Suppliers typi-cally work with multiple networks, have a sense of the strengths of each organiza-tion, and can also provide their feedback. Every network is different, and the more research you do, the sounder your ulti-mate decision.”

As your business changes and grows, so do your needs, Morgan says. Every agency owner should explore its options every two or three years, checking where its business is in relation to the member-ship requirements of particular networks. Make certain your current buying group is staying ahead of the curve in technol-ogy and training, she says.

Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ Drever also advises looking beyond the surface claims of each organization. “Take a look at the ads. Everyone says they have the best technology, the best marketing, the best training and commission, [chances are] they don’t.” You have to ask the right

questions, and then verify the answers, he says. For example, “If you’re looking at franchise opportunities, make sure to talk to some of the company’s franchi-sees. Ask ‘What were you promised?’ ‘Did they come through with their promises?’ and ‘Are you happy with the organiza-tion?’” You’ve got to look at the tool kit, he says. “The better the tool kit you have, the more chance you’ll have of being suc-cessful.”

Ask Serious QuestionsTake a look at the success rate of these businesses, Drever says. Because of the economies of scale, and the brand-recog-nition that has been established, franchis-es have a much higher success rate than non-franchise companies, he says. Drever recommends taking a serious look at the network’s purchasing power and track re-cord–on a regional and national level–its technology, marketing platforms, train-ing and support personnel. “Compare them and ask serious questions,” he says. “What is the company’s total investment, compared with your costs for using these elements? What do you get for your in-vestment dollars? Can it continually fur-ther your development and growth, no matter the stage of your business? How big is their team, and how much are they investing on an annual basis in the sup-port of their members to help insure their success?”

You can’t take a cursory look, Waldon says. “You have to ask a lot of questions and check the answers. There’s a lot of misinformation out there. Seek an advi-sor who has been successful and find out how they achieved their success.” The best place to start, he says, “is with an agency in your own network that has been in a similar place to where you are now, and has achieved the current goals you’ve set for yourself.”

Clearly, this is no simple task, but taking the time now to make sure you’re allying yourself with the network that’s the best fit for you will help to ensure your busi-ness is successful going forward.

Choosing a Consortium

continued from page 6

Consortia, Co-ops & Franchise Networks

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The Affluent Traveler Collection

Group Type: Consortium Address: 71 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY 11771Tel: 866-672-7674Email: [email protected]: www.theaffluenttraveler.comMembers: 125Annual Network Sales: Not available (first year in operation)Marketing Programs: Agencies build their businesses through exclusive luxury supplier offers, enhanced commissions, and consumer leads. The Affluent Trav-eler consumer travel magazine (available in 12 countries) and dedicated website drive luxury business to agencies. An enriched amenities program encourages customer loyaltyTechnology Programs: State-of-the-art booking engineTraining & Education Programs: A complete program of educational op-portunities helps members grow their businesses, including an annual Affluent Traveler Luxury Symposium, supplier and product trainings, webinars, and the per-sonal attention of a dedicated business development managerAnnual or Monthly Fee: Not availableMembership Requirements: Agencies join The Affluent Traveler Collection by invitation and requirements are dis-cussed individually

Cruise Holidays

Group Type: Franchise networkAddress: 6442 City West Parkway, Min-neapolis, MN 55344Contact: Megan WollakTel: 800-824-1481Email: [email protected]: www.cruiseholidays.comMembers: 200+Annual Network Sales: Not available Marketing Programs: “Layered” mar-keting approach with “on your behalf” emails, consumer-facing magazine, direct mail strategies, public relationsTechnology Programs: Proprietary

software system; password-protected franchisee extranet site; “on-demand” publishing capabilitiesTraining & Education Programs: 42-hour initial training, 40-hour advanced training; annual convention at sea; ongo-ing online programs Annual or Monthly Fee: Home-based agents: $9,500 startup, $100 flat monthly; retail: $24,500 initial, $750 flat monthlyMembership Requirements: Must sign franchise contract; accepting applica-tions in U.S. and Canada

Cruise Planners, American Express

Group Type: Franchise networkAddress: 3300 North University Dr., Suite 625, Coral Springs, FL 33065Contact: Jason Mattes, Director of Fran-chise DevelopmentTel: 888-582-2150Email: [email protected]: www.cruiseplannersfranchise.comMembers: 700+Annual Network Sales: $100 million+Marketing Programs: Exclusive print on-demand portal enables agents to conceptualize, produce and distribute customized mailers in 48 hours; lead-generating online program with SEO websites to suit agents’ individual needs; customized consumer magazine; CP Central, a virtual portal for accessing all marketing tools and materials, including brochures, scripts, press releasesTechnology Programs: Proprietary software provides agents with secure, web-based reservations system; account management; reporting methods; cus-tomer profile, list and database manage-ment; advertising tracking; collateral material creationTraining & Education Programs: Initial comprehensive six-day program and ongoing professional development and education at Cruise Planners UniversityAnnual or Monthly Fee: Monthly royalty fee of 3 percent of the gross commission-able sales revenue

CruiseOne

Group Type: Franchise networkAddress: 1415 NW 62nd Street, Suite 205, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309Contact: Tim Courtney, Manager of Network DevelopmentTel: 800-892-3928Email: [email protected]: www.CruiseOneFranchise.comFranchise Owners: 586Annual Network Sales: $185 million Marketing Programs: Full access to turnkey marketing solutions and lead generation programsTechnology Programs: Cruise Control, a proprietary, web-based all-in-one CRM, reservation system, financial reporting application; CruiseCreate, a personal marketing creation and list management system; Business Center; personal web portal to agent’s business with direct ac-cess to headquarters; multiple, customiz-able client facing websites with booking enginesTraining & Education Programs: Full initial training included, boot camp, monthly webinars, regional meetings, national conferenceAnnual or Monthly Fee: Initial fee based on experience level; monthly fee based on sales performance

Ensemble Travel Group

Group Type: Member-owned cooperativeAddress: 29 West 36th Street, FL8, New York, NY 10018Contact: Colleen Conley, Director-Na-tional SalesTel: 518-371-2967 or 866-679-6486Email: [email protected]: www.ensembledirect.comMembers: More than 900 in the U.S. and CanadaAnnual Network Sales: Not available Marketing Programs: Ensemble Lifestyles consumer magazine for the affluent customer; Ensemble Vacations catalog for the premium customer; award-winning Vacation Therapy integrated marketing programs featur-

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ing social networking lead generation; Ensemble E-Matrix 360 e-marketing program powered by ClientBase/TRAMS; choice of cost-effective, flexible member marketing programs all customized for travel agency members; sophisticated customer segmentation system; thou-sands of hosted, amenity and promo-tional cruise offers; amenity-driven worldwide leisure hotel program offering four and five-star hotels; private-label villa program; in-destination experts worldwide; customized FIT land offers, expert-led themed land and cruise experiences; override commissions, bonuses and profit sharing, corporate hotel programTechnology Programs: Create and host state-of-the-art web 2.0 consumer web-sites for members and robust redesigned member ExtranetTraining & Education Programs: Inter-national conference, regional meetings, online anytime trainingAnnual or Monthly Fee: $500 annual fee Membership Requirements: TRAMS/ClientBase preferred. Other requirements discussed on an individual basis

Expedia CruiseShipCenters

Group Type: Franchise NetworkAddress: 15600 NE 8th Street, Bellevue, WA 98008-3947Contact: Michael MutsaertsTel: 888-783-0133Email: [email protected] Websites: www.cruisefranchise.com Number of Members: 112 locationsAnnual Network Sales: $300 million+Marketing Programs: Print and email marketing personalized to the agent level, customizable website for each franchise and agent, exclusive supplier promotions, extremely economical mass mail and direct mail programs and much moreTechnology Programs: Powerful CRM system, CruiseDesk, integrates booking and research functions with back-office, marketing and customer relationship management. Online system makes it easy to manage a team of retail and/or home-based agents

Training & Education Programs: Local franchise development manager, Cruise Management Academy training, annual conferences at sea, online video library, in-person agent and owner training events.Annual or Monthly Fee: Varies based on sales and business model Membership Requirements: Home-based or traditional brick-and-mortar agencies are welcomed. Existing travel agencies invited to contact the company to learn about re-branding opportunities

Hickory Travel Systems/Custom Travel Systems

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 160 Pehle Ave, 3rd Fl, Suite 302, Saddle Brook NJ 07663Contact: Robert MosesTel: 800-448-0350 x 1020Websites: www.hickorytravelsystems.com Number of Members: 3520Annual Network Sales: $19.1 billionMarketing Programs: E-marketing of preferred supplier programs including air, car, hotel and travelers services. Web training sessions and quarterly newslet-ter outlining strategies for success Technology Programs: Web-based, GDS based telephony and web-based reportingTraining & Education Programs: Gen-eral and vendor specific training along with International Airfare trainingAnnual or Monthly Fee: Varies, based on service requirements Membership Requirements: ARC ap-proval

IT Group, LLC

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 100 Executive Way, Suite 202, Ponte Vedra, FL 32082Tel: 888-482-4636, 904-285-9796Email: [email protected]: www.itgroupnetwork.comMembers: 878Annual Network Sales: $1.25 billionMarketing Programs: Weekly, monthly and quarterly marketing programs

designed to build and retain client base; and e-marketing programsTechnology Programs: ClientManager CRMTraining & Education Programs: Supplier webinars, fam trips, specialist programs Annual or Monthly Fee: Initial member-ship fee is $100, which is waived if previ-ously a member of another consortium; annual fees based on production for preferred supplier up to $200Membership Requirements: Leisure travel experience needed

Leisure Travel Alliance, Inc.

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 1310 RR 620 South, Suite A8, Austin, TX 78734Contact: Dennis Acosta, Director Member Sales & Service; Stuart Godwin, PresidentTel: 800-515-4582, 512-788-5586Email: [email protected]: www.leisuretravelalliance.comMembers: 275Annual Network Sales: $400 millionMarketing Programs: Extensive network-sponsored consumer direct-mail and email marketing programs, including PRIZM NE demographic and lifestyle database enhancement and segmentationTechnology Programs: State-of-the-art member agency portal, consumer site and marketing database managementTraining & Education Programs: An-nual conference and multiple supplier-sponsored eventsAnnual or Monthly Fee: Up to $300 an-nually; varies by agency type and salesMembership Requirements: Profes-sionally qualified independent storefront agencies and home-based agents

MAST Travel Network

Group Type: Member-owned cooperative Address: 635 Butterfield Rd., Suite 150, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181Contact: John Werner



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Tel: 630-889-9817, ext. 21Email: [email protected]: www.mvptravel.comMembers: 185Annual Network Sales: $700 millionMarketing Programs: Integrated print and web marketing program, e-mail promotions and numerous advertising campaignsTechnology Programs: GDS contract with Amadeus; website hosting, content management and booking tools; en-hanced members-only Extranet; MAST message board communication forumTraining & Education Programs: Webi-nars, online training programs, including comprehensive sales skills tutorialsAnnual or Monthly Fee: Annual mem-bership programs - $495, Gold level; $950, Gold Plus; $1650, PlatinumMembership Requirements: Minimum tour and cruise sales of $500,000, back-office system and customer database

NEST

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 243 South St. Oyster Bay, NY 11771Tel: 516-922-2691, 888-245-NESTEmail: [email protected]: www.jointhenest.com, www.inthenest.comMembers: 600Annual Network Sales: Not availableMarketing Programs: Market Your Own Business (suite of direct-to-consumer tools), NESTDirect (consumer direct mail program), and NESTRewards (incentive program). Agents can also tap into Ac-claim Meetings, offering meeting plan-ning services and supportTechnology Programs: CruiseNEST (direct-connect cruise booking engine) and NESTHotels (Web-based booking engine with an inventory of more than 90,000 properties worldwide) Training & Education Programs: Annual conference, virtual trainings, one-on-one with dedicated business development directorAnnual or Monthly Fee: $225 per year

Membership Requirements: Home-based; independently owned and operated; registered to book directly with suppliers; and generate a desig-nated, minimum amount of preferred supplier sales

Results! Travel

Group Type: Franchise networkAddress: 6442 City West Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55344Contact: John Risner, General ManagerTel: 800-234-8241 x100Email: [email protected]: www.ResultsTravel.comMembers: 911 (locations)Annual Network Sales: $2.6 billion+Marketing Programs: Unique preferred supplier program, including major air-lines, cruise lines; quarterly local market meetings; national travel publication and mailingsTechnology Programs: Proprietary cli-ent base system; corporate booking tool and leisure booking engine; extranet site and website options for membersTraining & Education Programs: Net-working opportunities, including annual national meeting and quarterly local market meetingsAnnual or Monthly Fee: Annual fee of $300; initial membership fee of up to $1,500Membership Requirements: Must be existing, financially sound, ARC-appoint-ed brick-and-mortar agency

Signature Travel Network

Group Type: Member-owned coopera-tiveAddress: 4640 Admiralty Way, Suite 306, Marina del Rey, CA 90292Contact: Shary Dyer, Vice President of National SalesTel: 310-574-0883, ext. 312Email: [email protected]: www.signaturetravelnetwork.comMembers: 190

Annual Network Sales: $4 billionMarketing Programs: Extensive pro-gram includes direct mail, publications, and e-marketing campaign, customized for each member agency. Network will create and mail over six million market-ing pieces this yearTechnology Programs: Best-in-class platform with comprehensive web con-tent for cruises, hotels, land holidays, and destinations; full spectrum of online mar-keting tools designed to assist members in effectively communicating with their clients; customized technology solutions at no cost to membersTraining & Education Programs: New partnership with Skillsoft powers online Signature University with business and Signature-related coursesAnnual or Monthly Fee: Not availableMembership Requirements: Base of Signature supplier sales, ClientBase, com-mitment to marketing, attendance at national meetings

Travel Leaders

Group Type: Franchise networkAddress: 6442 City West Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55344Contact: Marc Moore, Director of Franchise DevelopmentTel: 866-225-9026Email: [email protected]: www.TravelLeaders.comMembers: 451+ locationsAnnual Network Sales: $2.5 billion+Marketing Programs: National and local marketing/advertising, including national television, extensive online/email marketing campaigns, consumer magazine; public relations counsel and supportTechnology Programs: Q3 proprietary CRM, corporate-oriented technology tools, dedicated website with busi-ness/leisure focus and agency locator, extranet site Training & Education Programs: Propri-etary Certified Travel Specialist program as part of comprehensive agent educa-tion & training offeringsAnnual or Monthly Fee: Monthly fee


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ranging from $800 to $1,700; initial membership fee of $1,500 per locationMembership Requirements: Must be existing, financially sound, ARC-appoint-ed brick-and-mortar agency

TRAVELSAVERS

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 71 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay, NY 11771Tel: 516-624-0500; 800-726-7283Email: [email protected] Website: sales.travelsavers.comMembers: 3,000+ Annual Network Sales: $15 billion+Marketing Programs: Market Your Own Business (MYOB) suite of direct-to-consumer tools; JOURNEYS consumer travel magazine; national/local advertis-ing, marketing and branding initiatives; nationwide 800-number electronic/referral system, Cruiseexpress online cruise booking and management sys-tem, proprietary hotel booking engine, CorpXpress policy-compliant corpo-rate booking tool, SITEMaster web site development tool, access to Travel Tix air fulfillment serviceTraining & Education Programs: Global conference, virtual trainings, one-on-one with dedicated business development directorAnnual or Monthly Fee: Initial licensee fee; no annual fees Membership Requirements: Not avail-able

Vacation.com

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 1650 King Street, Suite 450, Alexandria, VA 22314Contact: Membership departmentTel: 800-843-0733Email: [email protected]: www.joinvacation.comMembers: 5,000Annual Network Sales: Not availableMarketing Programs: Award-winning Engagement direct mail and email mar-keting program

Technology Programs: EZguider (U.S.), SIREV (Canada)Training & Education Programs: Inter-national conference and trade show, live and recorded webinars, eLearning Tutori-als, Canadian regional conferencesAnnual or Monthly Fee: Annual mem-bership dues Membership Requirements: ARC/CLIA/IATA number, in business for at least one year with a minimum of $100,000 in Preferred Supplier revenue

Virtuoso

Group Type: ConsortiumAddress: 505 Main Street, Suite 500, Ft. Worth, Texas 76102 Contacts: Keith Waldon (agency own-ers), Susan Spain (consultants)Tel: Keith at 512-847-7200, Susan at 817-334-8637Email: [email protected], [email protected] Websites: www.virtuoso.com, www.BecomeAVirtuoso.com Number of Members: 330 agencies with 630 locationsAnnual Network Sales: $5.1 billionMarketing Programs: Award-winning consumer publications including Vir-tuoso Life and Virtuoso Insights; themed catalogues; direct mail, e-marketing and managed websites; blogs, Facebook and Twitter; professional CRM programs; exclusive alliances with World Elite MasterCard and Saveur, Islands, Spa and Snow magazines; dedicated PR efforts Technology Programs: Virtuoso Com-poser proprietary technology platform, offering fast, comprehensive access to news, offers, products and contacts in one integrated siteTraining & Education Programs: Over 200 complimentary sales, management and product courses online through Composer 24/7; facilitated training in-office, during Travel Mart and at regional meetingsAnnual or Monthly Fee: $1,250 the first year, $750 each year thereafter. Mem-bers receive 100 percent participation in earned network overrides; co-op credits

for every dollar of participating supplier productionMembership Requirements: Strong luxury/leisure track record and reputa-tion; minimum preferred supplier sales of $125,000 per leisure consultant and $500,000 per agency location

WESTA (Western Association of Travel Agencies)

Group Type: Member-owned cooperativeAddress: 5933 NE Win Silvers Dr., Suite 202, Portland OR 97220Contact: Mike Estill, WESTA General ManagerTel: 503-251-8170Email: [email protected]: www.westa1.orgNumber of Members: 140Annual Network Sales: $450 millionMarketing Programs: 100,000-name common client database platform, with third-party demographic data overlays, drives dozens of highly-customized cam-paigns and a total of over a half-million direct-mail marketing piecesTechnology Programs: Huge agent resource website completely redesigned for 2010, including proprietary cruise pric-ing database with group sailing support, extensive information on preferred sup-pliers, including performance ratings by member agents and archiving of promo-tions from all preferred suppliers giving agents a one-stop location to review all the general and exclusive promotions available to them. Site hosting and content support for agencies client-facing websites with promotional offers and general sup-plier content keeping agency sites updated with fresh material on a weekly basisTraining & Education Programs: Over 25 individual educational meetings and events held in several locations through-out the West Coast making available over 90 hours of product and sales training per yearAnnual or Monthly Fee: $500Membership Requirements: Minimum two years in business and minimum production per office (either gross sales or preferred supplier sales targets)




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Over the past 17 years, CruiseOne has grown to become the na-tion’s largest cruise

travel retailer with more than 550 independently-owned cruise travel franchise locations. It has achieved this success by creating trends that help its franchise own-ers stand out.

CruiseOne infuses innovation into absolutely everything it does, in-cluding its dynamic three-tiered ap-proach to marketing, training and technology. That innovation is the

main reason why aspiring entrepreneurs from all over the coun-try, and practically every industry, have come home to CruiseOne.

The level of support CruiseOne provides you means that suc-cess is inevitable. For example, CruiseOne creates turn-key, personalized marketing programs for its franchise owners.

From customized direct mail, to cruise line advertising co-ops and public relations initiatives, CruiseOne’s marketing sets you apart from the pack.

Taking place at CruiseOne’s Fort Lauderdale HQ training center, integrated start-up training connects you with original curricu-lum and content from cruise line partners. Dynamic continuing education opportunities abound too, with exciting land-based and cruise-based training and an annual National Conference at Sea. Best-in-class technologies help you market, sell and service customers. The cutting-edge solutions include cus-tomized websites, a state-of-the-art proprietary reservation system, and a private intranet.

Today, CruiseOne is making it easier (and more affordable) than ever before to own your own business, doing exactly what you love. For those new to the travel industry or with limited in-dustry experience, a new CruiseOne financing plan is now avail-able. Simply pay $2,500 toward your initial Franchising Fee and CruiseOne finances the rest over a 24-month period. To make your dream a reality, log onto www.CruiseOneFranchise.com or call 800-892-3928.

Dwain WallSenior Vice President and General Manager

CruiseOne

is the leading home-based franchise cruise retailer and one of the top ranked businesses nationwide.

• Industry-Leading, Best-in-Class Technology• Turn Key Online and Offline Marketing Programs• Comprehensive Training Program and Continuous Education• Enjoy the Travel Industry’s Highest Commissions• Get Paid Weekly• Work from Home, an Office or Storefront

Flexibility + Fun = ProfitabilityVisit our website

www.CruiseOneFranchise.comor call 1– 888 – 245 – 0970

In 1994, business partners Michelle Fee and Lynn Korn joined forces with industry veteran Marvin Davis to cre-ate Cruise Planners, a franchised travel

agent network that would have the ca-pability to book cruises directly from the comforts of home. What began as a small business, with only five students in the first training class, has grown into the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the cruise industry. With more than 700 franchise owners across the United States, Cruise Planners has earned industry accolades and top-producer sta-tus with every major cruise line.

Cruise Planners provides its agents with in-dustry-leading marketing, technology and professional development programs, along with exclusive partnerships and opportuni-ties that are available because of the strong relationships that have been nurtured over the past 15 years between Cruise Planners and the leading cruise lines.

All in the FamilyCruise Planners agents also enjoy a unique, family-like environment where executive support is readily available and where they can easily share best practices with each other across virtual platforms. And, as official American Express Travel

Service Representa-tives, Cruise Planners agents have instant credibility and part-nership opportunities, such as national mar-keting efforts like the Pay with Points pro-gram and a pre- and post-hotel program. Additional American Express Mariners Club benefits include spe-cial fares, Mariner’s Hosts, exclusive pre- and post-cruise tours, free shore-side events and elegant dining, and shipboard credits.

FinancialsMembers opt in by purchasing a Cruise Planners franchise after a due diligence process that includes a virtual presenta-tion, review of its Disclosure Document, and calls with its current franchisees. Li-censed, bonded, and insured, Cruise Plan-ners is a member of CLIA, NACOA, ASTA and the Better Business Bureau.

There is a one-time franchise fee--which includes the Cruise Planners franchise, training, support and franchisee benefits--ranging from $495 to $9,995 based on previous industry experience.

Cruise Planners offers top industry com-missions (paid twice monthly), bonuses, and incentive awards. With the notable exception of a 3% royalty fee payable on the gross commissionable sailed revenue, Cruise Planners does not have any obliga-tory monthly costs associated with its franchise.

Currently, Cruise Planners is offering an opportunity for experienced agents to join for free. To qualify, a travel profession-al much have at least three years of cruise sales experience and be able to docu-ment not less than $100,000 in cruise sales during the previous 12-month time period.

Marketing/TechnologyCruise Planners provides its agents with award-winning, turnkey marketing pro-grams, including an exclusive print-on-demand portal that enables agents to conceptualize, produce and distribute customized mailers in 24-48 hours; a lead-generating online program with SEO websites to suit the individual needs of each travel agent; a customized con-sumer magazine to send to potential and existing clients; and CP Central, a virtual portal where agents can access all mar-keting tools and materials, including bro-chures, scripts, press releases, etc., from anywhere in the world.

Cruise Planners’ proprietary software pro-vides agents with a secure, web-based res-ervation system; account management; reporting methods; customer profile, list and database management; advertising tracking, and collateral material creation.

TrainingNew franchise owner training includes a comprehensive six-day program in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with ship tours, seminars, and workshops with industry leaders. On-going training and continuing education offered through Cruise Planners Univer-sity (CPU) includes a comprehensive cur-riculum covering marketing, advertising, product updates, technology, group and individual sales and web marketing; live webinars; on-demand training sessions; Seminars-at-Sea; and annual conven-tions. Credits earned through the edu-cation programs are valid towards CLIA certification.

Cruise Planners’ motto is “You are in busi-ness for yourself but never by yourself.”

www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com [email protected]

More Information

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Cruise Planners/American Express

Terri Burke, senior vice president of relationship marketing (left); Michelle Fee, CEO (center); Vicky Garcia, senior vice president of sales and marketing (right)

CruisitudeSM

CRUISE PLANNERSSM

We’re Anchored In Your Success

There are four household names in travel and American Express is one of them.

Our family of agents are, just that, a family. Be a part of something big. family.

CruisitudeSM

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Innovation drives the MAST organi-zation creating new opportunities for members to grow their business, remain profitable, and increase their

professionalism. MAST’s business model openly shares sales figures, sales goals, and override revenue with members as achieved by the entire organization. Cre-ating greater value and developing new methods of meeting member needs is the network’s commitment to the travel agency community in the Midwest.

Overall PhilosophyThe company’s four-pillar strategy begins with its commitment to solutions created uniquely for MAST members. Its small, yet diverse and growing agency network re-quires solutions customized to members’ needs, not generic programs to fit all.

Second, MAST is committed to brand de-velopment, agency by agency. Each office seeks to maintain its own identity within its location and travel community. MAST helps agencies accomplish that with its training and marketing programs.

The third pillar is relationships–within the network, with its preferred suppliers, and within the travel industry at-large. MAST fosters a community atmosphere in

which each agency and each individual, agent or supplier, feels they are an inte-gral part of the network’s success.

Fourth, and the sole reason for being in business, is sales and profitability. MAST is a sales-focused and goal-oriented or-ganization. It provides close monitoring of preferred supplier sales and promotes greater member accountability. Further, MAST’s new programs and unique edu-cational and networking events help to increase sales and improve profitability for each member.

OfferingsIncreased membership value stems from MAST’s Platinum and Gold Plus programs in which members receive direct mail credits to apply to its consumer publica-tions, which are mailed on their behalf throughout the year. Members receive a tremendous savings over the cost of sending their own direct mail, and their overall expenses are far less than the cost of postage alone. These two membership programs include the standard member-ship fee, presenting additional savings. Current members receive incentives for recruiting agencies to become members, while new members receive incentives valued up to $1,500 for joining.

MAST helps drive business into members’ offices through an integrated print and web marketing program, direct mail reply cards, email promotions, and numerous advertising campaigns. New this year, is a video marketing program using tradition-al as well as online media to help MAST members extend their reach and attract new customers to their agencies. MAST members receive low rates on credit card merchant fees and a hotel discount rate program. Members have access to com-missionable shore excursions, commis-sionable rates on Park ‘N Stay programs, and money-saving sales tools.

MAST’s GDS contract with Amadeus still offers a profit-center opportunity for its members, large or small. An enhanced members-only Extranet provides all the

tools and resources needed to be effi-cient and productive, with user-friendly navigation and well-organized informa-tion pages. The MAST message board af-fords members a communication forum to exchange information, ask for sug-gestions, and offer solutions. The Trip Re-views section is an internal “trip advisor,” while The Marketplace allows members to do business with one another, similar to “Craig’s List.”

TrainingWebinars, online training programs and conference calls are recorded, and mem-bers can review entire presentations online at their convenience, or down-load audio podcasts. MAST offers web-site hosting, content management, and booking tools through its MAST Web So-lutions program. New this year, is a com-prehensive sales skills training program perfect for both entry-level agents as well as veteran agents.

Four times a year, MAST members receive reports on progress they have made to-ward their individual sales goals. Each March, members are recognized in front of their peers and preferred suppliers for their annual sales achievements.

In April 2010, MAST will host its 19th An-nual Conference in Nashville at the Op-ryland Hotel. New this year is a program named the Owner’s Summit, a one-day conference just for agency owners fo-cused on agency profitability and agency concerns centered on costs; business op-erations; and employee compensation, incentives, and training.

Excitement, value, opportunity, and of course, financial rewards are the corner-stones of MAST membership.

[email protected] ext 21

More Information

MAST Travel Network

STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE

Signature proudly serves a broad and diverse base of retail travel companies that include some of the nation’s top travel entities, internet-based marketers, single-location boutique travel specialists, cruise-only agencies, and multi-location, market dominant organizations. � e network supports over 6,000 front-line travel consultants, who collectively generate sales in excess of $4 billion. � e organization has been in business since 1956.

Signature continues to attract some of the travel industry’s most successful and prominent retailers. Here are some of the key reasons travel organizations are joining Signature:

BRANDING Signature’s marketing is singularly focused on the members’ identity. Simply stated, it’s all about the member’s brand. All specially negotiated consumer privileges are presented to the client on behalf of their travel consultant.

MARKETING � is year, Signature will create, personalize, and mail over 6 million pieces of direct mail and publications on behalf of its members. Signature accesses members’ client database in real-time daily, complete with full transactional, demographic, and psychographic information. � is data enables Signature to orchestrate highly targeted online and direct mail marketing initiatives

for its members that drive results.

EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS Signature provides its members a wide range of unique privileges that help close sales and build client loyalty. Signature’s hotel program delivers breakfast for two daily, additional amenities, special rates, upgrades, and other bene� ts at over 650 hotels worldwide. Signature’s cruise program o� ers exclusive privileges, including car and driver shoreside experiences, prepaid gratuities, private food and wine events, onboard

hosts, shipboard credits, and much more on over 1,000 sailings. In addition, Signature’s portfolio of Destination Specialists provides access to the � nest providers of customized travel experiences all over the globe.

TRAINING Signature has recently forged an exclusive partnership with Skillsoft, the world-class online training system that serves many of America’s premier companies. � is new system will enable the network to launch an online Signature University this fall, including business skill courses, Signature custom online seminars, recorded webinars, and much more.

NETWORKING � roughout the year, Signature conducts multiple meetings for owners and front-line travel consultants, to provide relevant access to the latest business initiatives, training, as well as the expertise of industry leaders.

TECHNOLOGY Signature’s technology is considered the retail travel industry’s most sophisticated. In addition to comprehensive web content for cruises, hotels, land holidays, and destinations, Signature provides turnkey email marketing programs, as well as a full spectrum of online marketing tools designed to assist members to better communicate with their clients. Customized technology solutions are provided at no cost for Signature members.

� e keys to Signature’s success: Signature’s management team has decades of experience and understands the day-to-day challenges faced by the front-line travel consultants and agency management. In addition, Signature listens to its members, travel consultants, and clients. The network adapts to market changes quickly, and supports members based on the unique business objectives of each organization.

For more information visitwww.signaturetravelnetwork.com Call 310.574.0883 or email Shary [email protected]

“Signature’s Hotel & Resort Program gives us a great competitive edge at point of sale. The complimentary privileges at

over 650 hotels worldwide ensure that our travelers are welcomed like VIPs.”

–Wido Schaefer, TRAVELSTORE

“Our travel consultants receive exceptional support from Signature on a daily basis. The assistance provided by the network’s

staff enables us to close more sales and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

–Bryan Leibman, F R O S C H T R A V E L

“Signature’s Client Connection CRM system has made a positive difference in my

agency. I now manage my database more effectively and ensure our clients get the

right message at the right time.”–Maureen Jones,

A L L -H O R I Z O N S T R A V E L

“As one of Conde Nast Traveler’s top cruise specialists, it’s essential for me to deliver

the best overall cruise value on every booking. Signature’s extensive program of complimentary cruise privileges enables me to stay competitive and go ‘above and

beyond’ for each client.”–Tom Baker,

C R U I S E C E N T E R

“My company prides itself in its ability to create unique, custom-tailored itineraries

for our valued customers. Signature’s worldwide portfolio of Destination

Specialists gives me the expert resources we need on the ground in over 100

countries all over the globe.”–Peter Carideo CTC,

CRC T R A V E L

“Signature’s online tools have enabled us to maximize the potential of each sale. Our travel consultants’ leisure business continues to grow, supported every step of the way by Signature’s best-in-class

technology platform.”–Wilma Boyd,

P R E F E R R E D T R A V E L O F N A P L E S

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR MEMBERS. . .

Signature’s marketing is singularly focused on the members’ identity...it’s all about the agency’s brand.

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TRAVELSAVERS

Our Strength. Your Success.

Call 800-366-9895 today.

Gen X. Gen Y. The Millennials. The next generation of travel purchasers is already on our doorstep, knocking loudly. Are you prepared?Do you know what moves them? Do you know how to make them customers for life?

At TRAVELSAVERS, we do. We understand that the only way to survive and thrive today is to bring fresh thinking to the table …tomaintain long-standing relationships with other leaders in the industry…and to appreciate the mindset of our shared customers.That’swhy we’ve paired the business acumen we’ve garnered over the past 38 years with the innovativeness of the next generation of leadership.

As Founder and CEO of TRAVELSAVERS, I’m proud to share theboardroom with my son and two daughters.They represent the next

generation. In fact, they are the next generation.

And they know the industry inside and out.They quite literallygrew up in the travel agency business — stampingbrochures at the dinner table. It’s in their blood.As the Mazzafamily grew, so too did American Marketing Group, Inc., theparent company of TRAVELSAVERS. We now operate 13highly successful brands under the American MarketingGroup umbrella.And we bring all of those resources directlyto you to help you build your business every day.

In the end, our success is measured by your success. Ifyou’re already part of our family, we applaud and appreciateyou. If not, we invite you to come to the table.

Le:A.J. (Rick)Mazza (President & CEO, TRAVELSAVERS)Above:NicoleMazza (Executive VP—Marketing), JimMazza (Chief Operating Officer),

KathrynMazza-Burney (Executive VP— Sales & Service)

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Entering its 40th year, TRAVELSAVERS is a lead-ing international market-ing organization with a

retail chain of more than 3,000 in-dependently owned travel agen-cies around the world that gen-erates more than $15 billion in annual travel sales. TRAVELSAV-ERS’ president & CEO, Rick Mazza, created a group whose primary goal was to help its agencies in-crease their market share as well as their overall profitability.

Unique to TRAVELSAVERS, its agencies are each given an exclu-sive territory in the U.S., based on a population of 50,000. All business leads generated from it are theirs for as long as they are affiliated with TRAVELSAVERS and adhere to basic requirements, such as selling a large percentage of their business through preferred suppliers. TRAVELSAVERS’ average agency size is $5 million in annual sales. Agencies must pay an initial licensee

fee; there are no annual fees. Each agency receives a complete portfolio of marketing programs, plus a customized consumer travel magazine. Lifestyle Marketing Campaigns help agencies tap into the hottest niche travel markets. Acclaim Meetings is a sister company and through it TRAVELSAVERS agencies can grow their meetings and incentives business. The TWIN global travel management company provides opportunities to partner with other top agencies offering in-bound services and travel specialty products/services.

TRAVELSAVERS has brought its exclusive territory system (e-ter-ritories) to the web and delivers a variety of e-commerce oppor-tunities. They include cruiseexpress, a proprietary direct-connect cruise booking engine; a hotel booking engine with an inventory of over 90,000 properties and discounts and a block space pro-gram; CorpXpress, a state-of-the-art online corporate travel man-agement tool; and an agent extranet.

Town Hall Meetings with preferred suppliers take place through-out the U.S. In June 2010, TRAVELSAVERS’ parent company (Ameri-can Marketing Group) will hold its first global conference, includ-ing all of its 14 travel brands.

Rick MazzaPresident & CEO

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NEST

NEST (Network of Entre-preneurs Selling Travel) is the industry’s first and only marketing group

dedicated solely to home-based travel agents; it has been in busi-ness since 2004. Agencies join as members and book directly with suppliers (using their own CLIA, IATA True or ARC number), main-taining their agency ownership, commissions and client base. It has nearly 600 predominantly lei-sure-focused members, and many that are large group producers.

NEST agencies must meet the following criteria: 1) home-based; 2) independently owned and operated; 3) registered to book directly with suppliers; and 4) generate a designated, minimum amount of preferred-supplier sales. In return, they receive a full spectrum of marketing, sales, technology and operational support through a close-knit community.

NEST offers a Market Your Own Business (MYOB) marketing program; a customized consumer travel magazine, JOURNEYS; NESTDirect turnkey database marketing program; NEST- Rewards incentive program; and Lifestyle Marketing Cam-paigns that help agents tap into the hottest niche travel mar-kets. Acclaim Meetings is a sister company, and through it NEST agencies can grow their meetings and incentives busi-ness. NEST agents have access to cruiseexpress, NEST’s pro-prietary direct-connect cruise booking engine; a NESTHotels booking engine with over 90,000 properties; and an agent extranet.

Several virtual trainings with suppliers are held each month. The MYOB webinars are held monthly, and they assist home-based agents in marketing best practices. Agents also work one-on-one with their dedicated Business Development Director. The annual NEST FEST conference is always well attended, and in June 2010, the parent company of NEST (American Marketing Group) will hold its first global confer-ence, including all of its 14 travel brands.

Kathryn Mazza BurneyPresident

Soar with NEST’s Partnerships“The Globus family of brands recognizes the importance of the home-based travel agent. NESTallows us to tap into this dynamic market, and we couldn’t be more pleased with our affiliation.NEST has given us direct access to highly qualified, productive agents within the home-baseddistribution channel who expertly sell our product.

Rest assured, Globus and NEST are committed to your success. Members enjoy easy access tothe tools and support needed to grow their business. The sky is the limit for agents who are‘in the NEST’!”

—Paula Hayes, VP of Sales, Globus family of brands

NEST enables your home-based agency to maintain its hard-earnedindependence and provides unbeatable benefits, such as:

• Higher commissions• Book directly with cruise lines, tour operators, resorts, etc.• Dedicated Service Director• FREE NEST Direct Marketing• Wide variety of preferred suppliers• Turn-key sales promotions• Online supplier virtual trainings• CruiseExpress: A direct-connect/real-time cruise booking engine• Valuable networking via our web site at www.inthenest.com

Apply online at www.jointhenest.com, call 888.245.6378 Ext. 2053or email us at [email protected] Paula Hayes, VP of Sales, Globus family of brands

TM

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Virtuoso® is a 58-year-old pri-vately held company that domi-nates sales and marketing in the luxury travel industry. With a

by-invitation-only membership of lead-ing leisure travel agencies, Virtuoso rep-resents a luxury sales network of more than 300 agencies, with 630 locations and 6,000 elite travel advisors in 22 countries. The network has preferred relationships with 1,250 luxury travel operators, one-third of which are unique to the group. Virtuoso is the exclusive travel partner for World Elite MasterCard®, and its members solely comprise the travel boards and ful-fillment for Saveur, Islands, Spa and Snow magazines.

Virtuoso’s dedication to member success is evident in its support and development of the frontline sales force.

The numerous advantages of being a Vir-tuoso member include increased revenue through co-op credits earned on partici-pating supplier production and the net-work’s commitment to distributing 100% of overrides earned by achieving produc-tion targets. The Virtuoso Air program produces average agency commissions of $368 per contract booking. Brand rec-ognition and consumer preference allow

for alliance partnerships with Master-Card® and leading consumer magazines, while relationships with the world’s top travel providers result in the industry’s best hotel and cruise incentives for cli-ents. Virtuoso also provides unparalleled resources such as 24/7 agent develop-ment and training, industry-leading con-ferences, a global technology platform, and global sales support.

Marketing/TechnologyVirtuoso produces and distributes the most effective marketing in the industry, encompassing print, (including its own award-winning publication, VIRTUOSO LIFE), electronic and social media. All marketing features agency, agent and client personalization, with opt-in/out capability. Public relations efforts create consumer awareness and preference for Virtuoso advisors. Coverage in national media resulted in more than 216 million impressions for individual members this year and 670 million impressions for the entire network, creating significant lead generation and agent recruitment op-portunities.

The network’s proprietary technology plat-form, Virtuoso Composer, is designed to assist the frontline consultant, with man-agement tools for owners and managers. Composer provides fast, intuitive and com-prehensive access to news, promotions, products and contacts in one integrated site, and is available exclusively to Virtuoso members at no charge. An additional ex-clusive Sabre contract offers strong seg-ment payment levels with no minimums and preferred customer service.

Training/ConferencesThe Virtuoso Trust provides over 200 complimentary sales, management and product courses online through Compos-er, 24/7. Facilitated training takes place in-office, and at Travel Mart and regional meetings. Virtuoso holds quarterly meet-ings, beginning with five Regional Meet-ings facilitated by an elected Member. The Overseas Symposium, which addresses

key industry topics, takes place interna-tionally during the second quarter. Travel Mart, the industry’s best-attended luxury travel conference with more than 3,000 participants, occurs in the third quarter. During the fourth quarter, Virtuoso hosts its Chairman’s Recognition Event, honor-ing the network’s top producers.

Preferred RelationshipsVirtuoso has preferred relationships with 1,250 luxury travel operators, includ-ing cruise lines, hotels, tour operators, specialty and adventure companies, ground operators, airlines, car services, travel insurance, private jets and yachts. The network’s Hotels & Resorts Program includes over 800 properties, each pro-viding complimentary amenities valued at a minimum of $175. The On-Site pro-gram features 137 ground operators in 75 countries. Virtuoso Air provides members with a unique, 24/7 program featuring 45 air carriers and more than 160 contracts.

By Invitation OnlyVirtuoso agencies have an excellent repu-tation and strong sales with premium to ultra-luxury suppliers. Members range from boutique agencies focused on lei-sure travel to larger multi-region agencies with full-service operations. Virtuoso has traditional brick-and-mortar agencies, as well as some of the best host agencies in the industry. Requirements include a min-imum of $125,000 in preferred-supplier sales per leisure agent and a minimum of $500,000 in preferred-supplier sales per location. An agency’s annual fees are only $1,250 the first year, and $750 each year thereafter. Individual agents have many host agency options within the network.

www.Virtuoso.com; www.BecomeAVirtuoso.com

Keith Waldon: [email protected],

512-847-7200 (agency owners)

Susan Spain: [email protected],

817-334-8637 (consultants)

More Information

Virtuoso

The world’s finest travel agencies and advisors are Virtuoso.

Through Virtuoso®, the only network dedicated to the success

of frontline advisors. When you’re affiliated with a Virtuoso member

agency, you don’t just maximize margins on every sale, you also earn

more recognition, prestige, client loyalty, qualified leads, and satisfaction.

Through invaluable Virtuoso resources, contacts, and tools, you become

an indispensable advisor to clients who value you more.

becomeavirtuoso.com/more

How can you earn more?

Virtuoso helps you earn more through:

• Superior Commission Structure

• Commissionable 24/7 Air Program

• Exclusive Product Portfolio

• Professional Development Tools

• Rich Qualified Leads

• Worldwide Industry Contacts

Visit bEComEAVIRTuoSo.Com/moRE today.

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Finding the right host agency is one of the most important busi-ness decisions you can make as an independent contractor. It

requires a great amount of thought and research. It can be the key to making ev-eryday business dealings smoother, easi-er and, of course, more profitable. In the ever-challenging world of selling travel, many of you are realizing that it’s much better to be part of a larger whole than going it completely solo. A host agency allows you to keep your independence as a business owner, with the support and knowledge of your host as well as your fellow independent contractors. A host agency can give you the extra push you need to set your agency apart in your market.

“When properly evaluating a host travel agency, it’s far beyond the cost and com-mission split,” says Andi Mysza, president of Professional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH) and president of Independent Contractor Division of California-based Montrose Travel. “It’s more than transac-tion processing. It’s a much more com-plex decision that requires peeking under the covers to get the full story about the host. Do an initial review of their website; call them and ask questions--especially about information not found on their site--ask for references, and check the Better

Business Bureau. Even Google them. Re-member, selecting a compatible host is much like a marriage. You should take a long-term approach and feel completely comfortable with your decision with your new business partner.”

This guide demonstrates the sheer num-ber of choices there are in host agencies today. So how do you start narrowing down your search, ultimately picking the right one for you? You begin at the begin-ning with research, as stressed by Mysza. “Do your homework up front,” agrees Jackie Friedman, president and general manager of Nexion. “Know what’s avail-able out there and find the right fit.” For example, Robert Beukema of Travel Coun-sellors in Richmond, Va., spent a month doing a “fairly exhaustive comparison” before he chose his host agency.

Your research should include the follow-ing points.

Understand your business mix You know what you sell, so you need to find a host agency that sells the same type of business you do, or at least the business you wish to sell if you’re still growing your agency. Are you selling cor-

porate travel, leisure travel, or both? Up-scale travel? Study the host agency’s sup-pliers and see if they’re the same ones you sell. Examine the opportunities available with the host agency. For Stacy H. Small, president of Elite Travel International in Brentwood, Calif., one of the most impor-tant components she considered when choosing host agency Third Millennium Travel was its Virtuoso affiliation because of her luxury focus and the benefits she’s able to pass on to her clients.

You also need to understand your own book of business’ value and your com-mitment to selling. Some host agencies welcome part-time agents or those just starting out, while others require a mini-mum number of years in the business or minimum sales figures. Travel Counsel-lors, for example requires two years in travel agent sales and a book of business worth $180,000 annually. “You have to be full-time committed and this is your only job,” says Darya Camacci, vice president. “This way you’re dealing with business-minded people.”

Figure out what your support needs are Are you new to the business and need a lot of support and hand-holding or are you a veteran who just needs some sup-port? How important is getting through to someone live immediately when you call your host, as opposed to having to go through a few automated prompts?

You need to decide if you’d prefer to be part of a large host agency, which has its share of benefits, or a smaller host, which might offer a more personal touch. Most hosts will assign a BDM, business de-velopment manager, or similar contact person, to make your partnership more personal.

Whether you choose a large or small host agency, joining a host also means the ability to reach out to other agents for advice and help. “Your network of agents becomes important with us because we

Making the Host ChoiceBy Stacey ZableWhich host agency is the right one for you?

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have a very tight-knit network [of agents] who are on the same page as far as their careers,” says Susan Ferrell, owner of Trav-el Experts. “If you don’t know something, you put a question out there via email and/or our blog, which are set up for ex-changing information, and you’ll get your answer back.”

Laurie Rusin, president of LXR Travel LLC based in Williamsville, N.Y., a Travel Ex-perts affiliate, says, “I just have never seen such a wonderful group. So many agents can stay attached because of technol-ogy, so that any questions you have can be seen by experts in that field who are more than happy to share their expertise and contacts.”

Nexion Town, the social networking site for Nexion’s affiliates, “absolutely ex-ploded,” says Friedman. “It blew away the value for agents. It makes the time we do spend together more valuable and it pro-vides more support.”

Find out what tech help is availableOne of the biggest aspects of support that a host agency can supply is in tech-nology, supplying programs to help run your business, as well as having the tech support to turn to when problems arise. Travel Counsellors, for example, gives you a fully loaded laptop with all propriety programming when you come to their offices for their initial member training. After 12 monthly fees, the ownership of the laptop is transferred to you.

“I like the technology on the Intranet,” says Beukema. “I can check my billing per month and per year against last year and see how I rank against other Travel Coun-sellors around the world. In the past, I used to have to total up my billings with a calculator.” Beukemia also says that Travel Counsellors’ IT department is “tops. They can get into my computer via long dis-tance and fix things. It’s invaluable.” Travel Counsellors also offers weekly technol-ogy webinars.

Ask about continued training and marketing Besides technology training, you should look at other types of training a host of-fers and decide their importance. “Nexion invests a lot in training and development programs,” says Friedman. Nexion’s train-ing includes an annual conference, boot camp three to four times a year that helps with business skills, webinars from sup-pliers on how to use Nexion’s tools and technology, and panels on different tar-get markets. There’s also Nexion Univer-sity, which offers interactive hands-on training. Travel Counsellors will reimburse those agents who further their own edu-cation by getting their MCC or CTC or CTA by paying for their training. “If you’re not investing in your further education, you’re not going to be very successful,” says Camacci.

Some agents take on their marketing themselves, while others need help or tools to expand their marketing efforts. Look at what your host agency can offer you. Many also offer one-on-one coach-ing to help you boost your business and set goals.

Be real about the financial split Once you find a host agency that of-fers everything you need in terms of the above points, it’s time to talk dollars and cents. You should do this in two separate ways. First, you need to know that the host agency you’re dealing with is finan-cially sound because it doesn’t matter

how much you sell if you don’t receive your commission checks. Look at how long they’ve been in business, and look to see if they’ve been referred by NACTA and PATH. (See below.) Look them up under the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any outstanding complaints about them.

The second financial consideration is the fee/commission structure. You need to weigh the monthly fee with the com-mission based on your business. Do you want to pay more of a monthly fee and get 100 percent commission or pay less and receive less commission? Only you know what works for you. Many compa-nies have different structures and you can switch between them as your business evolves.

Be clear about how you get paid. For Small, getting a commission check every two weeks instead of monthly, and mon-ey that’s direct deposited, makes a differ-ence to her cash flow. She urges her fellow agents to really read their host agency contracts and to understand them.

Speak to other agents There’s a lot to take in when deciding on your host agency, and the final step should be talking to other agents who work with that host. Ask for and listen to their pros and cons in dealing with the host. They’re in the trenches every day and can tell you exactly what it’s like. Plus, you’ll be able to reach out to them once you’re part of the host family.

The following associations can offer more tips on choosing a host agency: National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA): www.nacta.comProfessional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH): www.path4hosts.comOutside Sales Support Network (OSSN): www.ossn.com

More on Choosing a Host Agency

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President of Professional Associa-tion of Travel Hosts (PATH) Andi McClure-Mysza, who is also president, Independent Con-

tractor Division of California-based Mon-trose Travel, answers questions about the power of PATH and what it means for individual agents. To see a list of require-ments for host agencies to be a member of PATH, visit the PATH website at www.path4hosts.com.

When and why was PATH formed? What is its goal?PATH was formed in 2006 in response to the various host agency models that had entered the market that were confusing agents in search of a reputable host. There was a need to clarify first, what a host agency truly was and second, which hosts were reputable and legitimate. This result-ed in the birth of PATH, a professional so-ciety of host agencies that was formed to establish operating standards with strict enforcement among its members.

In addition, PATH represents an efficient way for suppliers to reach a large num-ber of home-based agents. Since home-based agents, in general, are the most elusive for suppliers to reach, PATH hosts offer an excellent opportunity to com-

municate with these people in an efficient manner. Its purpose is also to bring edu-cational and training opportunities to its members and their affiliated travel agents.

Our goal is to maintain a roster of reputa-ble, ethical, legitimate host agencies that agents can feel comfortable with.

How can independent travel agents use PATH to help them decide on a host?PATH is primarily used as a resource for agents. They can consult our list of mem-bers on www.path4hosts.com for re-search or utilize the information describ-ing the definition of a host agency or how to evaluate hosts.

What are Charter PATH Partners? When we first began, we not only had host agency members, we had an Allied membership category for supplier partners. These are our Charter PATH Partners. They joined PATH early on. We have since elimi-nated the Allied/Sup-plier membership cat-egory to enable us to focus our energies on our “core constituents,” host agencies. We de-termined that it was in the organization’s best interests to build our membership base and increase the over-all awareness of PATH before getting further involved in trying to provide membership benefits to Allied Partners. Because of their initial support and interest in cultivating host agency re-lationships, the Charter PATH Partners will always remain important to us.

What is your relationship with OSSN and NACTA?Both are PATH Partners, which are other organizations with which we’ve built a mutually beneficial relationship. We view OSSN and NACTA as complementary or-ganizations to PATH in the home-based

travel segment. While their core mem-bership base is home-based agents, ours is host agencies. PATH’s goal with these two associations is to ensure that repu-table host agencies are recognized and that home-based agents understand the value of a strong hosted relationship.

What’s next for PATH? Where do you see its importance in the travel indus-try going forward? By definition, PATH will probably always be a fairly small organization in terms of membership numbers. But don’t be mis-taken; we can be powerful because our 20 host members represent over 8,500 agents. As we grow, we’ll have an even stronger voice because there’s no other organization as focused on the host niche as PATH. We see our role as educating suppliers as well as agents to the needs of our host/agent audience. We have ini-

tiated work with multiple suppliers over the past couple of years to improve the services/products that are provided to hosts. We’re definitely a different animal and our needs can differ from those of a traditional travel agency. Since today’s hosting is still a relatively new “industry,” we believe we have the ability to shape the future in this area.

The Right PATH to a HostBy Stacey Zable

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AARC (Agent Access Resource Center)

Address: 156 Wheeler Rd., Central Islip, NY 11722Contact: Paul Davis, PresidentTel: 800-619-8646Email: [email protected]: www.HomeBasedTravelA-gents.orgIndependent Contractors: 200+Sales: $5 million+Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: NACTA, PATH, BBB, CLIA, IATAN, OSSN, ARTACommission: 70% to 100% Fees: No startup fees; $39 per month Sales Niche: Vacation packages, cruisesMarketing: CRM and e-marketing tools, free leads and website with booking enginesTechnology: Passport Online websites, TRAMS and NexCite e-marketingTraining: Agent training marketing on-line courses; ongoing weekly trainingInsurance: $1 million E&O

Advantage Travel Partners

Address: 7447 Egan Dr., Savage, MN 55378Contact: Annette BrooksTel: 952-226-9093Email: [email protected]: www.advantagetravelpart-ners.comIndependent Contractors: 65Sales: $8 million Consortia: Travel Leaders Associations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, NACTAGDS: WorldspanCommission: Up to 80%Fees: $199 startup fee, $69 per year Sales Niche: Full serviceMarketing: Direct mail, e-marketing Technology: Worldspan, ClientBase Training: Webinars, direct vendor trainingInsurance: Information not available

Amadeus Hosted Solutions

Address: 9250 NW 36th Street, Miami, FL 33178 Tel: 1-888-AMADEUS Email: [email protected] Websites: www.amadeus.com/ineed Consortia: Vacation.com Associations: ASTA, CLIA, IATA, NACTA, OSSN GDS: Amadeus Commission: Up to 100%, depending on program chosen Fees: Between $49.00/month - $65.00/month, depending on program chosen Marketing: CRM marketing tools and Vacation.com’s Engagement Program Technology: Full Amadeus GDS or basic booking functionality (including air, car, hotel, cruise, tour, rail, activities & enter-tainment and more) Training: Full mentorship program or self-study, depending on program chosen Insurance: Required to purchase and maintain own E&O insurance through Amadeus discounted pricing

America’s Vacation Center

Address: 5201 Blue Lagoon Dr., Suite 900, Miami, FL 33126Tel: 800-396-8507Email: [email protected] Websites: www.JoinAVC.com Independent Contractors: 500+ Sales: $150 million+Consortia: American ExpressAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, NACTA, OSSNCommission: 80% on self-generated customers, 30% on America’s Vacation Center Live Leads™Fees: $495 startup costSales Niche: Cruises, escorted tours, vacation packagesMarketing: Exclusive access to Live Leads for well-qualified customers proac-tively planning their next vacationTechnology: Agent Power, a web-based application providing access to a book-ing engine, CRM, Live LeadsTraining: Sales coaching, vendor train-ing, private fam tripsInsurance: $5 million E&O

Andavo Travel

Address: 5680 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Suite 300, Greenwood Village, CO 80111Contact: Lea Diele, Director of Indepen-dent NetworkTel: 800-685-0038, x7718; direct at 303-689-7718Email: [email protected]: www.andavotravel.comIndependent Contractors: 70+Sales: $250 millionConsortia: Virtuoso, BCD TravelAssociations: ARC, ASTA, CLIA, IATANGDS: Apollo, Sabre, Worldspan Commission: Up to 100%Fees: Vary based on agent’s experienceSales Niche: All travel typesMarketing: In-house marketing, Virtuoso marketingTechnology: Sole-proprietorship tech-nology based on independent agent needs and client demandsTraining: Weekly webinars on product and marketing; ongoing Webex training based on travel industry trends, best practices, round-table discussions and legal overviews; Virtuoso Travel Mart and agency annual agent conferenceInsurance: $3 million E&O

Atlas Tour & Travel LLC

Address: 6465 Oakland Dr., New Orleans, LA 70118Contact: Marsha S. Cropper or Gwen Vandergriff Tel: 504-483-0607Email: [email protected]: www.atlastourandtravel.comIndependent Contractors: 30Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: CLIA, IATA, ARCGDS: SabreCommission: 60% to 75%Fees: $125 per yearSales Niche: Cruises, vacationsMarketing: E-marketing Training: Weekly webinarsInsurance: $1 million E&O

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AuthorizedAgents

Address: 30230 Rancho VIejo Rd. Suite 108, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675Contact: Zigmund SepanskiTel: 800 684-3260 Email: [email protected] Websites: www.AuthorizedAgents.comIndependent Contractors: 150Sales: Not AvailableConsortia: Signature Travel NetworkAssociations: CLIA, IATA, ARCCommission: 80%Fees: VarySales Niche: Leisure cruises and land, incentivesMarketing: End-user full color magazine, free web client tracking, direct mailing support, co-op support, lead develop-ment, proposal development, special interest cruise programs, thousands of cruise cabins on hold, live support hotline, agent websites, agent direct mail programs, Signature Hotels, Destination Specialists, Private Collections Technology: Cruise Finder, Client Tracker, Member Cruise Space, Hotel booking engineTraining: Vendor, host and on-lineInsurance: $3 million E & O, automatically covers individual independent contractors

Bannister Travel

Address: 7696 Highway 4 West, Senato-bia, MS 38668Contact: Patricia BannisterTel: 662-560-6085 (office), 662-288-9052 (cell)Email: [email protected] Websites: www.BannisterTravel.com Independent Contractors: 27Sales: $1.3 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: OSSNCommission: Up to 80%Fees: $150 per yearSales Niche: Cruises, Sandals, Hawaii, Disney, vacation packagesMarketing: E-marketing, direct-mail programsTechnology: Online training, marketing tools

Training: Personal and online training on product, marketing and marketing toolsInsurance: $3 million E&O

Brownell Travel

Address: 813 Shades Creek Parkway, Birmingham, AL 35209Contact: Rebecca WillsonTel: 205-802-6222Email: [email protected]: www.brownelltravel.comIndependent Contractors: 63Sales: $60 million+Consortia: VirtuosoAssociations: ASTA, NACTA, CLIA, ARC, IATANGDS: Sabre, WorldspanCommission: Up to 80%Fees: Vary depending on hosting or mentoring programSales Niche: Luxury and unique travel experiencesMarketing: Brownell and Virtuoso marketing programs for independent associates; access to in-house marketing professionals for individual supportTechnology: Full-time tech support for accessing our systems via the InternetTraining: Full-time mentoring program for associates new to the industry, plus full-time, ongoing training sessions and special training by requestInsurance: $5 million E&O

Casino World Travel

Address: 7291 Bobby Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45243Contact: Vincent Condeni, OwnerTel: 800-563-6608Email: [email protected]: www.casinoworldtravel.comIndependent Contractors: 60Sales: $5 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: CLIA, IATAN, NACTACommission: 75% to 80%, paid weeklyFees: NoneSales Niche: Cruises; Caribbean, Europe, Las Vegas, Mexico; honeymoon & wed-dings, all-inclusivesMarketing: Email, print, business cards,

discount coupons, pens and annual calendars, yellow pagesTechnology: EZguiderTraining: Seminars, tradeshows, conferences, virtual webinars, fam trips, live support 24/7Insurance: $1 million E&O

Classic World Travel, American Express

Address: 200 Commerce Dr., Peachtree City, GA 30269Contact: Dan Solly, PresidentTel: 770-487-9529Email: [email protected]: www.classicworldtravel.com; www.classicagents.com; jion.classicworldtravel.comIndependent Contractors: 40Sales: $15 millionConsortia: American ExpressAssociations: CLIA, ASTA, ARC, OSSN, IATANGDS: WorldspanCommission: Up to 80%Fees: VarySales Niche: Broad range from leisure to corporateMarketing: WebPages, Amex promotionsTechnology: Worldspan, CRM live accounting 24/7Training: Webinars and onsite training Insurance: E&O for ICs acting under our name

Clearwater Cruises, Tours & Groups

Address: 989 Georgia Ave., Palm Harbor, FL 34683Contact: Toni SofosTel: 800-562-0616Email: [email protected]: www.sellgrouptravel.com; www.clearwatercruises.comIndependent Contractors: 50Sales: $1 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: NACTA, OSSN, IATAN, CLIAGDS: AmadeusCommission: 50% +

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Fees: One-time $39.95Sales Niche: Cruises, tours, vacation packages, groupsMarketing: Access to e-marketing and direct mailTechnology: Web-based; access to mul-tiple booking engines, online training, marketing toolsTraining: In-house as well as web-based; product, sales and marketingInsurance: Home-based agents are required to purchase E&O

Coral Sands Travel

Address: 1526 Riverbend Dr., LaBelle, FL 33935Contact: Peter StilphenTel: 863-675-9900Email: [email protected]: www.americashostagency.comIndependent Contractors: 450Sales: Not availableConsortia: NESTAssociations: ASTA, NACTA, PATH, TPOC, CLIA, IATAN, WRTACommission: 70% to 90%Fees: $150 to $450, includes CRM; no monthly feesSales Niche: Leisure travelMarketing: CRM, all e-marketing tools, including NESTTechnology: Agent-only resource and training site; access to all booking en-gines including CRM; consumer booking engine available at $150 per yearTraining: Agent-only website, webinars, product and destination trainingInsurance: $2 million E&O available at $125 per year

Crown Cruise Vacations

Address: 103 Main Street, Suite 300 Princeton NJ 08540Contact: Roger PoulardTel: 609 945 9801Email: [email protected]: www.ccvadvantage.comIndependent Contractors: 25Sales: $25 millionConsortia: Ensemble

Associations: ASTA, CLIA, IATA, NACTA, OSSNCommission: 70% to 90%Fees: Vary depending on affiliation levelSales Niche: Leisure, cruises, all-Inclu-sivesMarketing: CRM marketing tools, personalized marketing assistance. Work to help agents market themselves and provide back-office documentation and fulfillment supportTechnology: Revelex, WinCruiseTraining: Weekly webinars, personal training availableInsurance: $2 million E&O insurance; agents encouraged to purchase their own

Cruises & Tours by Brennco

Address: 6600 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66211Contact: Jon Brenneman or Lisa GrubaughTel: 800-955-1909Email: [email protected]: www.Brennco.com; www.BrenncoAgent.com

Independent Contractors: 30Sales: $10 million+Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: CLIA, IATAN, NACTA, BBBCommission: 45% on leads supplied, varies by volume on agent leadsFees: NoneSales Niche: Vacation travelMarketing: Generate leads for agents accounting for over 90% of independent contractor salesTechnology: Agent-only Intranet site, multiple websites, ACD technology, IP phone system, Wincruise, PC Cruiser, AgentNetTraining: Training manual, agent-only Intranet site, webinars, seminars-at-seaInsurance: $1 million E&O

Cruises Inc.

Address: 1415 NW 62nd St., Fort Lauder-dale, FL 33309Contact: Julia Block

Tel: 877-714-4072 (direct)Email: [email protected]: www.sellcruises.comIndependent Contractors: 500+Sales: $50 million+Associations: IATAN, CLIA, ASTA, OSSN, PATHCommission: Up to 75%Fees: $495 for new agents, $199 for expert agents, no monthly feesSales Niche: CruisesMarketing: Direct mail, e-commerce, consumer websites, lead generationTechnology: All web-based, agent por-tal, online training, marketing toolsTraining: Required and available in per-son or online, depending on experienceInsurance: $1 million E&O

Cruises-N-More, American Express

Address: 610 Crescent Executive Ct., Suite 220, Lake Mary, FL 32746Contact: Tifni NeidhardtTel: 800-733-2048, x111Email: [email protected]: www.cruises-n-more.comIndependent Contractors: 63Sales: $50 million+Consortia: American ExpressAssociations: IATAN, CLIA, ASTA, NACTA, OSSNGDS: Amadeus Cruise, Direct APICommission: 80% to 100%Fees: $539 or $739 original membership fees; lowered renewal feesSales Niche: Cruises and vacation pack-ages, lower-priced shore excursions, travel protection, rental carsMarketing: Access to e-marketing tools and direct-marketing toolsTechnology: Multiple web-based agent portals for access to all vendors’ booking engines and agent toolsTraining: Webinars on technology, product, marketing and updates on all vendor training opportunities dailyInsurance: $3 million E&O


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CWT Vacations

Address: 4600 Marriott Dr., Suite 120, Raleigh, NC 27613Contact: Karen JonesTel: 336-731-8996Email: [email protected]: www.cwtvacations.com Independent Contractors: 105Sales: $700 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: NACTA, CLIA, IATANGDS: Sabre, Apollo, WorldspanCommission: Up to 80%Fees: VarySales Niche: All aspects of leisure and corporate businessMarketing: Access to turnkey e-market-ing and direct-mail programs, CRM and e-marketing toolsTechnology: Intranet/consumer website, CRM, marketing tools, Virtuoso NetTraining: Startup and ongoing training, Virtuoso training, Product webinarsInsurance: E&O insurance required, agents’ responsibility

Design Travel Inc.

Address: 1600 N Arlington Heights Rd., Suite 1604, Arlington Heights, IL 60004Contact: Nancy Peklo-Nosal, PresidentTel: 847-577-7930 Email: [email protected]: www.dtmgi.com (for ICs); www.wedesigntravel.com (for public)Independent Contractors: 25Sales: $5 millionConsortia: MAST, ResultsAssociations: ARC, IATA, CLIA, ASTAGDS: Apollo, SabreCommission: 75%+ based on productivityFees: $100 per month, no startup feeSales Niche: GeneralMarketing: Via MAST, CRM marketing tools Technology: TRAMS, CBBTraining: Weekly webinars on all facets of travelInsurance: $2 million E&O (included in fee)

Dugan’s Travels LLC

Address: 132 Rover Blvd., Los Alamos, NM 87544Contact: Jennifer DuganTel: 505-672-0777Email: [email protected]: www.travelathome.com; www.duganstravels.netIndependent Contractors: 650Sales: $25 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: ARC, IATAN, CLIA, NACTA, OSSN, Seller of travel license in CA, FL, WA, IAGDS: SabreCommission: 75% commission for 3 years, 80% after 3 years; 100% plan for $5,000 setup fee. Bonus plans availableFees: $10 a month, waived if $3,000 in sales a monthSales Niche: AllMarketing: Vacation.com Engagement Program, various marketing programs with suppliers; co-branded websites with suppliers, such as Travel ImpressionsTechnology: Agent-only website includ-ing online commission and booking forms; online booking systems, all free of chargeTraining: Full training program including webinars from suppliers, ship inspec-tions, annual agent seminarInsurance: $1 million Gulf Writers E&O insurance allowing agent rider for $100 a year


Address: 15600 NE 8th Street, Bellevue, WA 98008-3947Contact: Pat HeathfieldTel: 888-944-1544 Email: [email protected]: www.cruiseshipcenters.com/changeIndependent Contractors: 2,500+Sales: $300 Million+Consortia: NoneAssociations: CLIA, PATH, NACTA, OSSNGDS: CruiseDesk offers booking functions integrated with back-office, marketing and customer relationship management

Commission: 70% to 80% Fees: $299 startup fee, $29 monthly feeSales Niche: Cruises and land vacation packagesMarketing: Personalized print and email marketing, customizable website, ex-clusive supplier promotions and a wide variety of other toolsTechnology: CRM system - CruiseDesk

automates everything you need to man-age your businessTraining: Dedicated business develop-ment manager, exclusive Cruise to Suc-cess conference at sea, monthly calls and webinars, online video library, in-person training eventsInsurance: $5 million E&O included

Family Fun Cruises & Tours, Inc.

Address: 74 Grove Dr., Mastic, NY 11950Contact: Ruben MunizTel: 631-281-0593Email: [email protected]: www.FamilyFunCruises.comIndependent Contractors: 225Sales: $2 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: IATA, CLIA, ARTA, ASTA, OSSNCommission: Up to 60%Fees: $599.99 startup fee, $69.99 annual duesSales Niche: Cruises, vacation packagesMarketing: E-marketing, direct mailTechnology: EZguiderTraining: Two-hour training class, daily information on deals, agent training seminarsInsurance: ICs are encouraged to pur-chase their own

Great Southern Travel

Address: 3424 S. National, Springfield, MO 65807Contact: Gerry PolodnaTel: 417-888-4488Email: [email protected]: www.greatsoutherntravel.comIndependent Contractors: 32Sales: $85 million

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Consortia: EnsembleAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, NACTA, ARCGDS: WorldspanCommission: 70%Fees: $50 per monthSales Niche: LeisureMarketing: Access to e-marketing toolsTechnology: Access to multiple booking engines, TRAMS accounting and reports, online training and webinars Training: Weekly phone and webinar product updates, daily email updates and training opportunitiesInsurance: $3 million E&O

Gulliver’s Travel Service, Inc.

Address: 2800 S. Hulen #110, Fort Worth, TX 76109Contact: Harvey BoysenTel: 817-924-7766Email: [email protected]: www.gullivers.comIndependent Contractors: 55Sales: $22 millionConsortia: American ExpressAssociations: IATA, CLIA, OSSNGDS: SabreCommission: 75%Fees: None Insurance: E&O insurance provided if agent operates under Gulliver’s name; if not must purchase own

Incentive Connection Travel

Address: 13029 N. Cave Creek Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85022Contact: Harvey SiamonTel: 602- 867-9606Email: [email protected]: www.ictravel.comIndependent Contractors: 350Sales: $90 millionConsortia: EnsembleAssociations: OSSN, NACTA, PATH, IATA, ARC, CLIAGDS: SabreCommission: 70% to 80%, plus bonusesFees: NoneSales Niche: All nichesMarketing: Ensemble 5 Star Marketing Program

Technology: Sabre GDS and custom-made documentation systemTraining: No basic training, but 100% guidance and supportInsurance: E&O Insurance

International Tours of Houston

Address: 6363 Richmond Ave., Suite 200, Houston, TX 77057Contact: Ron SandersTel: 713-785-2682Email: [email protected]: www.ittravelgroup.com; www.interntionaltravelinstitute.com Independent Contractors: 75Sales: $6.5 million Consortia: ResultsAssociations: ARC, IATAN, CLIA, OSSN, PATH, ASTAGDS: AmadeusCommission: 70% (ITH retains $10 fee per airline ticket) Fees: $135 startup fee; $25 monthly fee, ac-cess to Amadeus Selling Platform software Sales Niche: Package tours, groups, air/cruise/landMarketing: In conjunction with ResultsTechnology: TRAMSTraining: New owners’ seminar; class-room and promotion of online suppliers’ programsInsurance: $1million E&O

Kingdom Magic Vacations

Address: 1140 7th Ct., Suite F, Vero Beach, FL 32960Contact: Leslie HowardTel: 772-569-9458Email: [email protected]: www.kingdommagic.comIndependent Contractors: 31Sales: $10 million Consortia: NoneAssociations: IATA, CLIA, OSSN, ASTACommission: Up to 70%Fees: $300 startup fee, $50 monthly administration feeSales Niche: Disney, leisure travel, cruisesMarketing: Social media, agency news-letter, agent emails, print media

Technology: Web-based agent portal with access to multiple booking engines, online training, social media trainingTraining: Ongoing product trainingInsurance: $1 million E&O

M&J Travel Services

Address: 2420 Legacy Island Circle, Hen-derson, NV 89074Contact: Janice NobliskiTel: 702-270-3112, 888-270-1373Email: [email protected]: www.MJTravelServices.comIndependent Contractors: 45Sales: $250,000 Consortia: NoneAssociations: CLIA, OSSNCommission: 70% to 100%Fees: $150 per year for total of twoSales Niche: All travelTechnology: Web-based agent portal with access to multiple booking engines, online training, marketing toolsTraining: Guidebook, 24-hour supportInsurance: Information not available

Meridian Travel

Address: 3475 Sheridan St., Suite 211, Hollywood, FL 33021Contact: Marcy LannonTel: 800-577-8855Email: [email protected] Websites: www.Meridian-Travel.Vaca-tion.comIndependent Contractors: 30Sales: $5 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: OSSN, CLIA, ARC, IATAGDS: ApolloCommission: Up to 70%Fees: No fee to joinSales Niche: Cruises, groupsMarketing: Turnkey e-marketing and direct-mail programs, CRM and e-mar-keting toolsTechnology: Web-based agent portal with access to multiple booking engines, online training, marketing toolsTraining: No training, experienced agents onlyInsurance: $1 million E&O


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Millstream Travel

Address: 2129 Tiffin Ave., Findlay, OH 45840Contact: Laurel WestTel: 419-424-3341Email: [email protected]: www.mtiagents.comIndependent Contractors: 350Sales: $15 million+Consortia: Travel LeadersAssociations: ASTA, ARC, CLIA, IATAN, OSSN, PATHGDS: Amadeus, ApolloCommission: Up to 85%Fees: NoneSales Niche: Cruises and vacation pack-agesMarketing: CRM, e-marketing and direct-mail programsTechnology: Web-based agent-only portal with multiple booking enginesTraining: Webinars and online programsInsurance: $2 million E&O

Modern Travel Services, Inc.

Address: P.O. Box 831, Germantown, WI 53022Contact: Torrey LauerTel: 262-250-7337, x100Email: [email protected]: www.moderntravel.netIndependent Contractors: 35Sales: $10 million+Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: IATAN, ARC, CLIAGDS: Amadeus (low monthly fee), Ama-deus Cruise (free)Commission: 80% to 100%Fees: No monthly fees, no fees for expe-rienced agents; $175 yearly renewalSales Niche: Cruises, Western Europe, Caribbean, Hawaii, corporate and incen-tive travelMarketing: Direct mail and e-advertise-mentsTechnology: Online trainings, market-ing, vendor sales callsTraining: Training via email, web meet-ings, annual conferenceInsurance: $1 million E&O

Montrose Travel

Address: 2349 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020Contact: Andi MyszaTel: 800-870-5799Email: [email protected]: www.MTravel.comIndependent Contractors: 500Sales: $115 millionConsortia: Ensemble Travel GroupAssociations: PATH, ARC, IATAN, CLIA, ASTA, OSSN, NACTA, BBBGDS: ApolloCommission: Up to 80%Fees: Fees vary, depending on experi-ence, from $0 to $499 per year, with re-duced yearly renewal rates. No monthly fees, depending on plan.Sales Niche: Full service: leisure, corpo-rate, groups, romanceMarketing: Turnkey direct mail/email marketing, Client Connex database/e-marketing toolsTechnology: Proprietary Agent Connex support site, private-label consumer site with online booking capabilitiesTraining: Two to three webinars per weekInsurance: $2 million E&O

Nexion, Inc.

Address: 3150 Sabre Dr., Suite A2-100, Southlake, TX 76092Contact: Jackie Friedman, President & General ManagerTel: 800-747-6813Email: [email protected]: www.nexion.comIndependent Contractors: 2,100Sales: $245 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: ARC, ASTA, IATA, CLIA, NACTA, OSSN, PATHGDS: Sabre, Apollo, Worldspan, GalileoCommission: 80% to 100% Fees: Members choose plan that best suits their business; details and pricing can be found at www.nexion.com.Marketing: Private-label ClientBase Marketing Services email promotions, Vacation.com Engagement program

Technology: A wide range of booking and administrative tools, reports and supplier information; Nexion Town, a robust social networking siteTraining: Annual conference, boot camps, webinars, virtual supplier panels, online learning management system; training and mentoring program for new agentsInsurance: ICs are encouraged to pur-chase their own

OASIS (Outside Agent Sales Integration System)

Address: 4800 Federal Hwy. #207D Boca Raton, FL 33431 Contact: Kelly Bergin Tel: 800-444-1560 ext. 120 Email: [email protected] Websites: www.OasisAgent.com Independent Contractors: 55 Sales: Not available Consortia: Signature Travel Network Associations: ARC, IATAN, NACTA, BBB, CLIA Commission: 100% Fees: Free sign up , No monthly fee with 1 booking Sales Niche: Cruises, Leisure, FIT, All-Inclusive Marketing: Personalized email mar-keting program, web development & content integration, business building support, CRM toolsTechnology: Power Agent, ClientBase, Sabre Cruises and In-House Support Training: Signature Universiy for Busi-ness Development, Product & Destina-tion WebinarsInsurance: Free $1 million E&O Insurance

OutsideAgents.com

Address: 8030 Philips Highway, Suite 13, Jacksonville, FL 32256Contact: Chad BurtTel: 866-208-5604Email: [email protected]: OutsideAgents.comIndependent Contractors: 1,800+Sales: $19 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: CLIA, IATAN, NACTA, OSSN

Host Agencies


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Commission: 80% to 90% based on productivityFees: NoneSales Niche: Cruises and vacation pack-agesMarketing: One-on-one support. Free turnkey email marketing and at-cost direct-mail marketing plus co-op op-portunitiesTechnology: Web-based agent portal, interactive agent forum, Revelex-based PowerAgent for CRM and booking, free consumer websitesTraining: On-demand training library, up to 5 weekly live webinars covering technology, products, destinations, marketingInsurance: $1 million E&O

Partners In Travel

Address: 28530 World Plaza Lane #1, Ft. Myers, FL 33907Contact: Paula DavenportTel: 800-683-9092Email: [email protected]: www.partnersintravel.comIndependent Contractors: 400Sales: Not availableAssociations: PATH, CLIA, IATAN, ASTA, OSSN, NACTAGDS: Sabre, WorldspanCommission: 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% depending on planFees: Monthly fees starting at $39 per month for experienced agents, based upon commission split program. Newcomers to the industry pay $125 per monthSales Niche: Cruise and vacation pack-agesMarketing: Customizable marketing flyers, mini-brochures, direct mail and e-marketingTechnology: Travel Connect, CRM, Sabre Cruise, Revelex, free consumer websiteTraining: Weekly live webinars, training library/archived webinars, annual con-vention; 3-day live training class if new to the industryInsurance: E&O insurance is agent’s responsibility

Preferred Host Agency

Address: 801 Laurel Oak Dr., Suite 300, Naples, FL 34108Contact: Shelly Davis, Independent Contractor Team DirectorTel: 239-261-1177Email: [email protected]: www.preferrednaples.com/hostagencyIndependent Contractors: 27Sales: $18 millionConsortia: Signature Travel NetworkAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, NACTA, OSSNGDS: Sabre, WorldspanCommission: Custom compensation plansFees: NoneSales Niche: LeisureMarketing: Signature Travel Network marketing with direct-mail and email campaignsTechnology: ClientBase, TRAMS, Signa-ture Travel Intranet tools, personalized marketingTraining: Personal and online technol-ogy training through Signature Travel Intranet and vendorsInsurance: $1 million E&O

Protravel International

Address: 591 Camino De La Reina Suite 610, San Diego, CA 92108-3102Contact: Jim SheehyTel: 760-469-4849Email: [email protected]: www.protravelinternational.comIndependent Contractors: 100+Sales: $600 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: IATA, ARC, CLIAGDS: SabreCommission: Negotiated on an indi-vidual basis, depending on the agent’s qualifications Fees: No startup feesSales Niche: Cruises, tours, hotels, airMarketing: Special in-house promo-tions, direct mail, publications, email, website

Technology: SabreTraining: In-house Sabre, accounting and webinars Insurance: $10 million E&O insurance

Robinson Travel Agency Inc.

Address: 980 Birmingham Rd., Suite 501-367, Milton, GA 30004Contact: Trudie RobinsonTel: 678-366-3220 Email: [email protected]: www.robinsontravelagency.comIndependent Contractors: 25Sales: $1.5 million Consortia: NESTAssociations: OSSN, IATAN Commission: 60% to 75%, depending on experienceFees: $50 per year membership fee; $50 for E&OSales Niche: Honeymoon & destination weddings, vacations, cruisesMarketing: Email, InternetTechnology: Web-based website for Internet bookings, VAXTraining: OSSN and office training, famsInsurance: E&O

TerraMar Travel Inc.

Address: 133 N. Buena Vista St., Suite #4, Hemet, CA 92543Contact: Rhonda Shumway, CTC, ECCS, DSTel: 877-676-0033Email: [email protected]: www.terramartravel.comIndependent Contractors: 38Sales: $2 million Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: IATAN, CLIA, ASTA, NACTA, ARTA, OSSN, PATH, CTO, BBBGDS: Online booking engineCommission: Up to 80%Fees: $450 startup and $200 annual renewal, includes E&O insurance and database management software; no monthly fees Sales Niche: Vacations worldwide


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Marketing: Access to email and direct-mail marketing pieces professionally designed for each agentTechnology: Web-based agent portal with access to online booking enginesTraining: One-on-one training, exclusive training manualInsurance: $5 million E&O

Ticket to Travel

Address: 5453 Silver Vista Way, San Jose, CA 95138Contact: Anita Pagliasso, OwnerTel: 408-531-9228Email: [email protected]: www.ATicket2Travel.com; www.TravelAgentAtHome.comIndependent Contractors: 100Sales: $5 million Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: IATAN, CLIA, OSSN, NA-COA, ARTA, PATH, ASTACommission: 75% on individual book-ings, 80% on groupsFees: No startup fees; $15 per month for TRAMS ClientBaseSales Niche: Cruises, groups, tours, hon-eymoons, fundraising, incentive travelMarketing: Marketing brainstorming sessions, Saturday morning marketing chats, email marketing pieces, Vacation.com Engagement ProgramTechnology: TRAMS ClientBase, Intel-liguide Pro, Passport Online, Star Service OnlineTraining: Weekly online and in-house training sessions; new agent training; personal support and mentoring from owner; networking meetings and mar-keting retreatsInsurance: $5 million E&O

The Travel Agent, Inc. (Tzell Travel Group)

Address: 11562 Westfield Blvd., Carmel, IN 46032Contact: Mark Moorhead, CTCTel: 800-347-2512Email: [email protected] Websites: www.TTA.Travel Independent Contractors: 28Sales: $14 million+

Consortia: VirtuosoAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, OSSNGDS: ApolloCommission: Sliding scale based on knowledge, expertise and productivity or revenue generatedFees: None Sales Niche: All areas of luxury travelMarketing: Free direct-mail and email marketing; leads providedTechnology: Remote access 24/7, online training, online auto ticketingTraining: Extensive product training for cruises and tours, weekly web-based seminars, onsite destination training, Virtuoso famsInsurance: Free $1 million E&O

The Travel Center, Corporate Travel

Address: 1138 North Pacific Ave., (#50) Glendale, CA 91202Contact: Chris Morse, President/Found-er; Marlene Miles, General ManagerTel: 800-870-9345, 818-241-1402Email: [email protected]: www.thetravelcenterusa.comIndependent Contractors: 125Sales: $3.5 millionConsortia: NEST, Vacation.comAssociations: OSSN, STARS, CLIA, IATAN, PATH, TRUECommission: Up to 70%Fees: $145 per year, no monthly fees; TRUE, CLIA, IATAN feesSales Niche: Cruises, Hawaii, Caribbean, Mexico, Western Europe, river cruisingMarketing: NEST and Vacation.com marketing tools, e-marketing toolsTechnology: Complete websiteTraining: Training CD, weekly webinars, one-on-one trainingInsurance: $1 million E&O

Travel Counsellors LLC

Address: Park 80 West, Plaza 1, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663Contact: Darya CamacciTel: 800-594-5996Email: [email protected]: www.travelcounsellors.com/join

Independent Contractors: 1,100 world-wide and 40 in the U.S.Sales: $500 millionAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, OSSN, NACTA, PATHGDS: ApolloCommission: 60%Fees: $495 startup fee; $75 monthly management feeSales Niche: Full serviceMarketing: Innovative “Contact Centre” marketing tool for e-blasts and client database managementTechnology: Proprietary dynamic packaging system, webcasts, web con-ferencing system, Intranet, personalized websitesTraining: 2-day induction; weekly sys-tem and supplier webinarsInsurance: $2 million E&O

Travel Dynamics Group, Inc.

Address: 7590 Fay Ave., Suite 204, La Jolla, CA 92037Contact: Aimee Leon or Elaine San JuanTel: 858-551-4000Email: [email protected] Websites: www.traveldynamicsgroup.com; www.traveldynamicscruises.com; www.tdgbusiness.com; www.tdgevents.com Independent Contractors: 85Sales: $30 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, OSSN, NACTAGDS: SabreCommission: Based on sales revenue and customized on a case-by-case basisFees: No startup fees, monthly or annual fees determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on needs Sales Niche: Luxury cruises, hotels, tours, vacation packagesMarketing: Personalized direct-mail pieces, email marketing, CRM Technology: Private-company Intranet, online agent reportsTraining: New independent contractor orientation, weekly webinars on product and marketingInsurance: $2 million E&O

Host Agencies


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Travel Experts, Inc.

Address: 212 Sawmill Rd., Raleigh, NC 27615Contact: Susan Ferrell, OwnerTel: 800-274-2544 Email: [email protected]: www.homebasetravel.comIndependent Contractors: 160Sales: $225 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: CLIA, NACTA, ASTAGDS: SabreCommission: 100%Fees: $550/monthSales Niche: High-end leisure and corporateMarketing: Interest coding and advisor personalization; free supplier-funded marketing; Virtuoso.com; member websites and email marketing joined by Twitter, blogs and FacebookTechnology: Extensive Intranet website; site for archiving RFIs (requests for infor-mation); “ThinkTank” software; extensive menu of sales reportsTraining: 2-3 day orientation in our N.C. office, ongoing Webex training sessions weeklyInsurance: $1 million professional liabil-ity insurance available for $150 a year, or can contract for it on own

Travel Planners International

Address: 2500 Maitland Center Parkway, Suite 130, Maitland, FL 32751-4174Contact: Account Sales: Robert Auclair (ext. 8222) for experienced agents; Pat Saizan (ext. 8209) for agents new to the industryTel: 800-730-6392Email: [email protected]: www.MyHostTravelAgency.com (experienced agents); www.ItsMy-TravelBiz.com (inexperienced agents)Independent Contractors: 1,375+Sales: $155 million+Consortia: Vacation.comAssociations: ASTA, PATH, NACTA, OSSN, ARC, IATA, CLIAGDS: Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport (Apollo, Worldspan)

Commission: 70%, 80%, 90%, 100% plansFees: Free to $199.95 per monthSales Niche: Cruises, tours, airMarketing: Turnkey e-marketing and direct-mail programs through Vacation.com Engagement Program and Premium Lead GenerationTechnology: Web-based TPI-AgentRC (resource center) with invoicing tools, live commission tracking, agent booking-tools, marketing toolsTraining: Ongoing preferred-supplier training; webinars, conference calls, site inspections, fams, annual Vacation.com conferenceInsurance: $1 million E&O

Travel Quest

Address: 6563 Laketowne Place, Suite B, Albertville, MN 55301Contact: Stephanie LeeTel: 800-392-6484Email: [email protected]: www.TQagents.comIndependent Contractors: 200 Sales: $38.5 millionConsortia: Travel LeadersAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, PATH, NACTAGDS: WorldspanCommission: 70%, 80%, 100%Fees: $199 one-time startup fee. Monthly access fees: 70% commission, $0; 80%, $20; 100%, $250Sales Niche: Vacation packages, cruises, corporate, groupsMarketing: Direct-mail pieces, email marketing campaigns, supplier co-ops, press releasesTechnology: Web-based CRM, live chat, agent portal with up-to-date commis-sion reports, online agent community, recorded trainings, basic and premium website programs Training: On-demand webinars, live webinars, weekly training emailsInsurance: $1 million E&O

The Travel Society, LLC

Address: 600 South Cherry St., Suite 100, Denver, CO 80246Contact: Dan SchiblerTel: 303-563-6258Email: [email protected] Websites: www.travelsociety.comIndependent Contractors: 120Sales: $85 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: APTA, ARC, ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, NACTAGDS: Apollo, SabreCommission: Up to 100% Fees: Variable commission split or flat fee Sales Niche: All nichesMarketing: Virtuoso turnkey marketing program, including direct mail, e-market-ing and business development, personal-ized websiteTechnology: Agent-only website with full access to supplier contracts, agent knowledge network, business forms Training: Ongoing product and market-ing webinarsInsurance: $500,000 professional liability required

TripGuy Travel LLC

Address: 589 Beverly Rd., Holland, PA 18966Contact: Mark TorenTel: 888-990- 8747Email: [email protected]: www.TripGuy.comIndependent Contractors: 35 to 50Sales: Not available Consortia: NESTAssociations: IATA, CLIACommission: 75% including bonuses/overridesFees: $90 per yearSales Niche: Leisure vacation packages (specializes in numerous resorts), all cruise lines; Top 10 Worldwide Sandals/Beaches AgencyMarketing: Depending on individual agent needsTechnology: Web-based agent portalTraining: Customized for each agentInsurance: $1 million E&O


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Uniglobe Travel Center

Address: 18662 MacArthur Blvd., Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92612Contact: Betsy GeiserTel: 800-863-1606, ext. 9070Email: [email protected]: www.uniglobetravelcenter.comIndependent Contractors: 400+Sales: $63 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: ARC, OSSN, IATA, NACTA, CLIA, PATHGDS: All GDSsCommission: 50% to 100%Fees: $50 to $65 per monthSales Niche: All nichesMarketing: Direct mail and email mar-keting tools, CRM, co-op fundsTechnology: Agent portal with invoicing tool or GDS accessTraining: One-on-one training for those new to the industry; ongoing supplier and technology and marketing training for all agentsInsurance: $1 million E&O required

Vacation Time Travel

Address: 4926 Stoneybrook Blvd. Hill-iard, OH 43026Contact: Bob LyonsTel: 614-771-7775Email: [email protected]: www.vacationtimetravel.comIndependent Contractors: 30+Sales: Not available Consortia: NESTAssociations: CLIA, ASTA, IATANCommission: TieredFees: $295 startup; $75 annual renewalSales Niche: Cruises and vacation pack-agesMarketing: Access to turnkey marketing programs through consortiumTechnology: Online vendor trainingTraining: Sales & marketing manual, monthly meetings, phone supportInsurance: $1 million E&O

Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc.

Address: 475 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10016Contact: Kimberly Wilson Wetty, Co-PresidentTel: 212-532-3400Email: [email protected]: www.valeriewilsontravel.comIndependent Contractors: 150+Sales: $300 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: CLIA, IATAGDS: Sabre (primary), WorldspanCommission: Commission splits vary depending on agent sales/revenue volumesFees: No initiation, annual or monthly fees to be associated with VWT Sales Niche: Full-service, corporate and leisure travel consulting agency with em-phasis on luxury and premium marketsMarketing: Global marketing platform, including advertising, e-marketing, direct mail, one-to-one client eventsTechnology: State-of-the-art technology platforms including Intranet, web-based applications, access to booking engines, online training, marketing toolsTraining: Regular training, both in-house at VWT offices and online Insurance: $5 million E&O policy (agents are required to pay a portion of E&O premium)

World Travel Management

Address: 168 Lake Terrace Dr., Munroe Fall OH 44262Contact: Donna ZabelTel: 330-689-1920, 866-257-8273 (toll free)Email: [email protected]: www.worldtravelmgt.comIndependent Contractors: 25 Sales: $5 millionConsortia: Vacation.comAssociations: NACTA, ARC, IATA, CLIAGDS: AmadeusCommission: 75% to 80%Fees: $100 sign-up; monthly fee, $0 to $25 depending on sales level Sales Niche: Leisure and cruises

Marketing: e-Marketing, direct-mail programTechnology: Web-based, agent-only portal for all major booking engines; unique log-ins for preferred vendors and other suppliers, linked through WTM portalTraining: Customized Webex sessions with suppliers and personal training; WTM Seminar-at-SeaInsurance: $2 million E&O; agents op-erating under WTM are covered, others urged to purchase own

World Travel Service

Address: 11223 York Road, Hunt Valley, MD 21030Contact: Rob PalmisanoTel: 443-824-2191Email: [email protected] Websites: www.worldtravelservice.com; www.worldtravelserviceleisure.com/aboutus/careers Independent Contractors: 97Sales: $80 millionConsortia: VirtuosoAssociations: ASTA, CLIA, IATAN, NACTAGDS: AmadeusCommission: 60%Fees: No fees, no minimumsSales Niche: Luxury and custom travel, corporate travel, cruises, and vacation packages Marketing: Agent personalized market-ing, Virtuoso Life and Insights magazines, themed booklets, email, direct mail, cli-ent events, World Travel Service exclusive offer adsTechnology: Web-based booking, invoicing, training, company email and marketing toolsTraining: In-person and web-based sup-plier and company seminars; dedicated office manager, marketing manager, and accounting staff at your serviceInsurance: $2 million E&O

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Coral Sands Travel, America’s Host Agency

Coral Sands Travel, estab-lished in 2003 as a support-only host agency, is one of America’s most respected

and recognized travel agencies. The company is owned and operated by Peter Stilphen, ECC, and his wife, Bil-lie, MCC. Their affiliates reside in most of the 50 states, with about 60 percent specializing in cruises, 25 percent in land tours, and 10 percent in hotels. The World Cruising Society, which operates under Coral Sands Travel

as a cruise-only host agency, was introduced in 2008 for those agents who want to primarily sell cruises. The startup costs for Coral Sands Travel are $295, and $150 for the World Cruising So-ciety. There are no monthly costs. A consumer booking engine and errors-and-omissions insurance options are available at a low cost of $100 and $125, respectively.

Coral Sands Travel is the only host agency that escrows suppli-ers’ commission payments to protect their independent travel agents. They also pay commissions twice per month. Their com-mission programs range from 70 to 90 percent, depending on the experience and sales volume of the agent.

Coral Sands Travel offers free training programs via its Agent- Only website, as well as providing free or low-cost access to other training programs. They also offer access to two of the best marketing programs available. One is VacationPort and the other is via its consortium, The NEST. They also offer ClientEase, a great client database program, at a substantially reduced cost. Coral Sands Travel formed their reputation around support to their affiliated independent agents. Their agents always have ac-cess to Peter or Billie via a direct 800 cell phone number. Coral Sands Travel will never have more than 500 affiliates because they feel strongly that a high level of support must be main-tained. It’s time to join a host agency that cares about you.

Peter Stilphen, ECCCEO

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America’s Vacation Center is a family-owned business that traces its roots back to 1964, when it began operations in

Hawaii. Today, America’s Vacation Center is a leading super host agency operating throughout North America and beyond. It has achieved this eminence in the market, and continues to grow, with a Shared-Suc-cess business model which allows travel professionals to reach personal goals and live a lifestyle of success.

Integrity & Professionalism™America’s Vacation Center, led by Co-Pres-idents Brad and Van Anderson, upholds a community dedicated to Integrity and Professionalism™, quality of service, un-paralleled support, and success in every aspect of planning vacations and cruises.

America’s Vacation Center currently has hundreds of Independently Owned and Op-erated Agencies in its network and seeks to add Independent Agencies that have previ-ously demonstrated success and are driven

to independently run a business at the fore-front of the travel industry.

America’s Vacation Center provides Inde-pendent Agencies with an array of bene-fits no other host agency offers, including exclusive Live Leads™, brand recognition, cutting-edge technology, training, 24/7 support, and much more. In addition, in 2009 America’s Vacation Center launched the Travel Agent Stimulus Plan™, a suc-cessful $2 million plus commitment to the travel community to assist professional sellers of travel.

Travel Agency of the YearIndependent Agencies receive worldwide brand recognition, a strong reputation, and credibility with consumers and sup-pliers, as America’s Vacation Center is part of the American Express Travel Represen-tative Network. America’s Vacation Center has been a part of the American Express Travel Representative Network for over 20 years, and in 2009 was named ‘Travel Agency of the Year’.

“America’s Vacation Center continues to impress us with its forward thinking, ground-breaking technology and market-ing initiatives, and unique shared-success model,” said Ellen Bettridge, Vice President of the American Express U.S. Retail Travel Network. “The company is extremely de-serving of the Travel Agency of the Year Award, and we are fortunate to have America’s Vacation Center as a part of our distinguished Network.”

Independent Agencies are also mem-bers of an award-winning team who has received several honors within the travel community. These awards include ‘Travel Agency of the Year’ by Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Oceania Cruises, MSC Cruises USA, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Brendan Vacations–an accomplishment no other travel agency has ever achieved. America’s Vacation Center recognizes that these awards belong to both America’s Vacation Center and its Independently Owned and Operated Agencies, as these awards are a result of the company’s Shared-Success business model.

“America’s Vacation Center has built a re-markable travel agency stemming from a business model based on integrity, pro-fessionalism, groundbreaking technol-ogy, and advanced marketing initiatives,” said Rick Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises USA. “The company is extremely deserving of the Best Online Travel Agen-cy award and we look forward to further developing our partnership with them.”

Unrivaled ResourcesEnabling professional sellers of travel to focus on selling and generating top-tier commissions, America’s Vacation Center offers exclusive, 24/7 access to its Live Leads™ program under which well-qual-ified customers are sent to Independent Agencies via the phone and Internet. America’s Vacation Center’s exclusive Live Leads are superior because each customer is offered to only one travel professional at a time, based on their areas of expertise.

America’s Vacation Center launched the Travel Agent Stimulus Plan™ in March 2009 and has received an overwhelm-ing response from the travel industry. As part of the over $2 million commit-ment, the company invested a significant amount toward increasing its consumer marketing, which substantially elevated the number of its Live Leads™. The Travel Agent Stimulus Plan also included an in-creased financial commitment by Ameri-ca’s Vacation Center to provide live agency support for Independent Agencies; selling

America’s Vacation Center/American Express

“America’s Vacation Center Independent Agencies are generating 10-to-20 times

more sales than the average home-based travel agent!”

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advantages through over 25,000 cruise cabins and tour seats of blocked group space; an extensive library of vendor and entrepreneurial-related trainings; world-wide brand recognition with American Express; access to the award-winning, patent-pending Agent Power™ technol-ogy platform, and more.

Available exclusively to America’s Va-cation Center Independent Agencies, Agent Power™ is a patent-pending, web-based application that integrates the most cutting-edge, cross-platform tech-nologies to provide unrivaled resources to its network of Independent Agencies. These resources include a booking en-gine, CRM, Live Leads™, email, training, support, and more. Independent Agen-cies using this one-stop platform are generating 10-to-20 times more sales

than the average home-based travel agent!

America’s Vacation Center University™ (AVCU) is one of the industry’s leading training resources, and includes weekly sales coaching, business development coaching, America’s Vacation Center Regional Chapters, exclusive vendor trainings, continued education, and private FAMs.

Top EarningsAmerica’s Vacation Center Independent Agencies are focused on selling cruises, escorted tours, vacation packages, and river cruises. Earnings for Independent Agencies include 80 percent commission on self-generated customers and 30 per-cent on America’s Vacation Center Live

Leads™. Currently, those America’s Vaca-tion Center Independent Agencies pro-ducing $1 million or higher, generate the majority of their earnings from Live Leads.

As part of its Travel Agent Stimulus Plan™, America’s Vacation Center has a limited time promotion which can reduce the cost to join by as much as 60 percent.

America’s Vacation Center is a member of American Express, ASTA, IATAN, NACTA and OSSN.

America’s Vacation Center/American Express

www.JoinAVC.com

[email protected]

More Information

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Cruises Inc.

Cruises Inc., headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., cre-ates trends, rather than fol-lowing them. Over the past

27 years, the company has grown to more than 500 Independent Agents. Cruises Inc. is the original host agency, embodying legitimacy and credibility while taking the business to the next level for agents with a three-fold focus on marketing, train-ing and technology.

From direct mail to cruise line co-op ads, from unique CRM tools to local and national public relations sup-

port, Cruises Inc. agents are provided with turn-key personalized marketing programs that set them apart from the pack. Custom-izable marketing collateral can be downloaded and printed at home or be shipped right to each agent’s door. This unique pro-gram also lets agents manage their customer databases with a personalized, trigger-based approach.

The training offered by Cruises Inc. is second to none. In per-son in Fort Lauderdale, or through a new online training pro-gram, the company’s widespread training initiative focuses on the core components of the cruise travel industry. A new “Boot Camp” and an ongoing eLearning Program ensure agents stay at the top of their game. Training topics range from “Selling Luxury” to “Family Reunions at Sea.” Regional training opportu-nities abound each year, culminating with an annual National Conference at Sea.

Best-in-class technologies help Cruises Inc. agents market, sell and service customers while remaining profitable. Examples range from the development of customizable consumer web-sites to a state-of-the-art reservation system, “Cruise Control,” which offers direct access to cruise lines’ live inventory.

Cruises Inc. is part of World Travel Holdings, the nation’s lead-ing distributor of cruise vacations. At the same time, the cor-porate headquarters team takes a family approach to business. Each and every Cruises Inc. agent is treated like the valuable partner they truly are.

Dwain WallSenior Vice President and General Manager

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Dugan’s Travels

Become A Travel Agent At Home with Dugan’s TravelsLove travel? Always wanted to become a travel agent? Or are you just looking for a fun and rewarding home business?

What we offer our agents• Training(includingSeminars-at-Sea)• E&Ocoveragethroughouragency.• Accesstoouragents’onlywebsite.• Freewebsiteforyouragency.• Accesstoouragents’onlyemailchatgroup.• CLIAcard,oncequalified,aswellasIATANforthosewhoqualify.

Get started today! Visit our website, www.travelathome.com, then email us for an appointment: [email protected]. It’s as simple as that!

We are members of ARC, IATAN, CLIA, Vacation.com, OSSN, and NACTA

DugansTravel.indd 1 11/2/09 5:31 PM

Dugan’s Travels does not provide your typical “travel agency in a box” host scheme. First of all,

it doesn’t charge you an arm and a leg to work with the company. “Each sale you bring to the agency helps us continue to grow and get higher and higher commission percentages with suppliers,” says Jennifer Dugan, owner. “We aren’t making the money off of you sign-ing up. We make money only by you making money, so we want you to succeed.

“Starting a home business is the wave of the future. People want to be their own bosses and have a flexible schedule. Moth-ers and fathers want to raise their own children, instead of miss-ing out on their children growing up. Many people also travel already, so why not make something off the trips? Being a travel

agency is not rocket science, but it does take a level of training to understand just how the industry works and how you can be-come successful,” she says.

Regardless of the reason you want to do this business, Dugan’s Travels can help. “It is your business,” Dugan explains. “You can do it part time, full time or just for your own personal travel. It is up to you what you want to do with it. We give you the resourc-es, tools and support to be successful; it is up to you to decide what you want to do with your home travel agency.”

Among Dugan’s offerings for its agents are education resources, including supplier seminars and many Seminars-at-Sea; access to Dugan’s agents-only website; a free website for your agency and access to an agents-only email chat group. Agents who qualify also receive a CLIA card, as well as IATAN designation. The cost to join is just $130, which includes a rider on Dugan’s $1 million E&O insurance policy through Gulf Writers (renewal fee, $50 a year).

Be your own boss, Dugan’s Travels can help.

Jennifer Dugan, CTAOwner

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44 Michael Drever CEO and Founder

Michael Drever, Expedia CruiseShipCenters’ CEO and Founder, says he got into the cruise business in

1988 because all the research pointed to it being a long-term growth industry, a specialty product catering to the Baby Boomer market. Growing at over eight percent per year, the industry confirmed his speculations. And CruiseShipCenters has grown with it, averaging 30 percent sales growth each year for over two decades. Drever sees the next 20 years being just as steady, as we have now hit the “sweet spot” in the market.

Brand PowerEarning its reputation as industry leaders, CruiseShipCenters caught the attention of Expedia Inc. in 2007 which resulted in a long-term partnership and a re-brand of the company to Expedia CruiseShipCen-ters. Now, the company’s agents are able to harness the power of the most recog-nizable brand in travel on their website, their business cards and during every interaction they have with a customer. In addition to its preferred relationships with 21 partner cruise lines, Expedia’s $20 billion in purchasing power for non-cruise product puts them in a great

position to offer their clients a full range of travel products.

Expedia CruiseShipCenters now has over 112 retail locations and hosts more than 2,500 independent contractors–650 of whom joined in this year alone! The com-pany is very pleased to be opening a new Center in the Fort Lauderdale area this winter, which means that its home-based agents in South Florida can choose to be hosted locally and take advantage of an additional marketing strategy – a 20-foot sign featuring the Expedia CruiseShip-Centers brand.

The Tool Box“When people ask me what’s attracting so many agents to Expedia CruiseShipCen-ters,” Drever explains, “I tell them that see-ing is believing. We invite people to a short webinar to get an overview of our pro-gram and take a tour of CruiseDesk®–our enterprise CRM system. When agents see the tools in action, they immediately un-derstand the power of having everything they need to run their business at their fingertips, from anywhere in the world. We hear ‘wow’ a lot.”

When he first started out selling travel, Drever found his biggest problem was that he was spending too much time on data entry and not enough time building rela-tionships with his customers. CruiseDesk® was Drever’s solution. “Our agents get the booking functionality of the most

powerful GDS, fully integrated with the back-office, marketing and customer rela-tionship management system. It’s easy to use and you’ll never have to enter informa-tion twice! You can book a stateroom and create a client invoice with just one click. Plus, CruiseDesk is linked to the agent’s website so they’ll earn full commission even when clients book a cruise on their personal website.”

TrainingExpedia CruiseShipCenters is proud to be a learning organization, he says. The company’s initial and ongoing training develops accredited experts through its International Cruise Academy®. They also hold in-person training events, like the recent full-day rally for its World Explorer Promotion, attended by more than 800 of its agents.

“Our award-winning marketing not only attracts new clients, it creates customers for life,” Drever says. “Expedia CruiseShip-Centers’ agents build customer trust and loyalty with every interaction whether it’s in-person, over the phone, via email or through printed newsletters.”

The monthly fee is only $29 and includes a customized personal website, unlimited permission email marketing, as well as full access to CruiseDesk and over 2,000 exclusive groups on which you can earn TC revenue. There’s no sliding scale, so you’ll continue to earn unlimited top commissions while paying the same low monthly fee.

Change your life! RSVP for an upcoming webinar to see CruiseDesk in action and find out if Expedia CruiseShipCenters is the right host agency for you.

www.joinecsc.com [email protected](888) 944-1544

More Information


“Seeing is believing. We invite people to a short

webinar to get an overview of our program and take

a tour of CruiseDesk®–our enterprise CRM system.”

Everything you need for a successful travel business . . .

including the time to enjoy it.

Take a break. lEarn morE at onE of our wEEkly wEbinars.

RSVP1•888•944•1544

[email protected] www.joinecsc.com

CHAN E YOUR LIFEG

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46 Jackie Friedman, CTC, CTIE General Manager

Nexion started in San Jose, Calif., in 1995 as an online travel agency and eventually shifted its busi-ness model to a host agency.

Nexion was formed with the airline busi-ness in mind, as an alternative for agencies that had been impacted by the commis-sion cuts. During the past seven years, Nex-ion has been growing the leisure side of its business. The company underwent a major change in the fall of 2003 when it was ac-quired by Sabre. A year later the company relocated to Southlake, Texas.

Jackie Friedman, president and general manager, started five years ago and in that time has seen the company more than triple its number of agents to 2,100, and more than quadruple its actual sales value. In 2008, Nexion’s sales volume was estimated at $245 million, including $111 million in air/sea sales.

Nexion is a member of ARC, ASTA, IATA, CLIA, NACTA, OSSN, PATH and Vacation.com.

Overall PhilosophyNexion is a pure host agency and does not deal directly with consumers. Every-thing it does is geared toward accelerat-ing the success of its agents. It does this in

a variety of ways by investing a great deal in training and development programs.

OfferingsMarketing comes in the form of Nexion’s private label ClientBase Marketing Services program, as well as supplemental programs available through Vacation.com. Nexion Town, the company’s internal, online social networking site, is a huge benefit that most agents take advantage of by posting ques-tions and answers, and by communicating with other Nexion members.

Nexion’s agent Web portal houses prod-ucts and suppliers, booking tools and ad-ministrative tools through which agents can print out or email invoices and create a range of reports to track sales and com-missions.

As part of its educational efforts, Nexion offers strategic sales coaching through which agents can establish short-term goals. The Nexion PowerUP! program is aimed at new agents, who work with a program manager for one-on-one men-toring, as well as several group confer-ence calls.

Other education offerings include an annual conference and boot camp four times a year to build product knowledge and business skills. Nexion University is an online interactive education tool.

Members Nexion has 2,100 members. It does not re-quire minimum hours or minimum sales volume from prospects, only a strong in-tent to grow business.

Typical members fall into two categories. First, there are those using Nexion for the ability to book airline business, either cor-porate travel agents or small corporations that have a travel agent on staff to book travel and meeting and event planning. The second type of agents are those who book leisure business. These agents come from varied backgrounds. Some come from brick-and-mortar offices that have

closed but retained their book of busi-ness; others are entrepreneurs wanting to shift businesses into the travel industry; while the third type of agent may be on their second career or pursuing a retire-ment career. About half of Nexion’s sales volume is airline tickets and the other half is leisure business. The average sale per agent is $100,000.

PricingThere is a one-time sign-up fee of $199, and then agents choose their monthly fee/commission structure. For no month-ly fee, agents receive 80 percent commis-sion. For a $20 monthly fee for the first agent and $10 a month for subsequent agents, agents receive 90 percent com-mission. And for a $199 monthly fee for the first agent, and $40 per month for each additional agent, agents get 100 percent commission. There is also a GDS/air fulfillment program available as an add-on fee. For new sellers of travel, Nex-ion offers the PowerUP! program. There is a $495 one-time sign-up fee, inclusive of the standard $199 activation fee, that can be split into three equal monthly pay-ments. For no monthly fee, PowerUP! par-ticipants receive 70 percent commission. All plans can be switched with 30 days notice as an agent’s business evolves.

[email protected]

More Information

Nexion, Inc.

Nexion is a pure host agency and does not deal directly

with consumers. Everything it does is geared

toward acceleratingthe success of its agents.

Increase your earnings and simplify your business.

Whether you are a new or experienced travel professional, with Nexion ®, the travel industry’s premier host agency, you can:

cash flow by earning top-tier commissions with leading

suppliers and keeping your choice of 70 -100% of commissions.

skills with resources, support and comprehensive training.

performance in productivity with our technology and tools.

opportunities to market your business.

potential with exclusive training for new sellers of travel.

Nexion and the Nexion logo are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names are owned by their respective companies. © 2009 Nexion Inc. All rights reserved. NX-09-11375 11.09

acceleratesuccessyour

Increase your earnings and simplify your business.

Whether you are a new or experienced travel professional, with Nexion ®, the travel industry’s premier host agency, you can:

cash flow by earning top-tier commissions with leading

suppliers and keeping your choice of 70 -100% of commissions.

skills with resources, support and comprehensive training.

performance in productivity with our technology and tools.

opportunities to market your business.

potential with exclusive training for new sellers of travel.

Nexion and the Nexion logo are trademarks and/or service marks of an affiliate of Sabre Holdings Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names are owned by their respective companies. © 2009 Nexion Inc. All rights reserved. NX-09-11375 11.09

acceleratesuccessyour

Montrose Travel, a $115-million travel management com-pany, a Top 5 Host Agency, and one of the Top 50 travel

companies in America, offers exclusive Home Based and local Independent Con-tractor programs. The company has never had any debt, is financially solid and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. MTravel.com is the Host Agency Division of Montrose Travel and it is an expert in leisure, corporate and group travel. With MTravel.com, independent agents retain their own identity.

Established in 1956, Montrose Travel is a family-owned and op-erated business. The company gets to know their agents so it’s more of a personal working relationship. Some agents have been with them for 20-plus years. The programs are designed for seri-ous travel professionals, as well as inexperienced people with the desire to learn and grow a business.

MTravel.com offers a private labeled con-sumer website with online booking ca-pabilities for air, car, hotel, cruise and dy-namic packaging, as well as a honeymoon registry. Montrose Travel has built direct connections to non-GDS carriers and third-party suppliers. This site automati-cally interfaces with accounting (demo www.99999.MTravel.com). Also available is a proprietary, industry leading Agent Connex support site and Client Connex CRM program with email marketing tools. Training is a priority with three sessions/week as well as access to industry training.

Included are special sessions for inexperienced agents.

The services you need most are available at one low annual fee. There are no required monthly fees. MTravel.com offers strong commissions with no minimums, as well as top-tier preferred sup-plier commissions, access to significant airline contracts for Apollo users, E&O coverage and more.

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48

Montrose Travel

“I’ve never had such marvelous support or worked with an

organization that treats its agents so well. I don’t know why I

waited 30 years to take the leap!” Sherry, Tartan Travels

As a home-based travel agent, you want to work with a host agency you can trust. Partners In Travel is a reputable host agency that

is part of Travel Leaders Group (formerly Carlson Leisure Group) – one of the larg-est travel companies in the country. We offer a variety of commission programs to choose from and help you build your travel business through unlimited sup-port, weekly training sessions, marketing assistance, access to exclusive specials and group space, FAM trips, our annual convention and more. But, don’t take our word for it – listen to some of our agents!

How did you get your start in the trav-el industry?We are firm believers that successful and great lives are established by recognizing and instantly acting upon golden oppor-tunities presented to us. After seeing a need to help ministries with their travel plans, we started our travel business, Ministry Travel, LLC in 2008. Our primary focus is arranging travel around the world for ministries and ministers traveling on business, but we also assist them with personal travel as well.

Why did you choose Partners In Travel (PIT) as your host agency? We chose PIT as our host agency because of their longstanding, rich history in the

travel industry, as much as their high commissions, superior technology, and exclusive vacations. We saw the instant benefits we would receive by partnering with PIT, such as preferred status with many suppliers, maximum commissions, and their breadth of online training and exceptional support tools. How did you go about building your travel business? As ministers, we firmly believe in the pow-er of prayer and we continuously take advantage of every training opportunity offered to us through PIT to learn about new destinations, itineraries, products, and tools that will help us sell travel. We have built our business through repeat business and referrals, by providing supe-rior quality service to our clients from our initial contact to our prompt post-travel follow-up. We serve each client well by anticipating their needs, and providing them with the best itineraries that fit within their budget. Why do you like working as a home-based travel agent? Having a career as a home-based travel agency gives us ultimate flexibility and time to provide superior quality offer-ings and service to our clients. We enjoy hearing our clients express delight in our recommended travel offerings, as well as

receiving a great report from them after they have returned from their trip.

What advice would you give to a new agent entering this industry? We would tell new agents coming into the business to devote your time to providing great customer service to your clients as it will pay off in repeat business and refer-rals. Also, continue to learn as much as you can about your clients’ travel prefer-ences and stay on top of vendor offerings that enable you to meet and exceed your clients’ needs.

What do you like best about working with PIT? PIT’s host agency support is one-of-a-kind, so much so that we call them “The Dream Team.” Because of our own high service standards we follow with our own customers, it is a major feat to “wow” us with service. Nonetheless, PIT consistent-ly “wows” us with their total agent offer-ings, by paying our commissions on time, helping us meet our clients’ needs, and promptly responding to our inquiries.

www.partnersintravel.compdavenport@partnersintravel.com800-683-9092

More Information

Partner with a Leading Travel Company!

Partners In Travel FAM trip on a Carnival Cruise

Hear how Jamillah Mantilla - President, Miguel

Mantilla - 1st Vice President, Sandi Hickombot-

tom - Vice President of Operations and Pamela

Thomas - Vice President of Finance from Ministry

Travel, LLC grew their ministry travel niche

with the help of Partners In Travel.


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49

Partners In Travel

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50 Steve Byrne CEO

Travel Counsellors LLC is part of one of the largest independent travel agencies in the world with sales in 2009 projected to achieve

just under $500 million. Founded in 1994, Travel Counsellors has built its business and reputation on providing personal-ized travel services to its clients. All Travel Counsellors are independent business people working from their home as fran-chisees.

In 2006, Travel Counsellors launched in the U.S. and has a fully operational office in Saddle Brook, N.J. These travel profes-sionals are supported by more than 200 staff members worldwide.

Travel Counsellors is a member of OSSN, NACTA, PATH, ASTA, IATA/ARC, CLIA and IATAN.

Overall PhilosophyThe company’s goal is to provide its Travel Counsellors members with all of the back-office support, technology tools and pro-fessional marketing support necessary so they can focus on what they love to do: sell travel. Travel Counsellors specializes in and is an expert at helping its agents build relationships with their clients. In

turn, the company puts a huge effort into creating a strong sense of community among its agents.

The Travel Counsellors Travel Counsellors include over 1,100 full-time travel professionals operating around the world with an average of 19 years of experience in the industry. Travel Counsellors are asked to be committed to their travel business as their full-time profession. They have a minimum of two years of experience selling travel and a minimum book of business of $180,000 annually.

Travel Counsellors are full-service agents with niche and specialty markets from Asia to Europe, from cruising to escorted tours. Currently, 49 percent of U.S. sales are geared towards cruising.

OfferingsTravel Counsellors’ Contact Center, con-nected to ClientBase Plus, is integrated with each agent’s personal client data-base. The system allows agents to take control, manage and market to their cli-ents while providing a comprehensive customer management solution. It allows them to create contact lists that can be stored for future use and send profes-sional e-blasts to their entire database or targeted markets. Travel Counsellors’ own dynamic packaging system, Phenix, allows the Counsellors to sell product components individually, as a package or as a tour.

Its intranet system is a platform for agents to find special offers, the latest news about the company, details of suppliers

and live sales figures. It also contains staff message/chat boards and advice boards where agents faced with a challenging inquiry can ask for guidance from their peers.

Agents begin their relationship with Travel Counsellors with a two-day initial training in the head office focusing on company systems and proven techniques for developing business. They are as-signed their own personal business de-velopment manager. Travel Counsellors partners with both CLIA and the Travel Institute and strongly encourages fur-ther education including CTA, CTC, ACC and MCC designations. When an agent obtains these designations, Travel Coun-sellors will reimburse their annual mem-berships. The company intranet features information about training courses and hosts a training website which includes an array of in-depth information and on-line study modules.

The company holds numerous events for both Travel Counsellors and vendor part-ners, including an international annual conference and regional conferences. TCTV, a live weekly webcast keeps agents up-to-date on company strategies, new offers and products.

Financials There is a one-time franchise fee of $495; however, if an agent generates gross sales of $10,000 up to 30 days after induction, the $495 fee is refunded. The monthly management fee is $75 and starts in the seventh month after induction. After pay-ing 12 monthly fees, the ownership of the laptop provided at induction and fully loaded with all propriety software pro-grams, including a webcam, is transferred to the agent.

The commission split is 60 percent to the agent and 40 percent to Travel Counsel-lors. www.travelcounsellors.com/join

[email protected]

More Information

Travel Counsellors LLC

Travel Counsellors specializes in and is an expert at helping its agents build relationships

with their clients.

how much do

YOU LOVEyourJOB?

Our Agents love being Travel Counsellors and you will too!

97% of Travel Counsellors say they would not return to their previous job

95% of Travel Counsellors have doubled their income since joining us

91% of Travel Counsellors agree with the statement “I Love My Job”

Let us take your business to the next level...

To find out more, call us anytime at:

866-505-2860or visit our website www.travelcounsellors.com/join

Where will your conversation take you?

You can enjoy the best of both worlds, working for yourself but not by yourself.

From training to marketing, from technology to administration together with the best supplier partnerships;Our support is second to none. With our team behind you, you will increase your income while enjoyingthe perfect work/life balance.

PMG Host Guide - Travel Counsellors:Layout 1 29/9/09 13:53 Page 1

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52 Susan FerrellOwner

Travel Experts was established 20 years ago, as something unheard of at that time–a “host agency”. Although it was tough going in

the early years, the company’s policy of paying 100 percent commission with a high level of support made Travel Experts the program of choice for the best agents in the industry. Travel Experts has grown slowly but surely over two decades, as its program is not a good fit for every agent. Conversely, the company is extremely se-lective in those agents it accepts.

Overall Philosophy Travel Experts is owned 100 percent by Susan Ferrell. Her philosophy, and that of her management team and support

staff, is that their Independent Contrac-tors are their clients. The company views them in the same way that any business owner views his or her best client–mak-ing sure they provide what their clients need and thinking ahead to how to best serve them. Travel Experts understands that each agent is an entrepreneur, and the company is truly respectful of the business they have built. Above all, the Travel Experts team works to foster a re-lationship that will last for years.

Travel Experts is a member of Virtuoso, ASTA, CLIA and NACTA.

Independent ContractorsTravel Experts has 160 Independent Con-tractors. Many come as referrals from ex-isting agents. Their selection is based on sales volume, their vision for their busi-ness, their approach to client relation-ships and their references. Sales are 60 percent leisure and 40 percent corporate.

Most of its Independent Contractors have been in the business for more than 15 years. Many deal strictly with high-end leisure, while others have strictly corpo-rate accounts and some have a mix of both. All are of the mindset that main-taining client relationships is the most important aspect of their business. They are the types of agents who, even when on salary in an entry-level position where it would not have been required, would have made themselves available to their clients 24/7 and would have taken it per-sonally if a trip was not perfect.

Programs As a Virtuoso agency, Travel Experts offers its marketing programs. Interest coding and advisor personalization allow Inde-pendent Contractors to speak directly to their client’s travel preferences and lifestyle. Virtuoso members receive thou-sands of dollars in free supplier-funded marketing every year. In addition, Virtuo-so.com, member websites and email mar-keting are now joined by Twitter, Blogs and Facebook to keep Independent Con-

tractors on the cutting edge of today’s messaging.

A full-time tech expert on support staff will assist with any technical issues that Independent Contractors may encounter. An extensive Intranet website features volumes of information. In addition, the company has a site for archiving RFIs (Re-quests for Information) with search capa-bility, and utilizes ThinkTank software for regular discussions and information shar-ing. An extensive menu of sales reports for Independent Contractors and/or their clients is provided at no charge.

There also is no charge for training. When an Independent Contractor joins Travel Experts, he or she is invited to the compa-ny’s office for a few days at the company’s expense. During that time they meet the staff, go through the company handbook and website, participate in Sabre training and receive an introduction to Virtuoso. On a weekly basis, Travel Experts offers supplier presentations and Sabre and/or tech updates broadcast to all Indepen-dent Contractors via Webex. There are also unlimited educational opportunities available through Virtuoso, some involv-ing a small fee.

Independent Contractors are encouraged to participate in anything and everything Virtuoso, including Regional Meetings and Travel Mart, which Travel Experts partially underwrites. At Travel Mart, the company has brainstorming sessions or supplier-sponsored get-togethers for just the Travel Experts attendees.

Financials The monthly fee for membership is $550. Independent Contractors receive 100 percent commission.

www.homebasetravel.com [email protected] 800 274-2544

More Information

Travel Experts, Inc.

Travel Experts understandsthat each agent is

an entrepreneur, and the company is truly respectful of the business they have built.

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54 Stephanie LeeOperations Director

Travel Quest began in 1994 as a one-woman shop out of her home. In 1998, Bonnie Lee decid-ed to form her own host agency

after having been affiliated with two oth-er host agencies that didn’t provide what she needed. Since then, Travel Quest has grown into a nationwide host agency recognized as a leader in its field. Travel Quest is family owned and operated: Bon-nie Lee is the chief executive, Walter Lee handles the finances and Stephanie Lee works in operations.

Overall PhilosophyThe company’s philosophy is that agents are the reason Travel Quest is so success-ful. It believes that the more assistance it provides and the more resources it of-fers, the better off the company and its affiliates are going to be. When agents call, there are no automated directories–someone picks up the phone and says hello. When agents email Travel Quest, they get an immediate response. Travel Quest has an experienced support staff, cutting–edge technology and top com-missions, but they manage to keep the personal touch.

Travel Quest is a member of Travel Lead-ers (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel), PATH, ASTA, NACTA, ARC, IATA and CLIA.

Affiliates Travel Quest currently has more than 200 agents that were carefully screened before they joined the Travel Quest net-work. The company ensures that agents joining Travel Quest are dedicated to the business of selling travel and have no criminal background. Agents wishing to join Travel Quest must complete a few re-quirements: speak to one of the support staff for a brief “get to know you,” give consent to a background check and fill out a few pieces of paperwork and return the notarized identification form with the contract.

Travel Quest agents average around $200,000 in sales per year, with full-time

agents selling much more and part-time agents varying in their sales. Agents come from a wide variety of backgrounds: ex-perienced, new to the industry, corporate and/or leisure. The diverse backgrounds bring a lot of insight into different areas on the agent forum.

The sales mix is 50 percent leisure, 20 per-cent corporate and 30 percent leisure/corporate.

ProgramsIn terms of marketing, the company of-fers numerous direct-mail pieces, which are co-ops with suppliers for lower post-age costs. Social media marketing and set-up assistance, e-marketing tools and marketing plan assistance are all offered.

All agents receive complimentary CRM, Intranet access, live chat support and GDS access (for experienced agents). Optional customized consumer websites can be created for a one-time $149 startup fee.

Training is available at no cost and caters to a wide variety of learning styles, includ-ing recorded trainings, live weekly webi-nars and in-person training. Featured events include a national Travel Leaders meeting and yearly trainings at Travel Quest headquarters.

FinancialsThe one-time startup fee is $199. Month-ly access fees range by commission split. There is no fee for 70 percent commission split; a $20 fee for an 80 percent commis-sion split; and a $250 fee for 100 percent commission.

www.TQagents.com [email protected] 800.392.6484

More Information

Travel Quest

Travel Quest has an experienced support staff,

cutting-edge technology and top commissions,

but they manage to keep the

personal touch.

The All-Inclusive Host Agency

Since 1994

www.TQagents.com ■ 800.392.6484 ■ [email protected] Laketowne Place, Ste. B Albertville, MN 55301

©2009 TravelQuest

The All-Inclusive Host Agency

Since 1994

www.TQagents.com ■ 800.392.6484 ■ [email protected] Laketowne Place, Ste. B Albertville, MN 55301

©2009 TravelQuest

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56 Betsy Geiser, CTAVice President

UNIGLOBE Travel has been a force in the industry since 1981, and has been hosting home-based agents and independent con-

tractors since 1996, offering solutions to agents of all experience levels. Principal owners and executives include U. Gary Charlwood, founder (2009 recipient of the ASTA Hall of Fame Award) & CEO; Tracy Bartram, CFO; and Betsy Geiser VP, UNI-GLOBE Travel Center.

UNIGLOBE Travel Center is a member of Vacation.com, ASTA, CLIA, NACTA, OSSN, IATAN, PATH and the Better Business Bureau.

Overall Philosophy

UNIGLOBE Travel Center’s goal is to offer the best support to its Independent Con-tractors in order to help them grow their business and be successful. They offer one-on-one business development, marketing assistance, ongoing training plus a monthly marketing club to help achieve this.

UNIGLOBE Travel Center sales are approx-imately 80 percent leisure and 20 percent corporate, supporting its agents in what-ever travel they sell. It has strong relation-ships with all of the major suppliers.

AffiliatesUNIGLOBE Travel Center supports over 400 affiliates. The only thing required by agents is a passion for travel and the moti-vation to grow their business. In addition to making sure the program is a good fit for their business model, UNIGLOBE Trav-el Center does run background and credit checks on all affiliates coming into the program in order to protect itself and its affiliates from fraudulent behavior.

The average UNIGLOBE Travel Center In-dependent Contractor has seven years of experience and makes $70,000 in annual sales, with a mix of 80 percent leisure and 20 percent corporate.

ProgramsUNIGLOBE Travel Center has placed a strong focus on marketing and develop-ment in 2009. In addition to its Marketing Club, it offers access to CRM, direct mail,

email marketing and co-op funds, which are all included in the cost of the program.

All affiliates have access to one-stop tech-nology solutions for commission reports, GDS, invoicing, CRM, AgentNet, agency and industry updates, training and sup-plier information.

UNIGLOBE Travel Center offers training and mentoring for new agents coming into the business, one-on-one supplier sessions and ongoing supplier webinar training. It also offers ongoing training on technology and additional online prod-ucts to help agents maximize their busi-ness.

The Mentorship program for new agents has a low initial fee of $499 that covers training, mentoring and hosting services for the first six months.

UNIGLOBE Travel Center has an annual re-treat/conference where the agents have an opportunity to receive training, the ability to network with the other agents in the program and the chance to meet preferred suppliers. In 2010, the confer-ence will take place in April in Chicago.

FinancialsThere is an initial fee of $149 to $499 based on the program, and a monthly fee of $50 to $65 for membership. There are no annual or renewal fees.

The commission split varies from 50 to 100 percent, and is based on training, ex-perience and the program chosen.

www.uniglobetravelcenter.com [email protected]

More Information

UNIGLOBE Travel Center

UNIGLOBE Travel Center’s goal is to offer

the best support to its Independent

Contractors inorder to help them grow

their businessand be successful.

The Host Agency division of UNIGLOBE Travel USA

A trusted name in travel since 1981.

Join a network of agents that are ‘the best of the best in the biz’.

Each comprehensive program is geared to your level of experienceand will help you grow to new heights.

We will train and mentor those new in the industry, as well as providethe tools and resources needed to start a successful business.

For experienced agents, both GDS and non-GDS programs are of-fered based on your business model and needs.

No initial fee and no monthly ‘stay connect’ fees for the first 4 monthsfor qualified agents*!

Try us out and see for yourself!

ALL PROGRAMS INCLUDE:

• Ongoing Business and Marketing assistance• One on one supplier sessions• Webinars to keep you up to date on supplier products• Co-op funds and top-tier commissions• Access to your very own agent portal which includes:

- Productivity reports- UTC updates- Ongoing training opportunities- GDS or invoicing tool based on your program

• AgentNet which includes: VAX, Amadeus Cruise & Consolidator Shopper & EZguider• Email & direct mail marketing and CRM tools.*$50 application fee will apply and agent must show proof of sales of over $125K for the past 12 months.

Put our people and programs to work for you today by calling

1-800-863-1606, ext. 9070.www.uniglobetravelcenter.com

[email protected]

Home Based agents Wanted Ft or Pt

aarC - Host agenCyHome-BasedTravelAgents.com 800-619-8646

agent aCCess resourCe CenterHomeBasedTravelAgents.org/page/649815

70 to 100% Commission Blocked Group SpaceFree... Ongoing Training Free... CRM e-MarketingFree... Consumer Website Free... TRAMS

Take your business to the next level. Build and manage a multi-milliondollar business working with an unlimited amount of sub-agents or

affiliates. This program is for small and mid-size travel agency owners or top-producing agents who want to take their business to the next level.

40 years industry experience

Keep 100% of your and your agents’ commissions

start your oWn mini Host travel agenCy

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Your clients will be astonished by the services we provide, including access 24/7/365 in anylanguage to emergency medical assistance, worldwide travel assistance and conciergeservices. And if they need to file a claim, 90% of claims are processed within 14 days. Wehelp you look good and rest easy.

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This is only a brief description of the coverage(s) available. The Policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions and termination provisions. Insurance underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh,Pa., with its principal place of business in New York, NY. Coverage may not be available in all states. Travel assistance services provided by Travel Guard. For agent/broker use only. Not for public distribution or solicitation.

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Want to increase your income, protect your business, and sleep better at night knowing yourclients' travel investments are covered? Offer your clients a travel insurance and assistanceplan through Travel Guard. Getting started is easy. We offer:

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"Thank you Travel Guard!You really make our jobs easier and our

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— Peggy Sue Holiday Cruises & Tours

Henderson, NV

MTG Ad for PMG 10-09:Layout 3 11/3/09 4:35 PM Page 1

Your clients will be astonished by the services we provide, including access 24/7/365 in anylanguage to emergency medical assistance, worldwide travel assistance and conciergeservices. And if they need to file a claim, 90% of claims are processed within 14 days. Wehelp you look good and rest easy.

Contact us today!1.800.826.8594 • www.travelguard.com/homeagent

This is only a brief description of the coverage(s) available. The Policy will contain reductions, limitations, exclusions and termination provisions. Insurance underwritten by National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh,Pa., with its principal place of business in New York, NY. Coverage may not be available in all states. Travel assistance services provided by Travel Guard. For agent/broker use only. Not for public distribution or solicitation.

✔ Great travel insurance plans

✔ Dedicated support

✔ Outstanding service

✔ A name your clients already know!

We can help you look goodand rest easy.

"When we sell a Travel Guard plan to ourtravelers, we know that

they are buying theabsolute best. Keep up

your fine work!"

— Elaine HartungSafari ProfessionalsWinston-Salem, NC

Want to increase your income, protect your business, and sleep better at night knowing yourclients' travel investments are covered? Offer your clients a travel insurance and assistanceplan through Travel Guard. Getting started is easy. We offer:

• Live WebEx training

• e-training

• Free marketing materials

• 24/7 assistance by home-based specialists

• Free quoting software that makes transactions quick & easy

• More!

"Thank you Travel Guard!You really make our jobs easier and our

clients happier!"

— Peggy Sue Holiday Cruises & Tours

Henderson, NV

MTG Ad for PMG 10-09:Layout 3 11/3/09 4:35 PM Page 1

593 Rancocas Road, Westampton, NJ 08060 • Tel: 856-727-0035 • Fax: 856-727-0136 • www.performancemediallc.com

agent @ home- lil black book (2012!12!27 22-18-09 utc)

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