Cruise Planners hosts their 2nd Elite Summit at Sandals Royal Bahamian during National Travel and Tourism Week
Cruise Planners kicked off last month their second and final Elite Summit of the year to celebrate the accomplishments of their top producing advisors by unwinding at the luxurious Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, Bahamas.
Select Cruise Planners travel advisors earned their invitation to this trip based on sales performance and joined executives and suppliers for a week of sun, fun and networking in the Bahamas.
“We are so thrilled to be able to gather here at this beautiful resort to celebrate the accomplishments of our advisors, especially during National Travel Advisor Day,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. “Travel advisors are the cornerstone of this great industry and we’re so proud of the work they’ve done to support the red-hot return to travel. All-inclusive resorts sales is what kept many of our advisors afloat during the pandemic so it’s fitting that we are celebrating their achievements here at Sandals.”
The four-day event was hosted by Fee, Chief Sales Officer, Theresa Scalzitti and Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Scott Koepf, with more than 150 attendees including travel advisors attending along with various supplier partners.
The Elite Summit featured presentations, one-on-one meetings with key supplier partners and exclusive Cruise Planners receptions, dinner events, entertainment and more. Agents had a chance to enjoy the luxurious resort as well as excursions on the private island, soaking in the crystalline waters that the Bahamas is known for. Advisors were also treated to an exclusive farewell diner with Junkanoo Band.
“This summit is a celebration of hard work, effort and return to worldwide travel,” said Melissa Zeneri Shanks, a top franchise owner based in Ohio . “My team worked hard to cultivate and nurture relationships throughout covid so when the world opened up, they came back to our trusting relationships for travel planning expertise.”
The exclusive trip was in partnership with Sandals Royal Bahamian and included industry partners such as:
• ALG Vacations – Erin Miller, Business Development Manager, Host Accounts
• Allianz – Tim Behm, District Director of Sales
• American Airlines Vacations – Juan Rodriguez, Senior Sales Manager
• Carnival Cruise Line – Jodi Kinmon, Director of Strategic Partnerships
• Celebrity Cruises – Yolanda Sheppard, Manager, National Accounts
• Europe Express – Carmen Gashnikov, Strategic Host Account Manager
• Holland America Line – Ilanit Zimmerman, Sr. Manager, National Accounts
• Kensington – Michele Keally, Director of Sales, Eastern US
• MSC Cruises – Kristine Endreson, Vice President of Strategic Sales
• Norwegian Cruise Line – Zach Caravetta, Sr. Director Agency Sales
• Oceania Cruises – Jade Gurule, Business Development Manager
• Ponant – Yenedi Perez, Business Development Director, SE Region
• Princess Cruises – Mary Irene Jencen, National Account Business Development Manager
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises – Lisette Thurman, Strategic Accounts Director
• Uniworld – Eduardo Mestre, Strategic Account Manager
• Viking – Sandra Marshall, Director, Field Sales
• Virgin Voyages – Kristy Giragosian, Regional Sales Manager- South
“We always boast about how great it has been to be a part of Cruise Planners,” said Scott & Robin Roether, who attended for the first time. “We see so many other travel agents and realize how important it is to have the support we do from Home Office. We really like connecting with everyone and it’s been fantastic.”
Cruise Planners is the #1 seller of Sandals Beaches and Resorts in the world and was also recognized as the “Best of the Best” by the company. Cruise Planners is also gearing up for its annual convention in November to reveal the latest announcements and tools for travel advisors in Miami at the Intercontinental Hotel as well as the Norwegian Prima.
Company Background: Cruise Planners, an award-winning American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 2 years.
FBR also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
