We all heard the word “pivot” a lot during the pandemic — to the point where the concept might have lost its impact. But this year’s group of Trendsetter Award-winning travel advisors (part of TravelAge West's annual WAVE Awards) all share one commonality: They reshaped, reinvented or reimagined their careers during the last few years and emerged with an even better business plan than before.
Whether it was reaching a new market, creating new tools for their fellow advisors or jumping into social media and mastering various platforms, these agents refused to sit on the sidelines and do nothing. Instead, they assessed the weaknesses in their businesses — or the holes in their own experience — and took action to fix them.
Best Group Booking Sales Effort
Nadia Henry
Credit: 2022 Volker Corell
At the height of the pandemic, and with the help of Travel Leaders Network, Nadia Henry took a fam trip to Dubai. When she returned, she immediately started planning an upscale trip for couples and invited a celebrity influencer, as well. As a result, her agency went from not booking any group trips for almost a year to successfully booking a group trip for about 100 people to Dubai — and gaining over 17,000 social media followers at the same time.
“Winning the Trendsetter Award makes me feel like all the hard work I’ve been putting into my business is being recognized and has paid off,” Henry said. “Creating memorable vacations for people is very rewarding. I love curating itineraries for clients who have dreamed of traveling to a particular destination.”
Henry says she especially enjoyed sharing an evening with her friends in the industry at the WAVE Awards gala.
“My favorite part of attending the awards was seeing my colleagues, tour operators and suppliers all together celebrating each others’ wins,” she said. “After two years of not being able to attend live events due to COVID-19, it was really special.”
Erin Jensen
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellAs Key to the World Travel’s special projects director, Erin Jensen assists 450 advisors with their travel groups. Despite COVID-19, she helped take the agency’s group sales from nearly nothing to just under $2 million in 2021, and she is on pace to grow that number to $5 million in the next five years.
Sponsored by Playa Hotels & Resorts
Each finalist received four nights for two guests at a Playa Hotels & Resorts property.
Best Targeted Marketing Idea
Cassandra Adams
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellCassandra Adams recognized the need for an empowering group for women sizes 12 and up, so she started a Facebook community called “This Vacation Has Curves,” where women would have a safe place to talk about travel issues, organize travel groups and find their next travel buddies. Now, the group has more than 1,800 members, and she is adding an Instagram page and a video library. She recently hosted her first This Vacation Has Curves group trip to Jamaica.
“Winning this award is validation for me and my business, and my mission to promote body positivity,” Adams said. “I think my idea was so successful because it’s unique and inclusive of those who are sometimes overlooked.”
Suzanne Carlson
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellSuzanne Carlson works to help organizations find solutions to their immediate or long-term fundraising needs through tailor-made group travel events. Instead of continually stitching together sustainable revenue streams from a range of sources, Carlson demonstrates how organizations such as art museums can offer unique opportunities for members — while helping to meet financial goals. Just one of her agency’s group trips to Cuba helped a museum raise nearly $10,000 alone.
Sponsored by Celebrity Cruises
The winner in this category received a Celebrity Cruises Europe sailing for two in a Veranda stateroom, and the runner-up received a Celebrity Cruises Caribbean sailing for two in a Veranda stateroom.
Upward Bound, Rock Star Advisor Under 40
Will Medina
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellStarting in 2018, Will Medina created Destination Wedding University with the goal of putting the spotlight on the role advisors can play in the wedding-planning process. Today, his university offers an annual 16-week course for agents, including templates, monthly happy hours with industry partners, a growing private social community, the option for VIP one-on-one coaching and a certification that establishes them as true destination wedding experts.
Each time I travel, that represents a new core memory that I get to cherish for far longer than any physical item. That’s exactly what we aim to offer our clients ...
“In our family, we don’t share gifts, we share experiences,” Medina said. “Each time I travel, that represents a new core memory that I get to cherish for far longer than any physical item. That’s exactly what we aim to offer our clients when consulting with them on choosing a destination for them and their guests.”
For Medina, it’s important to share his best practices with others in the business.
“Not only do I love selling travel to couples, but I am absolutely thrilled to share my experiences as an advisor in the trenches with other agents in our community, subsequently bringing a larger value to our profession as a whole,” Medina said.
According to Medina, this award is also proof that the travel industry is full of young, motivated entrepreneurs.
“It is my hope to inspire the next generation of business leaders to follow their passion and look at all business through fresh eyes,” he said.
Runner-Up: Steven Gould, Goulds Travel
Steven Gould
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellRecognizing a need to help bridge the gap between travel advisors and the resources they need to be successful, Steven Gould created the Travel Advisor Resource Center (TARC), which provides agents with legal templates, workflow templates, a new-agent certification program, free resources, links to business development tools and more. Gould has also created a Facebook group and a TARC discussion space on several media platforms. In all his endeavors, Gould’s mantra has always been: “Community Over Competition.”
Sponsored by AMR Collection
The winner in this category received a five-night stay for two at Secrets Moxche Playa del Carmen. The runner-up got a five-night stay for two at Dreams Karibana Cartagena Beach and Golf Resort.
Best Use of Social Media
Sydney Zaruba
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellSydney Zaruba began her career as a social media influencer, and she has now combined her media skills with her passion for trip designing through her Boho Traveller brand. Using the exposure her large social media following brings her, she has shown her audience the value of travel advisors. Despite starting her travel business right before the pandemic hit, she has managed to grow it into a million-dollar-plus agency.
“From my blog, The Boho Traveller, to YouTube to Instagram and Pinterest, and everything in between, social media has always been a passion of mine, and I believe it shows in my work,” Zaruba said. “Giving someone that first-time experience in a new country is one of the most rewarding things I could ever do. I’ll never forget the first time I stepped off the plane in Italy and was immediately in love. If I can do that for someone else, I’m a happy camper.”
Zaruba says feeling the camaraderie of her peers was a special perk of attending the WAVE Awards.
“I started advising in 2019, right before the world was shaken by the pandemic,” she said. “So, for me, finally being able to be at industry events like the WAVE gala and share a laugh with people who struggled so much over the course of the last two years, was truly an experience like none other. And, I mean, how often do you get to wear a ball gown at The Ritz-Carlton in Los Angeles?”
Alvin Adriano
Credit: 2022 Volker CorellThe pandemic forced Alvin Adriano’s agency to innovate and invest in social media for the first time. Using live-streaming platforms, they began broadcasting public service announcements about travel restrictions and health protocols. Soon after, their “Travelwise Talks” videos — with guest speakers such as consulate generals and tourism board officials — reached 40,000 views. Last year, Adriano launched “Smart People Travelwise,” a weekly podcast which now has more than 12,000 downloads and is available on Facebook, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Kumu and Amazon podcasts.
Sponsored by The Globus Family of Brands
The winner and runner-up in this category each received their choice of any seven-night Avalon Suite Rewards Cruise (or independent fam cruise) for travel in 2022 or 2023.
