Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Marilee Crocker
    • Paul M. Ruden
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle
xantera

Headquarter Happenings: Virtuoso Focuses on Human Connections While Promoting Digital Tool

by Marilee Crocker / August 26, 2019
Headquarter Happenings: Virtuoso Focuses on Human Connections While Promoting Digital Tool

Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch shares the stage with Albert Herrera, senior vice president, global product partnerships, during the 31st annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. Photos are author's own.


AI-powered technology may be increasingly adept at delivering personalized travel offers to consumers, but it will never, ever match travel advisors’ ability to anticipate and meet their clients’ travel needs, dreams and unrecognized aspirations.

That was the message hotel entrepreneur Chip Conley delivered to advisors at the 31st Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas earlier this month. “You have nuance, you have intuition, you have empathy. A machine does not. Artificial intelligence will never be as good as your intuition,” Conley said during the opening session.

“When you mind-read your customer and can understand them well enough that you can offer them something they didn’t ask for, you have a customer for life.”

Conley’s message was underscored by Virtuoso CEO Matthew Upchurch in opening remarks that touched repeatedly on the personal connections underlying the Virtuoso network and advisor-client relations. “How do we compete with an algorithm? We compete by being more human,” Upchurch said. “Human-centric business is an innovation in our time.”

Wanderlist: Deepening connections
But Upchurch is no enemy of technology. Indeed, Virtuoso’s latest innovation, called Wanderlist, features an online tool that clients, their family members and travel companions can use to rate their travel interests, preferences and destination choices, and create a travel wish list. The client’s Virtuoso advisor then uses the results to help clients create a comprehensive long-term travel plan.

Rolled out earlier this year, Wanderlist is not an app or a website. The technology isn’t the point, Upchurch told journalists covering Virtuoso Travel Week. “The point of this tool is to create better human conversations, not to replace them.”

The overarching aim is to inspire clients to become more purposeful in how they think about and plan for their future travels and to shift them away from planning just one trip at a time. Virtuoso envisions advisors engaging in ongoing conversations with clients and their travel companions about their long-term travel desires and plans, much as financial planners consult regularly with clients to create lifelong financial plans, a theme Upchurch has returned to repeatedly over the years.

“This is about enhancing and deepening the connection between an advisor and a traveler and their families,” Upchurch said of Wanderlist.

Virtuoso advisors must pay a fee to undergo training in Wanderlist before they can offer it to clients. Some 120 advisors have done so already, with a second round of training planned for the fall. There is a cost to the client, but Virtuoso expects advisors to embed that cost in their consulting fees. (Virtuoso is also training “Wanderlist guides,” whom agencies can hire both to help clients use Wanderlist and to develop their long-term travel plans, leaving the arranging of individual trips to the travel advisor.)


Professional development training during the 31st annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.

Expanded networking & training
The theme “What’s on your Wanderlist?” was on display everywhere at this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week, which attracted more than 6,500 attendees, including 3,093 travel advisors. Advisors participated in thousands of one-on-one meetings with suppliers, in addition to taking part in professional development and informal networking.

Virtuoso continues to expand its education and networking opportunities outside of Virtuoso Travel Week as well, including with Virtuoso Travel Week on tour, which this year and next is bringing networking and training to 26 cities in 11 countries.

Virtuoso Travel Academy, the network’s online learning platform, can now be downloaded to mobile devices; its content is being expanded in areas such as career growth, branding, productivity, sales training, and agency management. “Demand from advisors is higher for professional development classes than for product training,” said David Kolner, Virtuoso’s senior vice president, global member partnerships. 

Virtuoso also has introduced short weekly podcasts, called “Thanks for Asking With Helen Nodland,” in which Virtuoso’s director of professional development talks with travel advisors about solutions to common challenges.

Virtuoso’s Communities program, which provides focused networking, marketing and training in six travel specialties (adventure, cruise, family, wellness, culinary and ultra-luxury) is being expanded in 2020 to include a seventh track for “celebration travel,” which will encompass destination weddings, honeymoons and travel for milestone events such as anniversaries.

The Communities program caters both to advisors who want to grow into a specialty and to established specialists. Top-producing specialists receive added benefits and opportunities. In 2020, 150 top participants will be invited on the first Virtuoso Community Cruise, a full-ship, four-day charter on Seabourn that will include networking with 48 suppliers.

On the marketing side, Kolner said advisors are getting onboard with Virtuoso’s MyMarketing platform, especially its automated social media posting capability. Launched late last year, MyMarketing gives advisors centralized access to its marketing tools and collateral, as well as to reports on campaign effectiveness.

Keeping sustainability front and center
Advancing sustainable travel remains a priority for Virtuoso. “We want to make sustainability a greater factor in consumer choice so that those organizations and destinations that are doing the very best work are financially successful,” Upchurch told journalists.

But sustainability can be a tricky topic to discuss with clients, so Virtuoso has been researching the best ways for advisors to do so. One outgrowth is a new option for suppliers to post their sustainability stories on Virtuoso.com. “We have to have succinct stories about what our partners are doing that are relevant,” Upchurch said.

At this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week, more than 600 advisors and suppliers attended the first Under One Sky session, where they heard from leaders in sustainability. Virtuoso also convened its third annual Sustainability Council, an exchange of ideas among travel advisors and suppliers.

Virtuoso by the numbers
Virtuoso counts more than 20,000 travel advisors in 50 countries in its network. This year they are on track to sell $26.4 billion in travel, a nearly 11% increase over last year.

  0
  0
xantera
Related Articles
Headquarter Happenings: Travel Leaders Network Is Optimistic Amid Surging Demand, Tight Labor Market, Supply Issues
Headquarter Happenings: Avenue Two Travel's First-Ever Collective
American Express Confirms End to its Franchise Program
Parent Company of Travel Edge, Ensemble Board Agree to Acquisition Deal
Headquarter Happenings: Avoya Sees Amped Up Growth With Certares’ Investment
Headquarter Happenings: Avoya Previews Growth Plans at Its New Innovation Center
Headquarter Happenings: Cruise Planners Finds Success in Technology and Marketing Innovation
Headquarter Happenings: Avoya Travel's Focus on Land and New Technology
Headquarter Happenings: MAST Travel Network Marks 50 Years
Headquarter Happenings: Cruise Planners Celebrates 25 Years of Success

MOST VIEWED

Brought To You By
  1. Princess Cruises Forced to Adjust Alaska Sailings After White Pass Rail Road Decision
  2. River Cruise Lines Prepare to Deal with Low Water Levels on the Rhine
  3. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  4. Water Levels on the Rhine Are Expected to Reach Critical Levels This Week
  5. Here Is Some of the New CDC Guidance on Cruise Ship Travel
  6. Southwest Airlines’ Flight Credits Will No Longer Expire

MOST EMAILED

Brought To You By
  1. River Cruise Lines Prepare to Deal with Low Water Levels on the Rhine
  2. Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements
  3. Canada Will Restart Random COVID-19 Testing at Airports Next Week
  4. Southwest Airlines’ Flight Credits Will No Longer Expire
  5. U.S. Passport Wait Time Is Now 8 to 11 Weeks for ‘Routine Service’
  6. Viking Cruises' New Octantis Is So Much More than Just a Cruise Ship
TMR THIS WEEK
Sponsored by Intrepid Travel
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=9909dea1-a71c-ed11-b00b-005056a8720b&Width=350&Height&250

Antarctica: Truly Beyond

For advisors who do not regularly book this type of travel, it might seem like an intimidating task. But with the right training and support, any advisor can become a polar travel specialist. 

Read More...
xantera
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

TMR Recommendations
Daniel Zim
Zim Travel Law, PLLC. Demystifying Complexity with Down to Earth Advice. Attorney Advertising.
hbar
Rodney Gould
Rodney E. Gould concentrates in travel and tour-operator litigation and regularly counsels travel-related entities worldwide.
hbar
Tom Carpenter
Carpenter Law Office - Representing clients in the travel and tourism industries. Attorney Advertising.
hbar
Top Stories
New DOT Rulemaking Goes Off the Rails on Refunds
New DOT Rulemaking Goes Off the Rails on Refunds

"In my long career dealing with the regulatory side of the travel industry, I have never seen anything quite like the latest proposed regulations from the DOT regarding ticket refunds."

Read...
What’s Trending in Consumer Media: Wedding Registries, Retirees Take Travel Jobs, & More
What’s Trending in Consumer Media: Wedding Registries, Retirees Take Travel Jobs, & More

Here are five stories to keep travel advisors informed and entertained for August.  

Read...
What’s Holding Some Suppliers Back from Advance Commission Payments?
What’s Holding Some Suppliers Back from Advance Commission Payments?

There are valid reasons holding many suppliers back from offering pre-travel commission payments. 

Read...
Why Some Suppliers Have Responded to Calls for Commission Timeline Changes
Why Some Suppliers Have Responded to Calls for Commission Timeline Changes

Why some suppliers made the decision to offer advance commission payments and how they're doing it. 

Read...
International Medical Group Adds Device Protection to Insurance Plans
International Medical Group Adds Device Protection to Insurance Plans

Advisors can help their clients protect their mobile devices while traveling with an add-on from IMG. 

Read...
Why Shoulder Season Is the Next Big Travel Trend
Why Shoulder Season Is the Next Big Travel Trend

Travelers have traditionally sought out the shoulder and off-peak seasons to snag the best deals. 

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
lux cruise outlook
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
Distribution Outlook (1)
New to Cruise Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/U6CJNU-CRPQ/0.jpg
MasterAdvisor 56: How Travel Advisors Can Use Instagram Reels
About Travel Market Report Mission Editorial Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News|Leisure Travel|Land Vacations|Cruise|Canada Retail Strategies|Well-Being|Luxury|Training
© 2005 - 2022 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy