Headquarter Happenings: Gifted Travel Network Hosts 3rd Annual Symposium on Avalon Poetry II

To kick off Gifted Travel Network (GTN)’s 3^rd Annual Symposium, the luxury host agency’s director of engagement, Shannon Cunningham, invited advisors to ask themselves, “What if?” 

“What if for a moment you imagined the very best version of your business and the very best version of yourself showing up for that business?” she asked. “The one that has the confidence, the one that has the capabilities of doing everything you want to do in your business and in your life? And what if that version of you is already here, ready to emerge?” 

Over the next five days, from March 26-April 1, about 45 GTN advisors and 17 supplier partners came together on-board Avalon Poetry II in France to learn from the GTN team, mentors, and each other on their paths to success.  

Travel Market Report joined them, and along the way, saw that GTN’s own journey as a host agency could serve as a mirror for travel advisors growing their luxury travel businesses. The formula? Mindset, education, partnerships. 

Luxury Growth Mindset

GTN was not always luxury-focused; the host agency grew into it. But they did always place a strong focus on education and mindset coaching, from the company’s beginnings when it emerged out of Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs, a purely educational organization started by Meredith Calloway in 2011, to the birth of the host agency in 2013. 

In just five years, in 2018, GTN had evolved so much in the luxury space it had outgrown its previous consortia and went searching for a new one. And in 2021, the host grew exponentially as a result of the revenge travel boom and the addition of new advisors taking the opportunity to either start their dream career or switch hosts.  

Many joined GTN in 2020, either through its MBA mentorship program or as an already-established business, and the host increased sales by triple-digit percents in 2021 and 2022, and significantly in the past two years as well.  

Calloway credits a large part of that to GTN’s luxury growth mindset. That’s what the team is now turning around to offer its advisors – so their businesses can grow, too. 

“I truly believe that it comes down to the coaching,” Calloway, chief vision officer at GTN, told Travel Market Report. “Supporting our advisors on the coaching side changes their mindset, changes their focus, and changes their strategic thinking about how, you know, it just makes sense to sell luxury.” 

The 2025 Symposium’s theme was “Navigate Growth and Expand Your Business,” with advisors broken up into two groups – the Van Gogh group learned about growing a client base, while the Picasso group gained insight into how to scale their businesses with more employees or ICs. 

Advisors discussed mindset in workshops such as “Navigating Success” and “Live Mindset IQ,” then put those ideas to practical use in presentations such as “Impact via Inbox” and “Navigating Difficult Conversations.” 

“Having the power of everyone in the room being able to discuss and share and talk is really helpful, too,” said Hannah Reitz, GTN’s vice president of operations. “We set that framework. So we don’t always give all the answers but we’re setting up this really amazing community.”    

Strength in Partnerships

GTN also couldn’t have built their reputation as a luxury host without strong industry partnerships. According to Calloway, joining Virtuoso in 2019 is what really catapulted GTN into the luxury space, as well as joining hotel elite programs. 

As it applies to travel advisors, selling high-end products requires not only staying on top of their profession through quality education but also with strong partnerships. The 2025 Symposium allowed advisors to bond with suppliers in an intimate river cruise setting. From painting Van Gogh-style in Arles to e-biking through Avignon, advisors made close connections with partners on tours. They also got one-on-one time with them at round robin-style meetings and sat with a different supplier each night with assigned seating at dinner. Plus, as one partner noted, there’s only one bar on board, so it was easy to have a conversation with every person by the end of the six nights. 

“We really try to drive home is that this is a relationships business, and when you start thinking about luxury travel, that’s even more essential,” said Kristin Matthews, GTN’s vice president of professional development. “Having these meetings and the times that you can walk around a lovely French town together, it creates something that is really lasting and important in business, so they really enjoy it.” 

Other highlights of the Symposium included a book club based on “The One Thing,” led by GTN’s vice president of communications Sandy Saburn, and a goal-setting workshop to round out the week. 

What’s Next for GTN

GTN’s mindset, education, and luxury focuses recently paid off when it was acquired by Trevello World Holdings, Inc. in January 2025. Now a new chapter begins.   

The host agency’s executives told TMR that the new ownership will not change much about how GTN operates, only expand and enhance opportunities for GTN advisors. The teams at Trevello and GTN are working together on technology and partnerships that could be mutually beneficial. Calloway also said an announcement about “some really cool, never-been-done-before things” could come in about six months. 

“Especially with certain unknowns that are going on right now, [being part of Trevello] helps put us in a really strong place in the luxury space,” Reitz said, adding that the GTN team is brainstorming ways to proactively anticipate new challenges brought on by the current geopolitical landscape “to make sure that is not something that’s going to cause a major concern and impact for everyone’s businesses.” 

GTN’s new preferred hotel program is another recent development for the host. So far, the Gifted Hotel Collection has 32 properties throughout North America and Europe, from Paws Up Montana to Round Hill in Jamaica to Nobu London. The program spotlights specific properties for travel advisors, who have reacted positively to it, and will continue to add hotels this year. 

Keeping the momentum going, GTN is hosting its annual conference Sept. 7-11, 2025, at Conrad Orlando.