The Travel Agent Next Door Conference Raises $122,000 for Pencils for Kids, Hyatt to Host in 2027

by Bruce Parkinson April 27, 2026

A busy, high-energy 2026 The Travel Agent Next Door conference aboard Celebrity Silhouette saw record attendance, a hugely successful fundraising campaign for Pencils for Kids and a more tangible consummation of the equity partnership with UK-based Travel Counsellors, first announced in December.

A record 309 TTAND agents boarded the ship in Fort Lauderdale, along with 28 head office support staff and 58 representatives on behalf of 46 preferred and approved suppliers.

*The grand total TTAND has raised for Pencils for Kids over the years now tops $510,000.*

There were two days at sea with an intensive conference schedule, then daily stops at Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao before the learning and networking continued for two more sea days.

It was a tired but happy group that disembarked Sunday morning, with bellies full of Celebrity’s fine food and drink, heads full of supplier knowledge and new marketing and selling strategies, and hearts full for the success of the fundraising for TTAND’s long-time fundraising beneficiary.

*The Travel Agent Next Door 2026 Conference hosts Chad Kowalenko, Brenda Yeomans and Allan Brooks aboard the Celebrity Silhouette.*

More than $122,000 was raised for the Toronto-based charity inspired by long-time industry photographer Dan Galbraith, who witnessed an entire classroom sharing a pencil in Niger. He told the story to Robin Mednick, who created an organization that partners with communities in Niger to create sustainable educational programs, resources and infrastructure.

The record amount raised took the total TTAND contribution to Pencils for Kids to over $510,000. “I have no words,” said Mednick in a video thank you to conference attendees.

The Travel Agent Next Door founder and CEO Flemming Friisdahl has insisted since he founded the company back in 2014, that anything it does must represent a “win-win-win,” bringing benefits to TTAND’s home-based travel-selling members, the suppliers it supports and the company itself.

Suppliers spoken to by Travel Market Report Canada said they were more than happy with the amount of time they were able to spend with TTAND advisors — at one-to-one meetings, a first-ever trade show, hosted lunch networking and dedicated supplier tables at main dining room dinners, where advisors could join the suppliers of their choice.

*As the TTAND conference wrapped up, members expressed their appreciation.*

The conference marked the official introduction of the relationship with UK-based Travel Counsellors, which joined The Travel Agent Next Door in an equity partnership late last year. Travel Counsellors hosts more than 2,200 home-based advisors, the vast majority full-time, who deliver annual sales topping $2.2 billion CAD.

Coupled with TTAND’s 1,840 primary and associate members across Canada, the new partnership hosts more than 4,000 travel advisors. Travel Counsellors CEO Steve Byrne, Chief Commercial Officer Kirsten Hughes and two other representatives attended the conference, introducing TTAND members to the advanced proprietary booking platform that enticed Friisdahl to form the partnership.

Hughes was well-received during her presentation early in the conference, and Byrne soothed any fears about rapid change at TTAND in his address to conference-attendees later in the week.

“My management style is to lead from the back,” he told the TTAND audience. “My first ambition is not to mess up a successful company and to empower you to be the FIT organizer, frictionlessly, quick and easy, where you’re in control of your margin, your pay.”

Look for a more in-depth story on the relationship between Travel Counsellors and The Travel Agent Next Door in the coming days.

*Hyatt’s Senior Sales Director Canada Brian Joseph announces the Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana as next year’s TTAND conference host.*

The conference wrapped up with the always anticipated announcement of the location of the 2027 edition. As always, there was much speculation. Some thought it would be across the pond in England, home of Travel Counsellors. Others guessed Ireland, Jamaica or “somewhere in Europe.”

In the end, it turned out to be the Dominican Republic, where the Hyatt Inclusive Collection will host a group of up to 500, including 360 TTAND agents, at the Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana, an adults-only property where TTAND conference-goers will be among the first guests in April 2027.

Hyatt Inclusive Collection’s Senior Sales Manager Canada Brian Joseph was at the conference, but managed to keep the news a secret despite frequent prodding.