Headquarter Happenings: KHM’s Crystal Conference Celebrates Record Sales & Levarté Acquisition

More than 300 travel advisors and 50 preferred suppliers set sail aboard Norwegian Encore from Feb. 21 to 28, 2026, for KHM Travel Group’s annual Crystal Conference, a weeklong event focused on education, networking, and business growth.

This year’s theme, “Seas the Moment,” encouraged advisors to strengthen their professional networks, celebrate achievements across the KHM community, and take time to recharge while sharpening their strategies for the year ahead. The agenda blended one-on-one meetings with suppliers and KHM Travel Group leadership with general sessions, networking events, and an awards ceremony recognizing top-performing agents.

Travel Market Report was given exclusive access to the event.

Next year’s Crystal Conference will return to sea on Sky Princess from March 1 to 7, 2027, with registration details to be released at a later date.

Record-Breaking Sales & Other Milestones in 2025

KHM’s travel advisors had another strong year in 2025, selling a record-breaking $458 million in bookings. Commission payouts also reached new highs, totaling $53 million in 2025. Average commission payouts increased by 10% year over year, and KHM advisors earned more than $750,000 in bonus commissions. The company also launched an automated unclaimed commissions project in January, which sent out over 7,700 emails and proactively helped advisors claim $3.3 million.

The host agency hit milestones with its education program as well. The company’s training events Boot Camp 1.0, Boot Camp 2.0, Destination Success, and Luxury Symposium all had record numbers of attendees.

“Growth is not just an entitlement. Growth is a gift,” Rick Zimmerman, president and CEO, said during general sessions. “Growth really won’t change who we are. It will reveal the best of who we already are.”

Levarté Travel Acquisition & Future Growth

KHM currently represents a network of approximately 5,900 advisors, and according to Geoff Cox, KHM’s vice president of sales and marketing, the company’s strategic growth will maintain the current community-oriented, people-first feel.

“We have one of the lowest ratios in the industry — about one employee for every 65 agents — and we remain committed to keeping it there so you never feel like you’re getting lost as we grow,” said Cox.

One of the biggest developments at KHM in 2025 was the acquisition of Levarté Travel, a host agency founded by industry veteran Lori Speers in 2020, designed to support independent travel advisors through an emphasis on cutting-edge technology and live training opportunities. Speers now serves on the KHM executive team as the vice president of business development, and the acquisition grew KHM’s network by approximately 500 travel advisors.

“The big news this past year was our acquisition of Levarté Travel,” said Cox. “It wasn’t all about just bringing on more travel agents. It really was getting Lori Spears and her team — because they were amazing at their host agency — [and] bringing those skills over.”

Speaking on the second day of general sessions, Speers told the audience she was grateful to be a part of the KHM family:

“I’m incredibly honored to be standing here, not only on the executive team and part of this great community… this decision for me was very personal. Not just professional, but personal, because it’s about the people. It’s truly about the people.”

What’s Next: Investing in AI & Other Technology

Looking ahead, KHM is investing in continuing to support its travel advisor community by making further investments in technology.

“We made a three-year commitment to really get our technology up to speed and make us one of the top technology companies,” said Cox.

So far, the company has acquired professional streaming capabilities in order to deliver education and events remotely, providing its advisors with easier access to training sessions. KHM also migrated its systems to a new server infrastructure to improve performance and security, and enhanced both its website and agent portal.

“We totally redid the portal… making it easier where you could find things quicker and faster,” said Cox.

Zimmerman said that the company is exploring options to innovate through the use of AI tools for travel advisors, but stressed that human connection remains the cornerstone of KHM’s business ethos.

“Technology should remove friction, increase clarity and scale care,” said Zimmerman. “If we do this the right way, we can leverage AI so that we can be so much better… but we can’t let technology or automation get in the way of who we are to our clients.”