Travel Leaders Network Commits to Evolution (not Revolution) at Annual EDGE Conference

In front of an audience of more than 2,200 attendees, including some 1,800 travel advisors, Lindsay Pearlman took to the stage as president of Travel Leaders Network for the first time at the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in Chula Vista, Calif. His main message to the audience was two-fold. His focus as president is evolution, not revolution and there’s never been more opportunity in front of travel advisors than there is today.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” Pearlman said. “But we always must be moving forward, keep learning, keep improving and keep growing. That’s to keep our competitive edge, because this incredible industry isn’t standing still. The world we travel isn’t standing still, so why would we?”

Staying ahead of the curve doesn’t mean abandoning everything that’s worked before.

“It means strengthening it, expanding it, making it work even harder for you.”

The need for evolution is more important than ever with the global leisure travel industry expected to grow from $5 trillion to $15 trillion by 2040.

Stephen McGilivray, chief partner marketing officer for Internova (Travel Leaders Network’s parent company), added an additional number advisors should be aware of.

“Every day one thousand households in America achieve millionaire status,” he said, referring mainly to the vast transfer of wealth that is slowly happening across the country from Boomer parents to their Gen X or Millennial children

“That’s not just growth,” Pearlman said. “That’s momentum we can see, feel, and step into because that demand, it’s not just for travel, it’s for you.”

This momentum is already translating into more business for Travel Leaders Network, Pearlman told TMR during an exclusive one-on-one.

“We’ve had consistent growth [last year]. In general terms, around 15% overall,” he said.

Segments with the most impressive growth included luxury sales and river cruising.

What Travelers Want

Travelers, Pearlman added, are looking for more meaningful experiences, more personalization, more unique experiences that can’t be found online or easily replicated. Younger travelers – Gen Z and Millennials – see travel as a necessary part of their lives.

“They’re not asking if they should travel. They’re asking, how can I make this trip unforgettable? And they’re looking for the best travel advisors to make that happen.”

What does all of that mean for travel advisors?

“Massive, undeniable, brightly, friendly, opportunity,” Pearlman said.

Travel Leaders Networks’ role in the midst of all this opportunity, he added, is to support travel agencies and advisors in running their businesses their own way.

“We don’t tell you how to run your business. It’s not our role. We’re here to provide you with everything you need to win… not just so you can operate but so that you can thrive.”

To help in this mission, TLN reorganized is field sales team, brought in 11 new members of the team and minimized the size of each team member’s geographical territory in order to provide more personalized service.

Speaking generally, each field sales rep now has a territory encompassing about 150 to 170 agencies. Prior to the reorganization, each sales rep covered some 400 agencies in a single territory.

“Leveraging this team can help advisors overcome specific challenges to meet their goals, help eliminate pain points, and strengthens their relationships with the right supplier partners,” Pearlman said.

What’s New in Marketing

Much of the focus every year at EDGE is on the marketing tools and programs that Travel Leaders Network provides to members. Leading most discussions is the company’s lead generators TravelLeaders.com and Agent Profiler.

Last year, the two systems combined to provide more than 300,000 leads bringing the total leads generated since the program’s inception to 2 million total leads. Conversion rates remain consistent at about 25% and the average price of a booking generated through these leads is more than $10,000.

This year, much of the marketing discussion revolved around the company’s Engagement database and programs, which automatically sends out targeted print and digital marketing materials to clients of members who have opted in to the program.

To make the program more valuable to advisors with higher-net-worth clients, TLN is working to further segment the Engagement database. Currently, all clients who have a net worth of over $200,000 per year are grouped together. But a client worth $200,000 and one worth $3 million likely don’t have the same travel interests.

To address this, TLN is in the process of dividing up clients worth $2.5 million or more into segments of $2.5 million to $5 million, $5 million to $10 million, $10 million to $20 million, and $20 million and over.

This allows advisors to market only the most appropriate supplier partners to these clients.

Direct Mailers

TLN also unveiled a redesigned single-supplier direct mailer with the agency or advisor’s name printed at the top of the front panel.

“Our single supplier direct mail is really the backbone our Engagement program… your agency name, contact info, advisor pictures, and personalized offer on these things seven times. You are the exclusive call to action,” McGillivray said.

He added that in 2025, TLN sent more than 10 million pieces of direct mail and over one hundred million messages to clients.

“And every one of them put you front and center.”

While the Engagement program enables advisors to send direct and digital marketing pieces to current/past clients, TLN is launching a new program – Client Builder – that lets advisors sent direct mail to new customer prospects in their local communities.

Advisors can choose from a dozen or so postcard designs that showcase their specific areas of expertise, then pick the audience they want to send to.

“Whether its by zip code, distance from your agency location, or if you want to go to households based on age, income, home type, length or residency. There’s a myriad of things to choose from and it’s a simple order system.”

It takes 72 hours after order for the postcards to go out and it costs $1.25 per piece. The program launches this summer in the U.S. and in the first quarter of 2027 for Canada.