| Agents experience the Rhine

AVALON Waterways has completed its inaugural advisor-only sailing, bringing together 92 Australian and New Zealand travel advisors for a journey along the Rhine.

Running between 24 and 31 Mar aboard Avalon Envision, the itinerary from Basel to Amsterdam acted as a training immersion for the advisors, providing first-hand insight into Avalon’s product as well as building their confidence in selling Globus family of brands’ (GFOB) wider portfolio.

The voyage included four training sessions that covered seven topics and included a Q&A session hosted by Avalon Waterways’ president Pam Hoffee, as well as appearances by other members of GFOB’s Australasian leadership team.

“Meeting advisors and embracing the trade community we’ve built on board one of our ships was an honour,” Hoffee said.

“We aimed to provide advisors with an experience beyond the brochure, and an opportunity to learn first-hand what sets Avalon apart, from our industry-leading Panorama Suites to our variety of excursions,” she added.

Advisors were given the opportunity to select between Active, Discovery or Classic excursions, with highlights including a walking tour of the town of Breisach, cycling through the Black Forest, or a brewery tour in Heidelberg.

They were also encouraged to take part in Avalon’s social media competition, which involved sharing images with the hashtags #rhineanddine, #Amarksthespot and #youresosuite.

The best image was awarded to Joy Varga of TravelManagers, who received a $1,000 gift card.

Head of commercial at GFOB Brett Simon said the advisor-only charter was “just the beginning”.

“We’ll be taking feedback from advisors on why these events were so well received and will be looking to implement them into future plans, embracing what worked to best meet our advisors and their clients.” JB