Travel Agent - March 17, 2008 - (Page 88)

BUSINESS OPER ATIONS AGENCY PROFILE Rediscovering the Passion A company retreat reignites the flame for one agency BY AMANDA KLIMAK LARGAY TRAVEL OF WATERBURY, CT, recently held a company retreat. Here, Vice President Amanda Klimak gives her account of what it took to plan the event and explains why it was considered a huge success by everyone who attended. The Idea Each year, countless hours and significant funds are spent training our employees in the skills we feel they need to do their jobs well. Sales and customer-service seminars and product-knowledge classes are a traditional focus at meetings and annual retreats. So what happens when the focus of a company retreat isn’t on those skills at all, but instead on the employees themselves as human beings? Or the development of personal goals, desires and visions? Or each individual’s aspirations and hopes for the future? Would that take away from the company’s goals, or would that enhance the momentum of an incredibly successful company? Well, that was the question we asked and the focal point of the 2008 Largay Travel Company Retreat, and the results were amazing. The idea began in October 2007, when I attended the Virtuoso Active and Specialty Travel (aka VAST) Retreat in Whistler, BC. At that meeting, I had the privilege of participating in a two-day program appropriately named “The Year of the Extraordinary.” This program was designed to introduce Virtuoso agents to the concept of Life Planning, a tool with which you analyze your past, your current situation and your vision for the future. The program absolutely changed my life, and with the guidance of Life Coach Dr. Alison Miller, I began a yearlong program of goal setting. Upon returning from the retreat and seeing almost immediate results in my life, I could not help but want to share this gift with everyone around me. So, as I began to plan the 2008 Largay Travel Company Retreat, I decided to pass on the traditional training and seminars and devote the weekend to life planning. Building up employees and vendors as human beings with personal goals and amazing potential was the purpose. Dr. Miller was invited to speak, and the weekend was planned for January 2008 at the Lodge at Turning Stone in Verona, NY. As the weekend approached, and everyone noticed the changes happening in my life, the excitement began to build. Soon our 50-passenger luxury motor coach was filled with owners, managers, leisure and corporate agents, independent contractors, support staff and our incredible preferred vendor sponsors, including Virtuoso, Crystal Cruises, Oceania, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Creative Leisure, Classic Custom Vacations, Micato Safaris and Royal Caribbean Cruises. To say that the Lodge at Turning Stone was magnificent would not be doing it justice. This resort was over-the-top wonderful, with five-star service, gourmet cuisine and a spa that would rival the top spas of the world. The Focus The focus of the weekend was on personal and professional development. This process was completely individual to each person and was guided by Dr. Miller. Throughout the first day, each of us examined our past successes and disappointments, as well as identified our true inner values and the goals that we would like to CONTINUED ON PAGE 90 Largay’s employees hold up their Vision Boards, collages of magazine clippings that represent each person’s vision for the future The Lodge at Turning Stone in Verona, NY 88 | TravelAgent March 17, 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - March 17, 2008

Travel Agent - March 17, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor Contributors Africa: Lodges that will Make your African Safari through Tanzania Unforgettable Special Supplement: Honeymoon Specialist Africa News and Briefs Caribbean: The Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino is a Perfect Choice for all Types of Clientele Hawaii: The Less-Visited Island of Molokai Provides a taste of Old-Time Hawaii Central and South America: Where to Enjoy the Reefs, Rainforest and Ruins in Belize’s Maya Country Hotels: Properties that Cater to the Growing Trend of “Girlfriend Getaways” Cruises: Increasingly, Cruisers are Choosing Outside Companies for their Off-Ship Excursions Barbados: A Caribbean Travelers' Dream Airline Update: Several European Airlines Offer New Nonstop Service Ski/Snowboard: Three New Hotels Hit the Slopes in Wyoming, Utah and British Columbia Multi-Generational Travel: Cavallo Point: the Lodge at Golden Gate is a New “Green” Hotel Outside of San Francisco Agent Profile: Lynda Turley of Alpine Travel of Saratoga in Saratoga, CA Agency Profile: Largay Travel’s Company Retreat Cover Story: Barbados Technology: Open Travel CRM Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Onsite from Jordan Travel Mart Harrah’s Draws Younger Clients to Atlantic City Cruise News India’s New Hotels and Nonstop Flights Saluting Travel Industry Contributors Report from Travel South In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Classified Marketplace Trendwatch

Travel Agent - March 17, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.