With an eye toward helping its member agents "lift the profitability" of a total vacation package, Vacation.com says it is continuing to add preferred suppliers that enable retailers to "provide a start-to-finish vacation experience for their customer." The latest addition is New York-based ticket provider, Leisure Connect.
"This was a member referral, which we love to get because it's the service the supplier provides to the agent and their customer that is a major part of our decision to make a supplier preferred," said Stephen McGillivray, vice president of marketing and public relations for Vacation.com.
Leisure Connect offers competitively priced tickets to theater and other venues in New York, London, Las Vegas, Chicago and Philadelphia. Agent commission is 11%.
"The addition of Leisure Connect adds to our cadre of ancillary products that complements the traditional elements of a vacation air, car, and hotel," McGillivray said.
Leisure Connect isn't the only entertainment vendor Vacation.com has signed up as a preferred supplier; others include Global Tickets, Keith Prowse and Sports Empire.
But it has one distinction, said Steve Tracas, Vacation.com president and CEO: Leisure Connect offers his organization's members "the highest commission on theater tickets anywhere in the industry."
Under the preferred-supplier agreement, Vacation.com members will be able to offer generous cancellation terms on show tickets that are normally sold as non-refundable, as well as receive special group rates.
Leisure Connect Partner Tracy Schiller said the company will award "the top Vacation.com travel agent" with a free pair of tickets to a Broadway or West End show of choice each month.
In other Vacation.com news, the organization launched a redesigned version of its member training website, the Agent Advancement Center, saying it improved navigation and overall content organization.
The site enables member agents to learn about all of Vacation.com's exclusive programs, products and preferred suppliers, and offers virtual classes, live training events, on-demand tutorials and downloadable documentation.
New features on the site include a categorization of programs by topic and by brand, an integrated training calendar with upcoming classes and sessions, and a search feature to take members directly to a specified training resource.
Vacation.com is a subsidiary of Amadeus IT Group SA and is based in Alexandria, Va.