Jamie Biesiada
Events that bring travel advisors and suppliers together can result in big business.
Summit, an annual event held by Travel Experts (No. 28 on Travel Weekly's Power List), is no different. Summit 5, the fifth iteration of the event, was held last month aboard three chartered AmaWaterways ships: AmaBella, AmaMora and AmaSonata, sailing from Budapest.
"We hear anecdotes all the time, even before they've left the ships," said Sharon Fake, the host agency's executive director. "You know, 'Oh, I've got another $100,000 in business,' or, 'I've got five more bookings.'"
That's part of the appeal of attending events. Summit in particular is lauded for the amount of time advisors and suppliers are together, she said. They interact at both business and social levels and see "a big jump in business" when they leave the event," Fake said.
Just last week, Fake said she got an email from a supplier excited by a booking closed by an advisor she had met as well as several other hot leads from Summit 5.
Summit has always been held on ships. The first was on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship on a public sailing. It was a great event, Fake said, but it didn't offer the amount of flexibility that a full charter would. Starting with Summit 2, the host agency chartered ships, offering new levels of flexibility.
This year's charter of three AmaWaterways ships saw another successful event thanks to the "tremendous" amount of logistical work behind it on Ama's end, Fake said.
"It all worked out amazingly," she said.
The next Summit, the sixth, will be held for a slightly shorter amount of time on land. It's set for Oct. 3-7, 2027, at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort & Spa in Albuquerque, N.M. Travel Experts has bought out the hotel, and the event will coincide with Albuquerque's famous International Balloon Fiesta.
The move to land will help Travel Experts accommodate more advisors and suppliers, and will accommodate those with tighter schedules.
2027 bookings are strong
This year started out with a boom for most advisors, Fake said. Geopolitical events of late have caused some clients to question whether it's safe to travel, but Fake said Travel Experts hasn't seen any large increases in cancellations.
Already, 2027 is looking like a solid year, she said, calling advanced bookings "very strong."
"The desire to travel hasn't left people," she said, but more are hoping "the world settles down."
Travel Experts is also seeing more last-minute incentives for the remainder of 2026, making travel this year more attractive.