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ASTA on Air — ASTA Global Convention 2023

ASTA On Air was live in San Juan, Puerto Rico for ASTA Global Convention 2023. Join host Sandra McLemore and Chief Fun Officer Alle Pierce and a group of amazing guests for all the excitement surrounding AGC and Global Travel Advisor Day.

In this video, Sandra McLemore of Travel Marketing and Media introduces our ASTA On Air Coverage and sets up the events for the week. Chief Fun Officer Alle Pierce then checks in from AGC 2023 Registration with our travel advisor members and supplier partners, including:

— Dr. Jasmien Lewis of Travel Life Services

— Missi Wilson of Akasha Travel Partners

— Rebecca Landry of Quality Travel

— Melinda Fortunato of Best Travel

— Joanne Hunt of Pompton Plains Travel

Our Global Travel Advisor Day starts with a surprising and adrenaline-packed introduction from ASTA President and CEO, Zane Kerby.

From there, we join Alle live from the AGC Kickoff Welcome Reception at Distrito T-Mobile in San Juan for an interview with Ed Carey of Discover Puerto Rico.

Finally, Zane is joined by Gary Sadler, Executive Vice President Global Sales & Industry Relations for Unique Vacations Inc., affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts. Sandals is ASTA's exclusive partner for Global Travel Advisor Day, and Gary is one of the best advocates for advisors. The conversation is absolutely a "must watch" for anyone in the travel industry.

To help celebrate Global Travel Advisor Day, our partners stepped up with amazing prizes for our members. Each member who entered the prize drawing did so by making a donation to the Global Empowerment Mission, which funds disaster-relief projects around the world—including in Ukraine, Syria and following natural disasters right here in the U.S.A. as well.

The five grand prizes were a 3-night stay at Sandals all new Dunn’s River, located in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This luxury, adults-only, 5-star resort is opening in May 2023, so winners will be some of the first to stay at this new property!

Other prizes included:

Amadeus River Cruises — Suite (Double Occupancy) on our next FAM trip
Avalon Waterways — Free cruise for two (in 2023/2024, Terms and Conditions of Availability may apply)
AmaWaterways — Complimentary 8-day/7-night cruise
Southwest Airlines — Two complimentary round-trip tickets (you and a companion) to anywhere
Windstar — Double Occupancy on a FAM trip (Options include “Around Iceland” or “Rome to Barcelona”)
1 registration for the Caribbean Showcase in August 2023
2 registrations for the SOLD-OUT Amsterdam River Cruise Expo in 2024
5 registrations for Global Convention 2024 in Dallas

Sandra McLemore interviewed some of the best and the brightest in the travel industry about the importance of the travel advisor community, the work that ASTA does for travel advisors and the exciting things their companies are doing in 2023 and beyond.

In this interview:

— Kristin Karst, Owner and Executive Vice President, AmaWaterways

— Cheryl Bunker, Vice President of Global Member Partnerships, Virtuoso

— Paul McGannon, Global Account Executive, Marriott International

— Suzanne Lustig, Director of National Accounts, Allianz Global Assistance

In this video, Sandra spoke to:

— Alex Sharpe, President & CEO, Signature Travel Network

— Vicki Freed, Senior VP of Sales and Trade Support, Royal Caribbean International

— Camille Olivere, Chief Sales Officer, Globus Family of Brands

— Jay Pope, Global Strategic Sales Director, Enterprise

ASTA's Advocacy Dinner is an annual Black Tie/"Blue Carpet" gala to help raise both awareness and funds for ASTA's advocacy efforts to support the travel industry. Before the event, Alle Pierce caught up with a who's who of ASTA members, supplier partners and staff to talk about those advocacy efforts and to pick their brains on some of the most polarizing habits in travel.

To make sure you and your brand are a part of ASTA On Air coverage in the future, please contact Erika Richter or Michael Schottey at [email protected].

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