Meeting of the Minds: Industry Leaders Converge in Salt Lake City
Written By: Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC – Travel Professional NEWS
The Professional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH) celebrated its 16th Annual Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Downtown in Salt Lake City, Utah, marking a milestone year with record-breaking attendance. The event’s overarching theme, “Adapting to Change and Great Minds Think Alike,” resonated powerfully throughout the gathering, creating an atmosphere of collaboration and forward-thinking innovation.
The energy was electric as industry professionals from across the travel sector converged to tackle the challenges and opportunities shaping our rapidly evolving landscape. A highlight for me each year that I attend, is reconnecting with dear friends, peers and colleagues from across the travel industry.
The symposium follows a strategic two-day format designed to maximize networking and knowledge sharing. Day one features targeted sessions: a Host-Only Networking Session where owners, operations managers, and executives collaborate on shared challenges and opportunities, alongside a Supplier-Only Session where supplier executives and national host account managers develop strategies for enhanced collaboration with host agencies and their advisors.
The evening came alive with 1920s flair as attendees gathered at Prohibition restaurant for a memorable Roaring Twenties celebration. Guests arrived in creative period costumes, transforming the venue into a vibrant speakeasy atmosphere. The combination of great food and drink, live entertainment, and spirited camaraderie created an unforgettable experience that perfectly blended professional networking with pure enjoyment.
Day two unites all attendees—host agencies, consortia, and suppliers—in a comprehensive forum for industry-wide dialogue. As a longtime attendee representing TravelProfessionalNEWS.com and FindaHostTravelAgency.com, I’ve witnessed the symposium’s evolution into an indispensable industry gathering.
Opening Remarks: The Foundation of Relationships
PATH President Anita Pagliasso delivered a heartfelt welcome address that set the tone for the entire event. She emphasized a fundamental truth about our industry: relationships are everything. “This business is about passion for our work and genuine care for one another,” she stated. “PATH serves as a connector, creating a space where we can exchange ideas and collaborate on our shared challenges.”
The strong leadership presence was evident with key PATH Board Members in attendance, including:
- Betsy Geiser – Vice President of PATH and VP of Uniglobe Travel Center
- Kelly Bergin – Treasurer of PATH and CEO of Duglin Travel Group
- Jen Cochrane – Secretary of PATH and CEO/Co-Founder of Gifted Travel Network
- Jackie Friedman – President of Nexion Travel Group
- Kirsten Little – Vice President of Andavo Travel
- Drew Daley – SVP/GM of Dream Vacations and Cruise One
- Skip Fortier- Vice President of Network Expansion at Avoya Travel
- Joshua Harrell – CMO of WorldVia/Travel Quest Network
Presentations: Navigating Change and Innovation
Industry Advocacy and Policy Implications
Michael Schottey, Vice President of Membership, Marketing and Communications for ASTA, opened the presentation lineup by addressing current industry advocacy efforts and member concerns.
Following Schottey, attorney and travel agency owner Thomas Carpenter provided crucial insights into policy implications under the new government administration. His presentation covered several critical areas affecting the travel industry:
- Supply chain disruptions and their ongoing impact
- Potential airline industry challenges from increased tariffs
- Foreign relations dynamics and border policy changes
- Anticipated labor and employment regulatory shifts
The AI Revolution in Travel
The symposium’s most anticipated presentation came from Kha Ly, Marketing Technologist, who delivered a comprehensive exploration of artificial intelligence trends transforming the travel industry. His presentation addressed the evolving AI landscape that travel advisors must navigate, covering:
Marketing and Customer Engagement:
- AI-powered marketing strategies and customer retention techniques
- The emergence of AI recommendation ecosystems
- Creator content distribution platforms driving travel inspiration
- Meta AI’s Discovery Engine and its travel industry implications
Personalization and Service Innovation:
- Transformation of personal sharing into global travel trends
- The shift from social graphs to interest/engagement-based algorithms
- Advanced techniques for personalizing travel recommendations
- AI-enhanced customer support capabilities beyond traditional personalized service
Business Intelligence and Security:
- AI applications in business intelligence reporting and predictive analytics
- Fraud detection and prevention strategies using AI technology
The audience engagement was remarkable throughout Ly’s presentation. While the rapid advancement of AI technology may seem overwhelming, the consensus was clear: understanding and embracing these innovations is essential for industry success.
Interactive Afternoon: Collaborative Problem-Solving
After networking over lunch, attendees reconvened for an interactive session facilitated by Board members Jackie Friedman and Skip Fortier. This collaborative format brought together suppliers and host agency representatives to address both recurring challenges and emerging issues.
The discussion built upon insights from the previous day’s separate host agency and supplier meetings, resulting in a comprehensive agenda of industry priorities:
Financial and Operational Challenges
Credit Card Chargeback Resolution: Streamlining processes that affect advisors, hosts, and suppliers
Agent Self-Registration Issue: Addressing complications this practice creates for host agencies
Multi-Factor Authentication: Implementing security solutions to address industry vulnerabilities
Education and Professional Development
- The Travel Institute Partnership: Expanding education opportunities for advisors and supplier leaders and executives
- Fraud Prevention Training: Enhancing host agency education programs to help advisors identify and prevent fraudulent activities
- Red Flag Recognition: Developing industry-wide awareness of fraud indicators
Relationship Building and Technology Integration
- Supplier-Host Collaboration: Innovative approaches for closer partnerships, particularly regarding touch technologies and bot integration
- Peer-to-Peer Networking: Creating structured opportunities for hosts and suppliers to build meaningful business relationships
- Brand Ambassador Programs: Leveraging the success of advisor-led brand representation for both host agencies and suppliers
Looking Forward: A Path to Continued Success
The 2025 PATH Symposium successfully reinforced the organization’s mission of fostering collaboration and driving innovation within the travel industry. The record attendance and high level of engagement demonstrated the industry’s commitment to working together through periods of significant change.
As we face an era of technological transformation, regulatory shifts, and evolving consumer expectations, events like the PATH Symposium prove invaluable. They provide not just networking opportunities, but genuine platforms for collective problem-solving and strategic thinking. I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this invaluable event. Following are some thoughts shared by some of this year’s participants.
“We value events that prioritize education like the PATH symposium where we are all learning from each other in an open forum format allowing input from advisors, suppliers, and non-profit educators like The Travel Institute.”
Diane Petras, CTIE
President
The Travel Institute
“This year’s PATH had another successful symposium this week in Salt Lake City. This is our 16th Symposium and this year’s event was our largest, bringing together Host Agencies and Suppliers to discuss challenges and opportunities faced by all of us in the travel industry. Anita Pagliasso, President of the PATH board put together an engaging event and we all left with many topics of discussion to work on in the coming months.”
Skip Fortier, TAE
Vice President of Network Expansion
Avoya Travel
“PATH always gives me the opportunity to better understand industry pain points and collaborate on solutions, many of which tie directly back to developing more targeted education.”
Guida Bothelo, CTIE
Director of Education
The Travel Institute
“Every year I’m reminded why PATH is one of my favorite events of the year. It is truly a delight to be surrounded by so many smart travel industry leaders while we focus on how we can better work together to improve our processes and share successes from the past year. Seeing how much everyone is willing to share to help each other out always leaves me inspired and filled with ideas for the future. The more we can collaborate the more we can grow our industry together.”
Sarah Bauman
Vice President of Product Management
VacationPort