Host agency honors winners in the categories of sales, diversity, and advocacy
Brunswick, Ohio (March 2, 2021) – KHM Travel Group was proud to recognize fifteen travel agents, suppliers, and team members as part of the 2020 Agent Awards. The ceremony was streamed live on Facebook and featured the company’s Executive Team sharing their reflections and congratulations to agents for persevering through the past year. The event’s closing keynote was Charles Sylvia, Vice President of Industry and Trade Relations for Cruise Line International Association. Each speaker focused on themes of adaptability and hopefulness for the future of travel.
For the past six years, KHM Travel Group has recognized its top-producing travel agents as Crystal Award winners during the annual Crystal Conference. This year marked the first time the event took place online. Several new awards were added to celebrate those who went above and beyond during the challenging year.
In addition to naming top agents/agencies based on sales, agent-nominated Regional Impact Awards honored those who served as advocates and leaders for their fellow travel advisors. For KHM Travel Group’s 15th anniversary in 2020, the KHM Travel Group Agent Hall of Fame was established to recognize an agent with exceptional sales and tenure, along with a history of following KHM Travel Group’s Core Values in all interactions. During the awards ceremony, Vice President of Sales Geoff Cox outlined the criteria for the Hall of Fame award and announced its first inductee, Alison Turner. The KHM Travel Group Executive Team will meet annually to identify and select future nominees.
Also new this year are two awards that highlight KHM Travel Group’s commitment to building a culture of diversity, inclusion and equality. First, is the Diversity in Action award, given to Carnival Cruise Line for representing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their marketing and overall product. Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Trade Marketing Adolfo Perez accepted the award on behalf of the Carnival family. KHM Travel Group also honored two team members with awards for their contributions to the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee in 2020.
View the full list of winners below.
REGIONAL IMPACT AWARDS
East/Mid-Atlantic Regions: Kiesha Lizaire
Midwest Region: Vickie Barritt
Gulf Coast/Southeast Regions: Karen Beasley
Southwest Region: Jami Turner
West Region: Sue Bradford
DIVERSITY IN ACTION
Carnival Cruise Line
AGENT DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION AMBASSADOR AWARD
Laurence Pinckney, Zenbiz Travel LLC
CORPORATE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION AMBASSADOR AWARD
Carolyn Sekerak, Creative Marketing Director for KHM Travel Group
Ashley Newton, Lead Video Content Specialist for KHM Travel Group
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Patricia Seiber, Hotspots Destination
RISING STAR AWARD
Sherri Holt, Vision Travel
AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Emily’s Travel, Emily Bookey
AGENT OF THE YEAR
Cheryl Mitchell, Vacations by Cheryl
LIMELIGHT AWARD
Bill Coyle, Director of Education and Programs for KHM Travel Group
AGENT HALL OF FAME AWARD
Alison Turner, Powell Travel and Tours LLC
ABOUT KHM TRAVEL GROUP
KHM Travel Group is an award-winning host travel agency, currently supporting independent travel advisors across the United States. With an innovative education and support program, the KHM Travel Group team works to empower, educate, support, and promote independent travel agents in their journey to build successful businesses. KHM Travel Group is driven by a passion for sharing knowledge and helping others experience the world. Sign up to receive KHM Travel Group’s Travel Advisor Today email at https://khm.io/newsletter.