KHM Travel Group Celebrates Landmark 20th Anniversary at the 2025 Crystal Conference

Award-winning host agency holds action-packed education and networking event

 

Written By:  KHM Travel Group

 

KHM Travel Group’s Crystal Conference was an immersive experience that brought together nonstop inspiration, networking, and entertainment from March 2-6, 2025. This Crystal was the first since 2015 that took place on land and brought 500+ travel agents, suppliers, and team members to Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs Area.

 

To celebrate two decades of excellence in the industry, KHM Travel Group elevated every aspect of the event—from the lineup of speakers, number of team members in attendance, to the fun that was woven into each day. The event featured an impressive lineup of speakers, each offering unique expertise to inspire and empower attendees.

 

 

Highlights included:

• David Pritchard: Health & performance coach
• Vicki Freed: Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President of Sales, Trade Support and Service
• Angela Hughes: Travel entrepreneur, influencer, and educator
• Denella Ri’chard: Award-winning executive producer and tv host
• David Shull: Co-founder and CEO at Tern
• Tom Carpenter: Founder and managing attorney of Carpenter Law Group, P.C.
• Land panelists Archy Arushanyan (Globus family of brands), Soalcris Bolton (Vacation Express), Kristen Molloy (Delta Vacations), Jim Tedesco (ALG Vacations), Ryan Grissett (Collette), and Garth Laird (Unique Vacations)
• Cruise panelists Derek Lloyd (Norwegian Cruise Line), Vicki Freed (Royal Caribbean International), Justin French (Carnival Cruise Line), Katina Athanasiou (Celebrity Cruises), and Kristy Woolums (Virgin Voyages)

 

Entertainment included a special performance of “Try Everything” from Zootopia, with some magical, surprise guests from Disney Destinations at the opening session on Monday. One of the most anticipated moments of the conference was Monday’s Crystal Award Ceremony, which honored outstanding achievements in 56 categories. The ceremony featured exclusive performances from Royal Caribbean International act MO5AIC and Norwegian Cruise Line’s ‘Revolution: A Celebration of Prince.’ The event was livestreamed and remains available on KHMCrystal.com.

 

Throughout the event, KHM Travel Group’s Executive Team remarked about the history and future of KHM Travel Group.

 

“In KHM Travel Group’s early years, we were moving fast—navigating growth, compliance, and challenges. I’m not a trained educator, but I knew business—from being a travel agent in the ’70s to running a remodeling company in the ’80s. And when KHM Travel Group was born, I leaned on a simple truth: ‘surround yourself with the right people.’ We’ve been in the process of building a diverse, talented team, and I truly believe KHM Travel Group is now an unstoppable force,” said President and CEO Rick Zimmerman. “We have incredible young professionals rising as the leaders of tomorrow, and I believe we are on the path to becoming a 100-year company, built on partnerships, integrity, and innovation.”

 

 

Other key event highlights were an afternoon at Universal Orlando (with a float of KHM Travel Group agents and staff in the Mardi Gras parade!), silent disco, Virgin Voyages Float On Party, interactive supplier expo, daily wellness activities, and a KHM Cares fundraiser for Give Kids the World Village that brought in $12,339 for critically ill children and their families.

 

KHM Travel Group’s 2026 Crystal Conference will take place on Norwegian Encore on February 21, 2026 for a 7-Day Caribbean cruise.

 

View our 2025 conference recap video at: https://youtu.be/zOaaSKE3Ff8 and photos from the event at: https://khm.io/crystal-25-photos

 

 

ABOUT KHM TRAVEL GROUP

KHM Travel Group is an award-winning host travel agency, currently supporting over 5,000 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 journeys to build successful businesses. KHM Travel Group is driven by a set of People First Core Values and passion for helping others experience the world. Learn more at KHMTravel.com.