The Travel Institute Unveils Q2 PEP Talks: Complimentary Learning Opportunities for Travel Professionals

‘Something for Everyone’ in Knowledge-Packed, Tuition-Free Lineup

 

FRAMINGHAM, MA, March 24, 2025 – The Travel Institute announces its Q2 2025 event calendar with a continued robust list of PEP Talks—complimentary, expert learning events held live and online, as led by members of its Professional Educators Program, or PEP. Nearly 70 top trainers, thought leaders and subject matter experts from both inside and outside the travel industry—are now included on The Travel Institute’s PEP roster, giving both new and experienced travel professionals the opportunity to gain valuable, actionable insight on timely topics year-round at no cost. 

 

“Agents who take the time and effort to attend PEP Talks clearly have ‘skin in the game’ and are serious about building their businesses,” explained Mike Marchev, CTC, MBA and long-time PEP member with expertise in sales and marketing. “As a life-long learner, I take great pleasure in sharing my expertise with eager and proactive travel entrepreneurs,” continued Marchev, a travel industry veteran. 

 

Each year, thousands of travel professionals attend PEP Talks and other webinars hosted by The Travel Institute; timely topics include artificial intelligence, service fees, becoming an agent, home office productivity, specialization, and more. Open to all travel professionals, the 2025 Q2 event schedule includes:

• Grow Your Group Business with These 10 Strategies April 10, 11 am EDT Travel entrepreneurs know the extraordinary benefits of building a profitable group sales niche. However, using outdated, old-school methods reduces performance, profitability, and potential. Group sales guru Stuart L. Cohen, MCC, Chief Motivation Officer is a well-known motivational speaker and shares the newest strategies for revitalizing your group sales.
  

• Risk Management: Legal Tips for Travel Agents April 15, 12:30 pm EDT Attorney Chun T. Wright, PLLC, provides legal strategies to protect yourself and your company in this important session. Learn about the differences among a sole proprietor, an LLC, and a corporation; insurance options and benefits, such as E&O; traveler disclosure requirements; common disclaimers and waivers; and protecting intellectual property while avoiding infringement claims.

 

• The State of Travel Agency Acquisitions in 2025 May 8, Noon EDT Join Doug Haugen, senior matchmaker, and Bob Sweeney, president, Innovative Travel Acquisitions, Inc. and learn 5 essential tips for buyers and 10 critical tips for sellers, as well as strategies to avoid pitfalls during the buying and selling process. You will also gain guidance on how to effectively value your agency.

 

• Expanding Your Business by Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone May 12, 12:30 pm EDT Getting out of your comfort zone isn’t just a challenge—it’s a game-changer! Stacey Cabell, CTIE, founder of Starstuff Travel, explains how pushing past fear and embracing discomfort unlocks opportunities you never imagined for your travel business. Along the way, you’ll learn how to shift your mindset to overcome self-doubt and stay focused on achieving your biggest goals. From trying new marketing strategies, building relationships in unfamiliar spaces, and boldly pursuing dreams that seem out of reach, you’ll come away with actionable strategies and personal insights to fuel your growth and take your career to the next level.
  

• Secrets of Successfully Selling Travel May 15, 2 pm EDT  Selling travel can be challenging! While host agencies and franchises prioritize attracting prospects and retaining customers, the key lies in mastering the sale itself, explains session host Dan Chappelle, founder, The Wealthy Travel Agent Academy. Major cruise lines and tour operators invest significantly in sales training for their vacation planners – shouldn’t you do the same? Based on his bestselling book, Get Your S.H.I.P. Together, this PEP Talk equips you with a proven process to attract and convert prospects into clients to boost your commissions.

 

• You Hired a New Person: Now What? May 22, 1 pm EDT Onboarding is key with new employees and independent contractors, yet it takes time away from selling and managing. Join Guida Botelho, CTIE, senior director of education at The Travel Institute, to design a training program that fits your agency and ensures a well-trained team, taking advantage of readily available resources and allowing you to focus training only on internal processes and policies.

 

• Rail Travel 101 featuring USA with Amtrak Vacations May 28, 1 pm EDT Join Jim Marini, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Railbookers, for an engaging overview of Amtrak Vacations, which experienced a record 32.8 million passengers in the U.S. last year as demand for rail service continues to grow. Combining the thrill of riding the rails with inclusive travel packages for one-of-a-kind vacations throughout North America, clients will have access to rates and availability you won’t find anywhere else from any one of 500+ Amtrak stations across North America.
  

• DISC Personality Styles and Teamwork June 5, 2 pm EDT The DISC personality model is widely used to understand individual differences in behavior and personality. Join Victoria Ann Akkerman, CTIE Operations Manager, ABT, to learn about four primary personality types: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C), and understand the unique traits, motivations and communication styles of each to help manage your team.

 

• Dealing with Difficult Clients June 19, Noon EDT  No matter how workplace respect is encouraged or enforced, most agents still encounter difficult clients from time to time. If ignored or mishandled, poor behaviors can devastate relationships and ultimately impact your business. Consultant Paul Pelletier, LL.B., PMP, shares a number of proactive, preventative measures to manage these behaviors and to implement an effective strategy for improved relationships and interactions, even under the most challenging circumstances.

 

“There is absolutely something for every agent at every level on our knowledge-packed Q2 PEP Talk calendar,” asserted Carla Smith, CTA, director of membership, who oversees the complimentary event calendar for The Travel Institute, emphasizing “the high-caliber, impressive lineup of experts” assembled.

 

Live PEP Talk attendance is complimentary for all agents while also being archived and available on-demand 24/7 for subscribers of The Travel Institute’s online continued learning library. Starting in 2025, these subscribers also benefit from additional “perks” from PEP members, including discounts as well as content, such as a recent white paper on how to best select a CRM, provided by Mark McCowan, CTIE, sales for TRES Technologies, North America.

 

Subscriber Marina Haksteen, CTC, says access to PEP Talks and other library content 24/7 is “a must” for agents looking for long-term industry success. “The Travel Institute’s PEP Talks and other content is extremely important. I stay up-to-date at my convenience and understand how to deal with new issues and challenges, ensuring I’m always at my very best with my travelers while also growing my business.” 

 

Along with timely, actionable learning, certified graduates of The Travel Institute gain two continuing education units, or CEUs, for attendance toward the 10 required annually to keep certification current. As an independent, non-profit educational organization and with advisors “aging out” across all levels throughout the industry, The Travel Institute is focused on affordability, including both low-tuition and no-tuition/free education resources, to maximize its reach and accessibility for all travel professionals, including front-line, entry level agents, mid-level managers and senior industry leaders.

 

Smith encouraged travel professionals to check the FULL event calendar for additional learning opportunities, regular updates and to sign up. The calendar also includes a variety of additional complimentary webinars year-round to provide guidance for both new and experienced agents looking to advance through certification, specialization and other educational programs.

 

The Travel Institute relies on individuals and organizations to support its work to create relevant, meaningful, rigorous and affordable coursework for agents at all career stages. Donate funding, share your expertise with students, or learn more about sponsorships in support of agent, traveler, and industry success.  

 

About PEP

 

The Travel Institute’s Professional Educators Program roster includes trainers, educators and speakers from both inside and outside the travel industry. Established in 2011, PEP is a collection of thought leaders who share their expertise with travel professionals ongoing via PEP Talks—live online lectures that are also recorded, white papers, newsletters, blogs, and more. The Travel Institute’s certified graduates earn two continuing education units, or CEUs, toward annual ongoing education requirements for attending PEP Talks or other career-related programming. Space is limited and early sign-up is encouraged. Presented live, PEP Talks—along with nearly 200 already recorded lectures and other valuable content—are also available on-demand via The Travel Institute’s Premium Access online content library member/subscription program. 

 

ABOUT THE TRAVEL INSTITUTE

 

A collaborative industry effort created in 1964, The Travel Institute has continuously evolved to maintain its role as the global leader and industry’s recognized gold standard in travel industry education and certification. Dedicated solely to advancing the professionalism of both agents and industry leaders in support of individual and industry success, The Travel Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, independent organization operating exclusively for educational purposes to meet the ever-changing needs of travel agents. Working with leaders throughout the industry to create and deliver relevant and rigorous coursework and proctored, closed-book testing to ensure graduates demonstrate the highest standards of expertise and service, The Travel Institute has more than 30,000 Certified Travel Associate, CTA®; Certified Travel Counselor, CTC®; and Certified Travel Industry Executive, CTIE® graduates. It also administers the Travel Agent Proficiency, or TAP®, exam to confirm students new to the industry demonstrate a mastery of travel industry basics.

 

Countless individuals, agency owners and managers, and educational institutions utilize The Travel Institute’s award-winning TRIPKITSM introductory program and CTA® as their learning tools of choice. A trusted partner to industry suppliers and educational institutions, The Travel Institute is also the approved provider of travel industry civilian occupation training for U.S. military and has trained hundreds of thousands through various courses, webinars, and Premium Access online library content. Throughout North America, many successful agents and high-profile leaders credit their success to coursework from The Travel Institute. Learn more.