About 725 travel advisors, supplier partners, Nexion staffers and
Internova leaders gathered September 8–10 at Universal Orlando’s Loews Sapphire
Falls Resort for Nexion Travel Group’s annual CoNexion
conference. This year’s event marked a milestone for the host travel agency:
Nexion’s 30th anniversary.
Nexion President Jackie Friedman reflected on three decades of progress.
“More than anything, it’s 30 years of building something truly special—a
community,” she told attendees. “A community that’s made up of you, our
passionate travel advisors; our dedicated supplier partners; and our amazing
Nexion and Internova teams. At the heart of it all is our purpose: to drive
success for you, our advisors, and for our partners, who are walking alongside
you every step of the way.”
A Growing Network of Independent Travel Advisors
Friedman shared that Nexion has now grown to nearly 6,400 advisors in the
U.S. and Canada, up 4% over last year, with sales this year expected to
approach $1 billion. Of the 1,200 new advisors joining Nexion this year, Friedman
estimates that roughly 70% are new to the industry or have less than two years
of experience, with teachers and nurses two of the top professions that end up doing
well with second careers as travel advisors.
A recent survey of 218 members revealed the most popular bookings among
Nexion advisors. Cruises remain the leading product sold, with 71% of advisors
citing them as the most common trip booked, followed by family vacations (56%),
custom itineraries (46%), luxury travel (40%) and groups (34%). “We’re seeing
more and more folks moving their business upmarket,” Friedman said. “And that
bodes well because that segment is more resilient than some of the other travel
segments.”
Internova Leadership on Stage
Throughout three days of general sessions, attendees heard from a roster
of preferred suppliers and industry executives.
Leaders from Internova Travel
Group, Nexion’s parent company, emphasized the scale and strength behind the
host agency. “Being part of Internova is like being a part of a big telephone
book,” said Michael Batt, founder and chairman of Internova Travel Group. “It
means you have access to all these different programs. You have access to help
on so many levels.”
CEO J.D. O’Hara pointed out that Internova now represents 111,000
advisors worldwide and nearly $30 billion in sales. “One of the reasons I love
coming to [CoNexion] is because this is the most engaged, tight-knit community
in our entire company,” he told attendees.
Peter Vlitas, executive vice president of partner
relations, emphasized the strength of SNAP, Internova’s air program, which
includes 180 airlines. “We have by far the strongest program in
the United States,” said Vlitas. “An advisor booking air through Internova
makes more money than any of our peers.”
Added Angie Licea, president of Internova’s Global Travel Collection:
“Internova has the largest hotel program of any agency in the world.” Licea advised
members to think like entrepreneurs, maximizing their online presence,
highlighting their value, and managing their client portfolios strategically.
“If you’re not charging transaction fees, think about it. You are a
professional services company. Know that they’re with you because you add
value.”
Jeremy Van Kuyk, Internova’s chief information officer, urged advisors to
take advantage of the AgentMate web portal, Agent Profiler for lead generation
and Nexion’s many marketing solutions. “It’s really up to you to engage with
these platforms,” he said. “We will keep building them for you, and with
artificial intelligence (AI) coming online, we have put a tremendous amount of
investment into AI tools and technologies.”
Marketing Tools and Educational Events
Nexion executives spotlighted their expanding portfolio of tools and
educational opportunities for advisors. The Marketing Lab, launched last year,
continues to grow with bundled packages for advisors at competitive prices.
“Let’s be honest—creativity can be a little overwhelming, right? That’s why we
have the Lab, your personal creative team,” said Mai da Pra, Nexion’s senior
director of marketing. The Business Starter Package, for example, includes
designs for a custom logo, business card, email signature and letterhead, while
the Social Media Toolkit includes customized Instagram carousel albums and Reel
templates, as well as profile and cover images optimized for social media
platforms.
Rich Ferrucci, director of educational programs, outlined the many
training events available for advisors throughout the year. New offerings
include the two-day Canada CANex, exclusively for Canadian advisors, taking
place April 27–28, 2026, in Toronto. After a successful launch this year in
Cocoa Beach, Florida, the Cruise Sales Summit will next take place in
Vancouver, British Columbia, May 20–23, 2026.
Advisors with the Nexion 30 sign outside the 30th anniversary gala. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Making Connections
The inaugural Cruise Sales Summit was “great,” said Mary Hawthorne, owner
of Journeys with Mary in Panama City Beach, Florida. The summit was her first
Nexion educational event since entering the industry in May 2024 after decades
as a stay-at-home mom.
Hawthorne received Nexion’s Rising Star Award, which recognizes a new
advisor who has achieved significant sales, has an inspiring personal story,
and has shown strong engagement with Nexion education and resources, as well as
preferred suppliers. Hawthorne has already earned ASTA's Verified Travel
Advisor certification and is pursuing her Certified Travel Associate
designation from The Travel Institute.
Attending her first CoNexion, Hawthorne praised the host agency’s
collegial atmosphere. “It’s like a family,” she said, adding that the advisors
she’s met go out of their way to offer each other support. “Everybody at Nexion
has just been outstanding. I can’t say enough good things about them.”
Vickie White, owner of Vickie White Travel in Sherman, Texas, is a
49-year industry veteran who has attended most CoNexions since joining the
company in 2009. White said CoNexion reinvigorates her: “I’m an independent
contractor, so I work from home. Sometimes I miss having an office around me
just to bounce back ideas and hear things from other people. It’s fun to hear
other people’s enthusiasm. I always learn something.”
Advisor Inspiration
In addition to hearing the latest from preferred suppliers—who were also
available at the Preferred Partner Trade Show—advisors attending CoNexion
general sessions learned from other advisors through NEXtalks. For example,
Mike Plumton—chief joy architect at the Happy Factory agency in Philadelphia,
and co-leader of Nexion’s Travel with Pride group—spoke about making inclusion
a pillar of his business.
“It’s about setting up my guests for core memory experiences where they
can fully be themselves,” said Plumton. “No traveler should ever have to pack
away a part of who they are to experience the world.”
CoNexion’s many educational sessions included the popular Idea Exchange,
moderated by Friedman; Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara Cruises; and Vicki
Freed, senior vice president of sales, trade support and service at Royal
Caribbean International.
In this session, advisors shared valuable tips, including sending
"Thanks a Latte" Starbucks gift cards to clients for referrals,
asking clients to tag you on their social media posts from vacations you
planned, and giving clients Christmas ornaments from Shutterfly featuring
photos from their trips.
“This class especially has inspired me so much, because when you’ve been
in the business for so long, you just do the same old thing,” said Susie Bruno
of Bruno Vacation Central in Pensacola, Florida, who’s been in the business for
40-plus years. “Now I’m excited to get back.”
Giving Back
This year’s conference also carried moments of remembrance. CoNexion paid
tribute to the late Nexion executive Robbi Hamida, who died in July. To honor
him, Friedman announced an auction of Hamida’s signature suits, with proceeds
benefiting the Family Bonds Foundation and Hamida’s charity of choice, the
Chicago Architecture Foundation.
In all, attendees at CoNexion raised $176,000 for the Family Bonds
Foundation. “For 10 years now, the Family Bonds Foundation has been helping
people in the travel industry who are in need,” said Friedman, who serves as
Family Bonds’ president. “Since its inception, the foundation has raised well
over a million dollars and has given grants to hundreds of deserving
recipients.”
Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group. (Photo Credit: Nexion)
Anniversary Celebrations
Festive events at CoNexion included the opening night party in
Universal Studios’ New York area, where attendees enjoyed exclusive access to
rides, and the glitzy 30th Anniversary Gala, where advisors and
suppliers alike received awards.
Reflecting on Nexion’s 30 years, and her 21-year tenure at the company, Friedman
pointed to her proudest accomplishment: “It would be assembling the team that
we have today—seeing that team, seeing our advisors grow, seeing them become
more successful, seeing more and more of them achieving sales milestones every
year… I couldn’t be prouder.”
In fact, 371 advisors earned the Circle of Excellence award this year,
which is given to the members who have sold the most land, air, cruise and tour packages with preferred suppliers.
Thirty earned the MillionAir award for selling at least $1 million in airline
tickets, of which 75% must be from preferred air partners.
“The number
of Circle of Excellence winners we had, and seeing that number get bigger every
year, that’s a testament to the fact that our advisors are reaching higher
tiers and becoming more successful,” said Friedman.
Above all, she emphasized the spirit
of community that has defined Nexion since its founding. “Every year, I
think CoNexion keeps getting better and better,” she said. “One of the comments
I hear so often is it gives advisors that shot in the arm, that little bump of
adrenaline to go back and relight that fire. Just seeing them engage and collaborate—that’s
what it’s really all about. And that’s why our theme every year is simply:
connection.”
Next Year in Austin
If CoNexion 2025 was about celebrating 30 years, the
next CoNexion promises to build on that momentum—Texas-style. The conference
will take place in Austin from Sept. 2–4,
2026. That was welcome news to Lone Star State members such as Tina Valdez of
Experience Travelin in Buda, Texas.
“Bringing it to Austin is going to probably bring
CoNexion to a whole new level,” said Valdez. “'Keep Austin Weird,’ that’s what
it’s known for. I think it will be a lot of fun.”
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