KHM Travel Group started as a small, family-owned business in Brunswick, Ohio. Now, 17 years later, they have grown to be a powerhouse in the independent travel agent community with a focus on caring for each agent—and a multi-suite complex to house their growing employee base (70+). With a first-class listing over at Host Agency Reviews and 4,500+ independent agents around the US, they must be doing something right.
KHM knows the position of agents is to provide the traveler with the best travel experience possible, and has made it a goal to provide the tools and training to facilitate this.
“Education has always been the hallmark of who we are. Part of the education process is really getting to know our travel advisors. Every advisor has the unique ability to reach different people and create travel experiences for them,” said President and CEO Rick Zimmerman.
This is evident in that KHM Travel Group has implemented multiple ways of helping the travel agent—particularly those following in their Core Values. Including the KHM Cares charitable initiatives committee; and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee created to diversify their workforce and ways of supporting their diverse group of agent partners who serve an equally diverse group of clients.
And, even recently, they continue to provide agents with the tools they need to do this. Recently, they hosted over 90 agents and 70 suppliers with their Destination Success event. There, the agents were presented with tips from suppliers, panels, trade show, and a keynote speech from the Executive Vice President of ALG Vacations, Jacki Marks. Images and video are available of the packed out event which took place near the company’s headquarters in Independence, Ohio. “After almost two years of only seeing our agents virtually or talking over the phone, it has been truly wonderful to get out to both industry and KHM Travel Group sponsored events this year to engage with our advisors and supplier partners face-to face”, said Bill Coyle, VP of Agent Engagement.
Also on KHM Travel’s informative YouTube channel that publishes new videos weekly, videos for the newer agent such as How to Talk Like a Travel Agent: 25 Cruise Terms to Know or weekly episodes on their website of KHM Today, a talk show with news and interviews about the latest happenings in the travel agent community. Staying up on the latest developments in the community has gotten much easier.
KHM Travel Group also has big plans for the future, mainly the annual Crystal Conference in 2023. Being held in February aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, this event is set to be their biggest yet. There are still almost 7 months till this event and they already have 250 agents registered.
Most agents/advisors can attest to the basic needs of improvement in their field: education, personal support and, of course, technology like portals and marketing tools to help their journey of following a dream become a reality. KHM Travel Group has made it their goal to keep the travel agent up to date, informed, and ready to tackle all that comes with providing travelers with a great experience.
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