Carnival Cruise Lines held a conference and reception earlier this month at its Miami headquarters to recognize 15 travel agencies that were selected to be part of the cruise line’s newly created “Excellence Awards.”
Agencies were selected by Carnival’s sales team for their innovative marketing techniques, brand advocacy and sales success strategies.
During the two-day event, Excellence Award recipients had the opportunity to learn about Carnival’s latest product innovations and marketing strategies through informative presentations by Carnival’s management team.
Excellence Award representatives also enjoyed a meet and greet with Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerry Cahill, Executive Vice President of Sales and Guest Services Lynn Torrent and Vice President of Worldwide Sales Join Rein and Carnival Corporation & plc Chairman Micky Arison, among others.
Winners also received complimentary airfare and hotel accommodations and enjoyed a celebratory dinner with the Carnival team at a local restaurant.
Agency winners and representatives included:
- Buffy Aikens, Buffy’s Travel (Duarte, Calif.)
- Steven L. Sibille, Crown’s Adventures at Sea (Metairie, La.)
- Linda Diane Allen, CruiseOne – Allen (Anderson, S.C.)
- Dan Crutchfield, Cruises & Tours Unlimited (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Carol Chau, Expedia CruiseShip Centers, Toronto East
- Philippe Tessier, Expression Voyages (Magog, Quebec)
- Claire Johnson, GalvestonCruises.com (Galveston, Texas)
- Debra Kaastra, Guardian Travel (Chesapeake, Va.)
- John Maguire, International Voyager (Little Falls, N.J.)
- Lisa Morris, KHM Travel Group (Brunswick, Ohio)
- Arnaldo Busutil, Marvel Travel, Inc. (Miami)
- Tyrone Apodaca, Rovia, LLC (Plano, TX)
- Wanda Flemister, Vacation Tour & Travel (Conway, Ark.)
- Mark Brannon, Premier Vacations and Events (Memphis, Tenn.)
- Yoli Del Valle, Worldwide Vacation & Travel (Conway, Ark.)