EVENT SCHEDULE

7:30AM - 8:15AM Breakfast & Opening Remarks: Writing Your Next Chapter

Welcome to Future Leaders
Presented by Mindy Poder, Editor-in-Chief, TravelAge West

Meet the Future Leaders Guides

Ice Breaker: Maitre D, sponsored by Costa Rica Tourism Board
In this fast-paced, on-your-feet game, attendees will mingle in “parties of X”, responding to questions presented on stage that help advisors and suppliers forge connections with new-to-them faces at the start of Future Leaders.
Presented by Chelsee Lowe, Senior Editor, TravelAge West; and Cherise Nketiah, Lead Destination Specialist, Costa Rica Tourism Board

Introducing the Intention Wall, sponsored by Riverside Luxury Cruises
Attendees will be invited to make their thinking visible on the communal Future Leaders Intention Wall. Guides will model responding to prompts Stop, Start, Ask and Grow, and contributions to the wall will serve as a thread throughout the event, revisited on days 2 and 3 to inspire connection and goal-setting.
Presented by Ian Duncan, Director of Sales, Northeastern US, Riverside Luxury Cruises; and Jen Halboth, Chief Executive Officer, Riverside Luxury Cruises

8:25AM - 9:45AM Appointments

9:55AM - 10:45AM Workshop: Business Bingo, sponsored by Travel Insured International

In this practical workshop, participants will assess their business practices to learn what they’re managing well — and what they are missing. The session will include insight on lead generation and capture, client demand and revenue streams, beating seasonality, business protections and more, leaving advisors with actionable plans for filling the gaps in their agencies.
Presented by Chris Accomando, Senior Vice President Of Business Development, Sceptre Vacations; and Phil Blackwell, Vice President of Business Development & Partnership, Travel Insured International 

10:55AM - 12:15PM General Session  

Pitch Perfect
In this fast-paced, gameshow-style general session, suppliers are on the clock to “pitch” their product (or destination) to our lineup of discerning Future Leaders Guides and, ultimately, win their business. Suppliers will walk away with insights on how to refine their elevator pitch for different client scenarios, while travel advisors will learn how to better qualify supplier partners during the trip-planning process.
Moderated by Catherine Brask, Senior Marketing Director, Northstar Travel Group; with Dupree Smith, Director of Sales, Bahamas Tourism Ministry; Cesarina Correa, Business Development Manager, Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism; Carmen Gashnikov, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Europe Express; Daniela Prudencio, Representative, Titanium Tours; and Jose Enrique Narvaez Galaz, VidantaWorld

A word from Titanium Tours

The 2026 Future Leaders Social Media Contest, sponsored by Alaska - Visit Anchorage
Presented by Alizajane Hicks, Social Media Manager, Retail Group; and Kara Troglin, Tourism Sales Manager, Alaska - Visit Anchorage

Spotlight, presented by ALG Vacations
Presented by Maria Hung, Business Development Manager- New Growth Development, ALG Vacations

Welcome from our Host Hotel
Presented by Lomas Hospitality

12:15PM - 1:15PM Lunch

1:25PM - 2:25PM Workshop: Unlearn Everything: 7 Things You're Doing Wrong (Because Someone Told You To), sponsored by Vacation Planners

Somebody handed you a script. A checklist. A "this is just how it's done" playbook — so you followed it. And you're doing fine. Booking trips, hitting numbers, getting by. You think it's working... but is it?

In this session, we're ripping the Band-Aid off the habits nobody questions anymore — the words quietly costing you the sale, the introduction that tells a client you're replaceable before you've said hello, why chasing referrals the way you were taught makes you look desperate instead of trusted, why asking for a "budget" is basically asking your client to lie to you. This isn't a lecture for advisors who are struggling. It's an intervention for advisors who are good — and have no idea how much better they could be.
Presented by Jenn Lee, President, Vacation Planners

2:35PM - 3:25PM General Session: Afternoon Recharge

Trade Secrets Podcast Recording: Ask a Lawyer

What legal questions keep you up at night? From client disputes and contracts to commissions, liability, independent contractor issues and everything in between, this interactive session gives advisors and suppliers the chance to ask their questions to Stephanie Rhodes Hankins, travel advisor and travel industry attorney for The Ment Law Group. This session will be moderated by Travel Weekly’s Features Editor, Emma Weissmann, and recorded for an upcoming episode of Travel Weekly’s Trade Secrets podcast.
Presented by Stephanie Rhodes Hankins, Lawyer, Ment Law; and Emma Weissmann, Features Editor, Travel Weekly

3:35PM - 5:10PM Appointments

6:15PM - 9:30PM Dine Around

Join your fellow Future Leaders for a culinary experience around our host property, El Dorado Royale!