Welcome to Humans in the Hot Seat, a spinoff series of Humans of Travel. This is Emma Weissmann, Managing Editor at TravelAge West, and your host.

Over the coming weeks, we will be interviewing the finalists of the TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards, which were created to acknowledge the work of exceptional travel advisors. This year, TravelAge West honored travel advisors in five categories, and named a winner and a runner-up and each category.

Today, you’ll hear from the sixth travel advisor in this series: Kirsten Andrade, the winner in the category of Best Targeted Marketing Idea. After Disney unveiled their Genie+ system, some guests were confused and frustrated. Recognizing a need for more resources, Kirsten leveraged her agency’s expertise to create a solution. Her already popular Facebook group developed the first-ever consumer-facing Genie Masterclass aimed at comprehensively teaching the system, leading to increased sales and new loyal followers.

This episode was sponsored by Allianz Partners.

Kirsten's Trendsetter award was sponsored by Princess Cruises.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Favorite Grampy Travels

ABOUT YOUR HOST 

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print magazine and website for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Trade Secrets, a podcast created with sister publication Travel Weekly. 

TravelAge West also produces national trade publications Explorer and Family Getaways, as well as events including the Future Leaders in Travel Retreat, Global Travel Marketplace West, the WAVE Awards gala and the Napa Valley Leadership Forum. 

ABOUT THE SHOW 

TravelAge West’s podcast, “Humans of Travel,” features conversations with exceptional people who have compelling stories to tell. Listeners will hear from the travel industry’s notable authorities, high-profile executives, travel advisors and rising stars as they share the highs and lows that make them human.