Avoya Travel Wins Four Travel Weekly Magellan Awards for Innovation and Technology
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – October 25, 2022 – Avoya Travel®, one of the travel industry’s most innovative brands, has been honored with four of Travel Weekly magazine’s esteemed 2022 Magellan Awards. The prestigious awards distinguish Avoya as a travel industry leader with innovative initiatives and groundbreaking technology that further the company’s reputation as the number one vacation platform delivering unmatched services and support to the Independent Agencies in the Avoya Travel Network™, preferred suppliers, and travelers alike.
Avoya’s world-class technology, industry-leading marketing, and unrivaled educational opportunities were recognized with Gold Magellan Awards in the ‘Travel Agent Innovation’, ‘Advertising/Marketing Campaign’, and ‘Blog’ categories, and Silver in the ‘Live Events’ category. Avoya’s many award-winning initiatives exemplify its dedication to helping Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network grow successful businesses and deliver exceptional vacation value and experiences to even more travelers. Avoya’s Magellan Award-winning programs include:
- Evolution of Live Leads™: Avoya Travel is well-known in the travel industry for its Live Leads program, the only patented solution for offering leads, exclusive to the Avoya Network. During the pandemic, Avoya combined data intelligence and cutting-edge technology to design a new lead type called Avoya Smart Leads™. Avoya Smart Leads continue to close at a higher rate than that of a standard Live Lead. In early 2022, Avoya was awarded a patent for its groundbreaking Avoya Lead Scoring™ technology. Avoya Lead Scoring uses statistical modeling to identify the likelihood of a particular lead resulting in a sale based on a multitude of signal points.
In May 2022, Avoya launched Avoya Appointment Leads™, which allow clients to establish a time window they would like to be contacted by an Independent Agency. Ensuring the client is ready and willing to speak with an agency significantly increases the likelihood of reaching the client and more than doubles the Avoya Network’s closing rate on those prospects. Avoya continues to develop new innovations for its Live Leads program including further evolutions of the Smart Leads algorithm, continual training of the Lead Scoring artificial intelligence model, and enhanced integration of the leads processing system, making Avoya the vacation platform with the most expansive and comprehensive lead distribution technology in the travel industry.
- The Avoya Traveler eMagazine: Avoya Travel launched a next-generation digital magazine called The Avoya Traveler in March 2022 that will be published on a quarterly basis and is highlighted through omnichannel marketing campaigns featuring email marketing, paid media, social media, and more. The Avoya Traveler is also available in the Avoya Marketing Resource Center for Independent Agencies to use in their agency’s personal marketing efforts with assets for email templates and social media; the digital magazine can also be sent to clients via text message.
Eschewing the traditional “brochure” design of many eMagazines, The Avoya Traveler is built with the traveler in mind, intended to serve beyond just informational purposes but as a form of entertainment. In addition to destination, experience, and product-specific content, the digital magazine includes exclusive promotions from Avoya and supplier advertisements aimed at driving incremental sales. With preferred supplier highlights and spotlights, featured itineraries, inspirational photos, travel news, recipes, and more, The Avoya Traveler meets the needs of travelers regardless of where they are in the vacation planning process. The eMagazine also offers a platform for suppliers to influence their presence in Avoya marketing, acting as an extension of their brand and increasing awareness of various travel types and products that travelers may otherwise be unfamiliar with.
- Avoya Travel Blog: Avoya Travel overhauled its travel blog on AvoyaTravel.com in late 2021, completely re-designing the front and back end to provide a seamless customer experience including topic filters and a dynamic design layout, making Avoya a go-to resource for the research phase of the vacation planning process. With more engaging and inspiring content, greater ease of navigation, and an upgraded customer experience, the revitalized travel blog offers valuable information no matter where a traveler is in their booking process.
In addition to increasing the overall value proposition of the Avoya vacation platform for travelers through the travel blog, Avoya’s preferred suppliers can expand their reach in the marketplace through key brand and product features, advertising space, and engaging articles, all targeted to high-intent travelers who are spending more time onsite. With an increased footprint throughout the customer journey, Avoya is cementing itself as a one-stop-shop for researching, planning, and booking vacations.
- Avoya Immersion Events: Beginning in 2022, Avoya Travel created a series of Immersion Events to immerse the Avoya Network in a specific brand’s product: Academies, Boot Camps, and Experiential FAMs. Combining education with experience boosts knowledge and confidence thus helping attendees expand their product selling expertise and become an extension of the supplier’s brand. The events feature a virtual segment with a rigorous educational agenda aimed at teaching attendees about the brand and its identity, which also includes thorough reviews of the brand’s target demographics, online systems, up-selling strategies, overcoming objections, and more. Education continues in-person with brand presentations, Q&A sessions, optional 1:1 meetings, and supplier office hours to gain even more in-depth knowledge. While in-person, attendees become familiar with the product through immersive experiences including tours, scavenger hunts, excursions, dine-arounds, wine/spirit tastings, and more.
Post-event, Avoya and the supplier co-host a Virtual Travel Night for consumers to provide Independent Agencies with an avenue to share their excitement for the brand with the benefit of an exclusive promotion to help them close even more sales.
“Avoya Travel couldn’t be more proud of this recognition for our best-in-class technology, marketing initiatives, and Independent Agency support,” said Sam McCully, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Avoya Travel. “With the evolution of the Avoya platform we continue to develop unparalleled technology advancements to help Independent Agencies earn at higher levels while increasing the market share of our preferred suppliers through our omnichannel marketing solutions, all while delivering unmatched vacation experiences to travelers. We’re thrilled to be honored with these Magellan Awards that demonstrate that continued progress.”
The annual Travel Weekly Magellan Awards honor the best in travel across the entire spectrum of industry segments and salute outstanding travel professionals. Winners are selected by Travel Weekly editors and industry experts such as Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News; Norie Quintos, Editor at Large for National Geographic Travel Media; Patricia Schultz, Author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die; Johnny Jet, Travel Blogger and one of Forbes’ Top 10 Travel Influencers; and many more.
To learn more visit: www.AvoyaNetwork.com.
About Avoya Travel
Avoya Travel is redefining how vacations are booked by connecting travelers with independent travel advisors who deliver personalized service and value. Through its proprietary digital platform and vast demand channels, Avoya offers software and services to thousands of companies including cruise lines, resorts, tour companies, and independent travel agencies. Avoya has won numerous awards for its technology and innovation, including holding multiple patents, and serves travelers in North America and beyond. For more information, please visit AvoyaTravel.com.
Media Contact: PublicRelations@AvoyaTravel.com