PHOTO: Sharpe: “The 2014 Signature conference represented a milestone for Signature as the largest in the network’s history.”

The mood at Signature Travel Network’s annual sales meeting and tradeshow was decidedly upbeat, with the organization announcing record-breaking attendance, strong sales for both 2014 and 2015 and a host of new developments for members.

All told, the November conference, held in Las Vegas, attracted 2,100 attendees, including more than 1,200 agents and preferred suppliers representing 57 countries. “This conference represents a wonderful milestone for us,” says Alex Sharpe, Signature’s president and CEO. “It’s the biggest conference that we’ve ever had.”

More good news was to be had on the sales front as well. Ignacio Maza, Signature’s executive president, notes that 2014 was an excellent year for Signature agents, adding that 2015 looks to be even more promising. “It’s going to shape up to be one for the records,” he says.

Following is a snapshot of just some of the announcements and news gleaned from the conference.

Technology. Over the years, Signature has garnered significant renown for its technology program, so it came as no surprise that the network had many announcements on that front.

For starters, Signature has narrowed the field of prospective partners down to two for the development of a client itinerary management app that will replace Pocket Travel Consultant, with an initial rollout scheduled for the first quarter of this year.

It will consolidate all elements of an itinerary, including hotel, air, car and restaurant reservations, for the client in a single format on the app. “Right now agents have a really difficult time getting all that information into a single place, so they’re cutting and pasting different information into Word and reformatting it so it looks the same in every section,” says Karen Yeates, executive vice president-information technologies at Signature.

The app will enable clients to contribute to the overall itinerary as well. Clients will simply send the information in an email to the app, which will format it and slide it into the itinerary. “Then the consultants also know the client has booked it,” says Yeates.

Agents will be able to provide clients with real-time updates. “If clients’ flights have changed, or if an agent has added something new to an itinerary, rather than having to send an email and wait for them to pick it up, the consultant can send the information through the app,” says Yeates.

The app will also include messaging capabilities between agents and their clients.

Very importantly, Signature will push Res Card which agents open for each client booking or inquiry to capture all pertinent customer information into the app, automatically translating and formatting that content.

The app will also incorporate Signature hotel content and amenities, as well as ship itineraries and content, niches and microsites.

For its part, SigNet extranet site has been redesigned to include menus that can be organized with users’ favorite sections at the top of the menu; a dashboard that tracks most frequently used features; bookmark and tagging features; and increased accessibility by making the system compatible with desktop, tablet or mobile devices.

PHOTO: Maza: “Last year was an excellent year for Signature agents, and 2015 looks to be even more promising.”

Signature is also enhancing Cruise Track, its cruise tracking software that notifies agents on changes to a particular cruise and enables them to pass along the information to clients. As soon as agents create the Res Card booking, Signature begins tracking all elements of the cruise for them, including itinerary changes, port changes and new promotions. “Very soon we will allow agents to track just the specific categories that they booked, which will automatically happen from the Res Cards,” says Yeates.

Signature is also enhancing Client Reach, which sends out customized batch emails from agents to their clients, to enable agents to send messages to clients who are quoted but not booked.

Client Reach will also enable agents to choose their preferred insurance partners, incorporating links for clients to book directly within the messages. “They’ll see who the agent’s partner is and be able to click and book,” says Yeates.

Additionally, agents will be able to manage messaging at the supplier level. “If you want to send a message for Royal Caribbean versus Norwegian Cruise Line, you will be able to do that,” says Yeates.

2015 Hotel Program. Signature Travel Network was the first agency network to publish its 2015 hotel program, the release of which was announced at the Las Vegas conference. Agents will have more hotels than ever to choose from, with 80 properties joining the 2015 program.

Signature is also the first network to work with the recently renovated Loews Regency Hotel and the new Raffles in Istanbul in preferred relationships.

Marketing. Signature is creating an active adventure microsite in response to what it says is dramatically increased demand for these types of vacations. It is also redesigning its cruise and destination sites with new imagery and videos, with launch dates set for early next this year.

Signature has also created a slate of new videos that will be available on SigNet. Subjects include the benefits that Signature agents provide travelers, its private car and driver program, and its hotel and resort program.

Agent training. Agent training continues as a major priority for Signature. Its Educational Journeys program last year featured 14 departures with more than 800 agents participating.

New for 2015, Signature will launch a Signature Travel Expert self-paced online certification program for new travel consultants affiliated with Signature member agencies. The curriculum will cover Signature’s products, marketing, preferred suppliers and technology tools, as well as such business skills as leisure sales consulting, adding professional fees and customer service.

PHOTO: Yeates: “The new client itinerary management app replacing Pocket Travel Consultant will roll out in the first quarter of 2015.”

New Members. The network welcomed two new members, PHD Travel and Rubinsohn Travel, during the conference. Altogether the network brought 11 new members into its fold last year.

Sao Paulo, Brazil-based PHD Travel is a luxury boutique agency owned by Felipe Soubhia and features a team of 20 travel consultants who cater to an upscale Brazilian clientele. The agency was named the top producer for Leading Hotels of the World for the past five consecutive years.

Rubinsohn Travel is owned by Bill and Deborah Rubinsohn, and can trace its roots back to 1880. The Jenkintown, Pa.-based agency specializes in independent and escorted tours worldwide. Each of its consultants has more than 20 years of travel experience.

New supplier partners. The network welcomed a new cruise line, Viking Cruises; two tour operators, Amtrak Vacations and Yankee Holidays; more than 80 hotels and resorts; and eight destination specialists.

Annual Michelle Morgan Leadership Award. Michelle Morgan, the longtime, much-loved president of Signature Travel Network who her lost her battle with cancer last year, was memorialized at the organization’s annual conference in Las Vegas when her daughter, Alisa Morgan, presented Carol Lekki, CTC, with the first annual Michelle Morgan Leadership Award. Lekki, who is president of Carol’s Travel Service in Tinley Park, Ill., began her travel industry career in 1976 and opened her own agency in 1980. She became a member of Signature in 2003. She serves as treasurer of the Signature board.

For many, the leadership award is one way in which to help ensure that Morgan’s legacy lives on. “When we talk about our culture we talk about Michelle,” says Sharpe. “When we talk about our vision, we talk about Michelle.”