Boutique is great when you’re staying at a hotel. When you want your agent to get you that best price, however, big might be better.

I sat down with TL Network Canada Vice President Christine James at the group’s regional conference in Toronto on Thursday, which was labelled PEAK: Programmes, Educate, Aspire and Knowledge.

“I’m clearly biased but I’ve been here almost 20 years,” James told me in a sit-down chat at the Delta Toronto hotel at Pearson Airport. “ One reason I’ve stayed is I believe we have the best in class in terms of what we offer agents; our marketing solutions, our technology solutions. All across the board.”

James said one major advantage is the size of the network, with some 6,800 agents in North America alone.

“In this case size does matter,” she said. “We have immense buying power. I’m not saying other networks are bad, just that when we negotiate we have that much power. We also have our own hotel booking solution and our own cruise solution. We have it and we produce it and we can enhance it.”

James said she was intrigued to learn that a recent study found millennials are relying on travel agents.

“That’s great news for the industry, as obviously millennials are our future.”

Asked what issues in the industry concern her, James was quick to point to fraud protection. Several airlines have recently reported recent data breaches. There also have been data safety issues from Google, Facebook and other major organizations in the news of late.

“We’re compiling a data base right now and asking for everyone’s best practices, so we can avoid problems,” she said.

Asked to list major opportunities on the horizon for folks in the agent business, James mentioned the need for agents to become specialists.

“People don’t want to book a safari on-line,” she said with a smile. “We have our certification programs for agents, with six modules, including adventure, honeymoon and wedding destinations, which is huge, group travel and leisure travel. It can take up to two years for certification, so you’re talking about true expertise.”

Agents lauded the network during a mid-afternoon panel discussion.

“TL Network Canada is a very exciting consortium to be a part of,” said Stephen Marshall of Glenny Travel in Fort Erie.

Lola Vassiliadis, president of Cruise Holidays, said the Cruise Pro feature on the Travel Leaders Network site is an amazing tool. “You can do everything in two or three clicks.”

Michael Heflin, SVP Hotel Relations for Travel Leaders Group, talked to agents about how different companies work with or treat their customers. Harley Davidson sells a lifestyle, like joining a family, he said. He also related a great story about Delta Airlines.

“I was in Raleigh a couple months ago and my flight was delayed. The pilot went and bought pizzas and Diet Cokes and water for everyone. Apparently, pilots have a budget from Delta to spend money on things like this. You’ve never seen such happy customers during a flight delay.”

Travel Leaders Network is comprised of more than one third of North America’s leading travel agencies and is now the largest seller of luxury travel, cruises, river cruises and tours in the travel agency industry. These events, for member agents, will take place in October as part of the organization’s 20th Annual Canadian Fall Regional Conferences. The locations for this year’s Canadian Fall Regional Events include Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. The Edmonton event will be held Oct. 23 and the Vancouver conference is Oct. 25.

“We’re gearing up to capitalize on the resounding success of our International Conference - EDGE, held earlier this year, by helping our TL Network Canada members continue their quest to PEAK -- “Programmes, Educate, Aspire and Knowledge -- the theme of our Regional Conferences this year, said James. “PEAK will provide ideal opportunities for both our owner/managers and frontline agents to maximize each programme and to learn how to tailor them to their own business needs. Each will offer a memorable day of learning and networking that has proven both popular and successful, year after year, and will help agencies get the most out of their valuable TL Network membership.”

Following the educational sessions at yesterday’s event, agents met and networked for an hour with more than 30 supplier partners, ranging from G Adventures to Saint Lucia, Jamaica and Air Canada Vacations. That was followed by a full dinner, where several grand prizes were drawn; including airline tickets from Sunwing and WestJet Vacations, travel certificates, gift cards and more.