Attending the Book More Travel Workshop with Sandy Saburn

Welcome to the strategic travel entrepreneur. My name is Rita Perez. Hello. I've been a travel advisor for over 10 years, and I'm navigating in this winding road of entrepreneurship with you. I created this podcast because I wanted to share all the things I've learned from leaders both in and out of our industry that I really wish I would have known way back then. But, alas, the important thing is I'm aware of them now, and I want you to be too. Ready for this week's show? Let's jump in. Hi, everyone.

Welcome back to the podcast. I have another fantastic guest for you today. Sandy Saburn is a travel industry strategist focused on marketing, sales, and events. She has worked in travel for more than 20 years in brick and mortar and host agencies. She has an MA in communication Caysian from Queen's University of Charlotte and a BS in business management from University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is vice president sales and events at the Gifted Travel Network and GIFT, the Global Institute For Travel Entrepreneurs. Welcome, Sandy.

Thanks, Rita. So wonderful to be here. I'm excited.

That's I I cannot wait not only to talk to you for a little bit, but Also for book more travel workshop coming up.

I know. It's it is definitely a high mark on the calendar every year.

Yes. Yeah. And that's I was so glad, like, when a couple months ago, it came out that the news that you guys were gonna go virtual, and I'm like, yay.

Yeah. I think a lot of people thought maybe we would just cancel this year, but this event is way too important. And my goodness, we need it now more than ever. Yes.

Agreed. Now I can I can only say, like, my experience, and I've done a couple posts, but what would you say sets Book more travel workshop apart from other industry events?

A couple of things. So, you know, and and as I know you have commented Before I think a couple of thing, things make it different. So for instance, there's a real focus on entrepreneurial skills that you need To succeed.

Mhmm.

There's a real focus on being positive and having the right mindset to succeed. There's lots of opportunity, and this will be true in the virtual experience as well for people to interact with one another and get to know their colleagues. It's a very collaborative Community and very positive, wanting to share, help everybody be better community. And I think that a lot of people are accustomed to going to these events and it mostly centers around vendors And gaining vendor knowledge and hearing from vendors, and that's not what Book More Travel Workshop Is about the in in person and virtual well, in person, the vast majority of content is about Entrepreneurial skills and marketing and giving you giving you both an uplift and some practical tools for your toolbox. Yep. But in on the virtual event, we aren't even gonna have vendor participation well except we have got some amazing vendors who are gonna give away some view beautiful trips Surprised us, but they won't be speaking. So it's all about great content with hours of Content that we'll be sharing with people all live. Everything's live.

Nothing will be prerecorded. Mhmm.

Nice. That, I just Remember because I first got introduced to Gift at Travefy entrepreneurship week in 2018. And at that point in my Travel business. I was I was like, I know I needed more, but I didn't know what I needed.

Right.

And that first introduction to The gift that all the different programming that you guys offer, I was like, why has no one talked about this stuff before? Like, I could have been leaps and bounds if people were talking about this stuff.

I agree completely. That's exactly the same way that I felt when I went to the 1st conference and I'd already been in travel for 15 16 years at that point. And I I coming from a business Background and having a business degree, I wondered why nobody ever talked about this stuff. And then when I got to book more Travefy workshop, I thought, How how and especially because the event was 5 miles from my house. How did I not know about this before? So we're trying to do a better job this year of making sure that people people know about it. And it whether it be virtual, We can have as many people as we want and as want to come. Whereas in the in person event, we were really we really had Find a new place to be live in person Mhmm. Because we had outgrown the ballroom and and that particular resort.

Yeah. I attended last year, and I was like, oh, this is nice, but I knew it was gonna be changing in the future so that more agents could go.

Yes.

So in this virtual realm, what has changed for Book More Travel Workshop?

Well, from a practical logistical standpoint, obviously, it's gonna be on Zoom rather than In person, so it'll be accessible to everybody. Everybody knows how to use Zoom now. I mean, 18 months ago, there were a lot of people You heard of Zoom, and now we're just all Zooming all over the place. Yep. But another few key changes because we've been able to go virtual, we're able to do things that we couldn't do in person. So one of the things that people ask for every single year was please have breakout sessions so that we have, You know, you could do something for new people and some for experienced people. We didn't have the room in the resort to do that, but we have the room now. So that's one of the things that's different.

We've gone from 2 days to 3 days, so it'll be an extra 3 to an extra day. And another Big change. Everybody always asks for recordings. Please record this. There's so much here. I wanted to be able to listen to it again later. And it just Financially, it was not feasible to do to hire a film crew to do that in person, but we could do it on Zoom. So that's what we're doing.

So if people up want the recordings, they Upgrade to the VIP package, and they will get the recordings. And it'll take us a few weeks after the event's over to go through and get everything set up in a portal, but They'll get the recording. So those are the those are the biggest changes for this year.

That I'm so excited for the different tracks. Now, Do you have to do, like, 1 or the other, or can you kind of, like, mix and match what what best fits what's going on your business now.

That's a great question, and I'm glad you asked that because people can mix and match. So we do ask people when they're signing up, And if anybody has signed up this listing to this, you'll be getting an email saying, hey. Pick your track. Just mostly to kinda give us an idea of the Of the of the community that's gonna be there. I mean, are we 5050? Are we 8020? That will help us in in The speakers particularly in from the stage. Mhmm. But you could you can pick whatever track you want and then take whatever workshops you want. So you might, On one day, do a track 1 and then a track 2 and then track 1, track 2, whatever works for you.

Okay. Cool. And technology wise, Is this all on Zoom or are you utilizing, like, one of the big event plat platforms that we've seen throughout the year?

No. We're not using one of those platforms. So one of the things that I have done for the past year is I have been part of a group coaching program that's All about virtual events.

Okay.

And so these are it's it's organized by the same group of people who put on events for people like Tony Robbins and Stu McLaren and Fabienne Frederiksen and lots of other names that that you might have heard of. Mhmm. And they really recommend and and all the people in this group coaching program do the same thing. They really recommend doing just zoom and not doing we're not big believers in these hybrid sort of reality things where you feel like you're walking into a room and, you know, it's just They are funny. Yeah. Some of them are kinda strange. And and we're not doing any prerecorded content. Everything will be live and everything will be on Zoom.

And, it I think it's gonna be really fantastic. We did this sort of for our gifted travel network annual conference in October, and it was Very well received. The difference this time is gonna be that we actually are gonna have a a stage. We've set up a stage, a studio in our office. And so the speakers will be there, you know, live in front of the camera rather than just like this sitting In front of the in front of the camera, hon.

Okay. Cool. And then being virtual, I know one of the great things about being in person is that we can hug each other and, of course, talk to each other. But how can people stay connected During the event or pre or post event.

A couple of things that we're doing to to make that happen. Once there's a Facebook a private Facebook group Just for people who've registered for the event. So once they registered, they get an email that says, hey. Go, you know, ask to be included in this In this private Facebook group and we'll add you. So there's that. So it's a way for people, but, before, during, and after event will be able to connect that way. Another thing is that we will have in every session, almost every session, We will have an opportunity or have breakout sessions. So you'll be in smaller groups with 3 or 4 people, you know, doing different things, and so you'll get to know the people there, and it's a great way to make it make connections with people.

It so are you saying, like is that part of the tracks Or is that part of, like, maybe a general session and then people get broken up in breakouts?

Both. So so what we'll do is is in the Maybe in the in one of the general sessions, say if Meredith or Jen is presenting or let's say Jen's doing a presentation, And she may be talking about a particular subject, and she'll say, okay. Now here's what I want you to, here's what I want you to come up with. I want you to think about your own business and think about this. And in your small groups, I want each of you to to share and give feedback to one another. And so we will Send everybody into groups of 4 so they'll all be in their own little rooms and they'll communicate. And then when the time is up, we bring everybody back To the big room and and then you can then we'll ask for people to share from there. So, yeah, it's it's really cool that the technology is It's really amazing.

That is so stinking exciting. I and I'm I'm just an attendee, but I am so I think that's I mean, I have, like, my own posse group of Travefy Of course. Friends that I talk with, But, I feel like that is so invaluable. Like, if if I didn't know anything else about Bookmark Travefy Workshop, that I feel is worth alone, the $47 of the ticket.

Absolutely. And, you know, it's It is and you know, from from registering to come to the in person event is obviously in person a lot more than that plus you pay the air, the hotel and all that And food with this, it's, you know, it's a bargain. And we and we did that because we don't have to pay that $60,000 a d bill to the hotel. And we know it's been a hard year for travel advisers, so we really won't wanted to keep the ticket price as low as possible. So that's why it's 47, but it's only 47 If you register by next Friday, which is 19th. And then after that, the early bird pricing goes away and it becomes 1.40 7.

Okay. Alrighty.

Which is still a great deal.

Yeah.

But why pay 1.47 when you get paid 47?

Exactly. Well and that's why Some of my some of my travel adviser friends have been like, you gotta do it, like, now because it's going up. That's alright.

That's alright.

Off the off both of the 2 tracks

Yes.

What would you kind of say is your favorite session from both of the tracks? The strategic travel entrepreneur is brought to you by Mailbox Power. Harness the power to attract and nurture your clients through something Many entrepreneurs have forgotten about, the mailbox. Create beautiful custom campaigns and automate annual mailings for birthdays and holidays. And with a pro account, get access to mailboxes not currently on your mailing list that are just waiting for the travel service you offer. Visit my mailbox power affiliate link in the show notes to get started today and support this

asked. Do you

have a or something that stands out?

Well, I think one of the things that people always really like and I like to is hearing from people who are actually doing The work and hearing their success stories and hearing what's working for them. And so we've got a couple of different Panels on a couple of the different tracks where people are going to be sharing success stories. 1 is about email marketing. The, another one is just more general success stories talking about where, then these are all entrepreneurs. And I think that probably the longest 1 has been in business maybe 5 years, and talking about what they've been able to achieve in this relatively short period of time. So there's that I think those are gonna be, you know, some of of my favorites. I guess I probably should have said the 1 session I'm doing was gonna be my favorite,

What's that shit you doing?

I'm actually doing a a session about industry certifications of which ones you need and which ones you don't. Yeah. And I'm gonna break down, you know, the how to look at them because, Unfortunately, a lot of people end up And so we wanna give them some tools to do that with.

Yeah. Yeah. Because I I did get on the certification bandwagon Last year, and there was 1, and I don't really wanna say too much about it, but I was like, Maybe it could have passed on that.

Yeah. Okay. I think we've all been there. We've done that. I I too have done 1 in particular stands out. And I remember going through some of the content and thinking, really? Yeah. Really? This might have been true 20 years ago, but really? Mhmm. And but, you know, I was I finished it.

And So yeah. So that's one of the ones that we're I'm gonna I'm gonna have actually, I'm producing events, so most of my time will be sent spent behind The camera behind the scenes, that'd be the one time I'll be doing a presentation.

Okay. Yeah. So behind the scenes, everything that's going on is going on near flawlessly because of Sandy.

Well, Because of Sandy and a lot of other people. So it's not just me. I mean, we have an amazing, incredible team that works doing all the marketing and all the the different pieces that you see and the the dashboard. If Some of you may have never been to an event before that has a dashboard. And so one of the things, it's just a dashboard is simply a website that you go to every day, and it has the links for everything and it's the FAQ and all this kind of stuff. So it it'll be different than any event you've ever done before. And so we wanna make it as user friendly as possible, and we have a great team behind the scenes that's that's doing all that. So it's definitely Definitely not all me.

We've got a team of 14 amazing women who are joining forces and putting all this together.

Now I was gonna say I am secretly not so secretly hoping for an awesome video from DJ Hala again.

Yeah. There will definitely be some DJing from DJ Hollow. That's for sure. And she's doing a lot. Caroline has a a lot of responsibility with all of the The, camera and the lighting and all the stuff on the on the main set, so she's does an incredible job with that too.

That's great. That's an you bring up a good point too because you said that you've converted the offices a little bit to, like, a whole book more travel workshop That right?

Right. Yeah. So the main all the general sessions will be from what we're calling the main stage, which isn't We actually expanded our office more than doubling our space, at the beginning of March last year. Great timing. So, you know, I have a new desk I've never even sat at because just as soon as all this happened, we ended up Working from home for the last year. So we converted we have a brand new large room that's just for training And for, in person get togethers. And so we took over that room and have made it into a studio with lights, mics, Cameras, the the works. So excited about it.

That is cool. I can't wait to see it all. How can other advisers or travel entrepreneurs prepare for book more travel workshop?

I think the best way to prepare for it is to look at your schedule for those 3 days, March 23rd, 24th, 25th and say, what can I get rid of from my schedule on those days so that I can be fully present? I mean, we've all gone to conferences in person and seeing people who never even, Like, at last Bookmark workshop, there was 1 woman who spent the entire Bookmark workshop outside on her phone or on her laptop. She didn't get one thing out of being there. Oh. She spent all and I'm sure that she felt like I have to do this. I have to respond to my clients. But sometimes you have to put aside all that and focus on you and you develop you. And so looking at your calendar, figuring, you know, if you've got kids, who can I shuffle the kids off to, You know, make some casseroles, put them in the freezer, whatever? Because, you know, listen, we're all all a lot of us are women who Have families that even though they should probably be a little more self sufficient than they are, aren't always as self sufficient as they could be. Mhmm.

But And making sure that you're there, that you're listening in on the sessions, that it's not just background noise, that you're fully present, fully engaged, And that's the best way to get the very most out of this event possible. Yeah. Because you just never know when one of those little 's Golden nuggets. It's just gonna drop right in your ear.

Yes. And you could have heard it a couple of times before and something just Clicks because I'll I'll never forget. Meredith was on stage doing some spectacular speech like she usually does. And I've heard she said something that I've heard her say a couple times before, and I was like like, this emotion came over me because it was finally like, oh my gosh. It finally just the light bulb

you were she might have said the same thing she before, but you were in a different place. So you heard it differently. Mhmm. And and that is such a I mean, listen, I get the privilege of working with Meredith all the time. And sometimes she will say things and it's like, it just suddenly hits me in a different way than it did did before. So even if you've attended book more travel workshop in the past, this one will be different and is definitely worth attending. And if you Have not ever attended before. I promise you there's there's nothing that you could spend $47 on that will give you the kind of impact that this will give you in your business.

Yeah. Agreed. Agreed. And that, I actually still work full time. So when I first heard of Book More Travel Workshop, I'm like, I'm gonna need 3 days off in March.

Good. That's awesome.

Yeah. I blocked off the time because I was like, sometimes I can listen in on things, like, on earbuds, and I'm like, nope. I'm gonna be fully in there and taking all the great stuff that's gonna come out.

Good. Well and that's really the best way to do it. We actually Somebody and now I don't remember who this was. Somebody told us that they were going to They had booked a hotel and they were gonna go to a hotel and do the watch from there because they didn't wanna be distracted by all the things Going on in their house. So That is so fun. That's a great idea.

Yeah. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Very cool. Where can people get their ticket to book more travel workshop?

Just go to book more travel workshop.com, And you'll see all the information right there. If you register now, up until 19th, the registration is $47. And then after you've registered, if you wanna then upgrade to VIP, you can do that for 1.97, and that gets you the recordings. And You also get some, a small group q and a with, Meredith, Jen and Vanessa. And also there's some, 2 lunch breaks where you we're calling it BYOL, bring your own lunch, where you bring your lunch, be in front of the computer, have lunch with a bunch of other people. And Shannon Cunningham will be moderating that group. So that will be she's got a lot of fun things planned for that group too.

Oh, that's great. Thank you so much, Sandy, for being here. And

Thank you for having me.

Yeah. I I mean, I, Everybody needs to go to book more travel workshop, especially if you're needing a pick me up. I I cannot highly recommend it enough. I've said in some of my posts, this is better than ASTA and CLIA. In my opinion, it's better than my host agency stuff. So if that doesn't tell you something about how good I think the event is, I don't know what will.

Well and I I think that's very high praise, and we are very appreciative of And, you know, we we're it's open to people anywhere and people who are affiliated with any organization, And it it's it's completely open to everybody. We actually have people from 5 different countries registered to attend, so it's quite international this year.

That's awesome. Yeah. I think I met somebody. I think she was from Iceland, but maybe she lives now here in the States last year. So that that was really fun.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, thank you. We all have more in common than we are different, and we're on the press of the greatest comeback our industry has ever seen. And I feel like now is the perfect time for a big shot of Yeah. Great ideas and great inspiration to help carry us through the rest of the year.

Yep. Yeah. Because I that that wave It's just keeping on building up, and I think it's gonna come crashing. And with book more travel workshop, everybody will be steady on the surf board.

That's a great analogy. I love that, Rachel. That's fantastic.

Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Sandy.

Thank you. It's been wonderful.

Yes. It's so wonderful. This has been an amazing time. Have a great day, everybody, and book your ticket for Bookworm Travel Workshop. Please do. Thanks for joining me on the strategic travel entrepreneur. Please subscribe and leave a show rating on your favorite podcast platform. Oh, and don't forget to take a look at the show notes for important information and links.

See you next week.