Magellan Travel was named for the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan. But at the recent Magellan Conference, the spirit of exploration turned into re-exploration as the event reconvened for the first time in three years under the theme ‘Reconnect & Reimagine’.
Held in Cairns, this year’s Magellan Conference was attended by around 125 registered delegates representing Magellan Travel agency owners and managers, Helloworld Travel staff, and preferred partner representatives.
A welcome event at Hemingway’s Brewery Cairns Wharf kicked off the conference, with a stirring Welcome to Country by indigenous dance and ceremony group Minjil.
An address by Magellan Travel and Helloworld Travel chief executive Andrew Burnes AO was among the event’s highlights, along with an update by recently appointed Magellan Travel and Helloworld Business Travel (HWBT) Group General Manager Andre Moten, who gave his first official address in his new role.
In a presentation called ‘Tourism on the Other Side’, Deloitte National Travel, Hospitality and Services Lead Adele Labine-Romain gave a well-received talk on the current state of global tourism, future travel intentions, and how travel has changed; elsewhere, Performance Shift Managing Director and “popular repeat keynote speaker for Magellan travel” Kirk Peterson told guests to make positive changes in their businesses in his lecture ‘The Growth Mindset’.
Another highlight was an informative and passionate panel discussion on Best Practices. Presented by Applied Sense Director Jorge Fernandez and Helloworld Travel National Training Manager Kelley Matson, the panel featured Cathie Rice Travel Owner/Managing Director Crandon Keddie, The Impulse Travel Group Managing Director Stephanie Savage, and Hampton Travel Managing Director Gary Seignior.
Following the plenary sessions was a productive preferred partner exchange, in which attendees had the opportunity to network at greater length.
Fun and festivities
Afterwards, guests were treated to a chartered Great Barrier Reef cruise to Moore Reef with Quicksilver Cruises, which included a semi-submersible excursion and snorkelling among turtles, and countless species of fish.
A gala dinner held at the Pullman International Hotel Cairns featuring Australia’s “premier mentalist” Anthony Laye capped off the event.
Magellan Travel was nominated for Most Outstanding Non-Branded Agency Group at the recent National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA).
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