Five itineraries, 11 states and a lot of fun! That’s the verdict of the lucky agents recently returned from Brand USA 2023 Australia and New Zealand MegaFam.
The Brand USA MegaFam, aptly themed ‘The Great Outdoors and Sports’, offered five multistate itineraries:
- Summit Up visiting Washington and Oregon
- Bright Lights, Dark Skies visiting Nevada and Utah
- Patriot Trails visiting New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts
- Hoops ’n’ Hikes visiting California and Nevada
- Boot Scootin’ Hulas visiting Texas and Hawai`i
And agents didn’t just get the chance to explore iconic destinations like New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas. They also had the opportunity to get to know less familiar cities like Reno, Cedar City, and Seattle.
Say Aloha to adventure
Brand USA partnered with Hawaiian Airlines on the MegaFam. This created an opportunity to showcase Hawai`i as the gateway to 15 North American destinations. That’s according to Andrew Best, director of sales, Hawaiian Airlines for Australia.
“To fly 50 consultants from all parts of Australia and New Zealand and travel on 16 different flight sectors and stay in over 10 different destinations with a host of activities in between was an amazing experience for all,” Best said.
The grand finale of the MegaFam took place in O‘ahu, Hawai`i, where participants shared their stories and experiences. They were treated to luxurious stays at the Outrigger Waikiki and Outrigger Beachcomber resorts. Plus, they also enjoyed visits to Pearl Harbour, Iolani Palace, and the captivating LineUp attraction at Wai Kai. But the highlight of the last night was a memorable celebration at Aulani, Disney Resort and Spa. And of course the surprise appearance by Mickey and Minnie Mouse and a traditional Hawaiian lūʻau also helped the celebrations!
“Honolulu was the perfect setting for the finale of the Australia and New Zealand MegaFam,” Jackie Ennis, VP global trade development at Brand USA said.
“It was wonderful to see the agents’ enthusiasm following their trips and hear the stories of their adventures across the USA.
“As always, our goal with the MegaFams is to give agents the confidence to better sell the destination and this achieved by having them experience the USA for themselves.”
In order to be eligible to enter the draw for a spot on the MegaFam, agents had to complete certain requirements. This included:
- Registering and completing USA Discovery Program badges including “The Great Outdoors”, “Winter Sports” and the new “MegaFam 2023 – Hawaiian Airlines Badge”
- Signing-up to the HawaiianMiles program
- Selling a minimum of four Hawaiian Airlines tickets
- Explaining why they want the chance to participate
Brand USA president and CEO Chris Thompson opened this year’s IPW. He said he was “more optimistic about the travel industry than ever”. Find out why here.
All images courtesy of Brand USA.
