VANCOUVER — More than 250 Calgary agents and more than 300 Vancouver agents turned out for TravelBrands’ Western Canada agent appreciation events. Over 40 suppliers attended the two shows as well. More events are scheduled for next week in Toronto (April 12), Montreal (April 13) and Halifax (April 14).

“The travel agents embraced us! We were moved by the warm hospitality and the support we received from our travel partners. Our suppliers were delighted that the trade came out in such great numbers and especially with so much enthusiasm,” said TravelBrands CEO Zeina Gedeon. “This year is a pivotal one for TravelBrands. We have made some sound changes to our organization that will have a positive impact on our future. We could not have done this without the overwhelming backing from our supplier and retail partners. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough.”

TravelBrands announced that all the brands have had a ‘facelift’ in honor of the milestone anniversaries being celebrated, a sleeker and trendier look that will serve as the window to the company’s new platform, TravelBrands Access (soft-launched April 5). The platform is innovative and user-friendly and more importantly, it was designed with travel agents in mind, said Gedeon.

Under the one umbrella agents can access all brands with multiple cross-sell opportunities. The functionality allows agents to book either single or multiple components, whether it is a traditional sun package, car only, hotel and car, air and hotel and more.