ABOARD THE HARMONY OF THE SEAS -- A total of 78 Nexion
Travel Group agents have signed up for Travel Leaders Group's Apex program,
enabling them to give American Express Gold and Platinum cardholders exclusive
discounts and amenities, and earn commissions when clients redeem Membership
Rewards points for travel.
The program
was announced earlier this year during Travel Leaders Network's EDGE
conference.
Robbi Hamida, Nexion's senior vice president of agency
operations, provided an update on the program at the CoNexion 2018 conference
here. Hamida said members wanted the ability to participate in the program and
were quick to jump at the chance to participate.
On stage on Monday, Nexion president Jackie Friedman and
Travel Leaders Group chief marketing officer Stephen McGillivray discussed the
program with agents at the conference.
"It's a can't-miss for you," McGillivray said, describing
American Express as "one of the world's most powerful brands."
According to McGillivray, thousands of Travel Leaders Group
agents have enrolled in the program. It is open to any agents under the Travel
Leaders Group umbrella.
He said it presents a large opportunity for agents, as
American Express has "tens of millions" of members of its Membership
Rewards program.
In order to participate, agents must complete a regulatory
compliance program. Then, they can redeem clients' points for travel, as well
as enable access to the Travel Collection, a curated collection of travel
experiences created by Travel Leaders Group (clients without qualifying
American Express cards can also be enrolled in the program for $295 annually).
As part of the Apex program, agents can also offer clients
American Express cards. McGillivray said it's not about "peddling"
cards but sending clients a link to potentially get a card if it makes sense
for them; the agent is compensated with a bonus from American Express if a
client does sign up for a card.
Agents must apply and be approved to complete the training
to join the Apex program. It's not necessarily for newer agents, Friedman said,
but she encouraged new agents to work toward eventually enrolling.
"It might be no for now, but it's not no forever,"
she said.