By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
http://www.dreamdestinations.com
Anne and I are proud to announce that we have been selected by TravelAge West Magazine as a finalist for a Trendsetters Award. I’m sure most of you have never heard of this magazine, as it is written for travel agents to help us keep up with developments in the travel industry. They have an annual awards gala ceremony, where they recognize many industry vendors and 8 travel agents or agencies. The vendors are voted on by travel agents as the best in their respective categories. Along with these awards, they select 8 travel agents or agencies in 4 different categories for their Trendsetters Awards. In each category, there are two finalists who are honored as the best travel agents—they call the award for the travel agents Trendsetters Awards. Each of the finalists are considered winners in their respective category.
We were selected as a finalist in the category of Best Targeted Marketing Idea of 2018. Our award is for our efforts to market our 2019 75th Anniversary of D Day Tour. We will lead a group of 34 loyal clients to see and learn about this monumental event.
Without going into a lot of detail, we were selected for using multiple marketing methods combined with highly developed personal relationships with the potential clients.
So, today’s blog will cover the meaning of awards, why it is our loyal clients who made this recognition possible, and the press release about the award.
The Meaning of Awards
Awards are established to recognize the achievement of a person, team, business or other organizations. Usually, the award has a set of criteria designed to evaluate the reason for the recognition.
Awards have been used for thousands of years to let others know about specific results achieved by the award winner—the most common early use of awards was by the military, often for bravery in battle and defeating a foe. The Greeks awarded accolades for plays in competitions. They also awarded recognition for athletic competition in their Olympic games.
Whenever we learn about achievements of award winners, we get insight into the reasons they have been recognized as superior in the performance of their profession or job. In the business world, they recognize excellence, ability and effort. They are a third party validation of the professionalism of a business as compared to their peers.
Why Our Loyal Clients Made This Recognition Possible
When we first started thinking about organizing a tour for the 75th Anniversary of D Day, we wanted to put together a trip of a lifetime to help our clients learn about the enormous effort and personal sacrifice that went into this invasion. Our target audience was past military service members and those with a high interest in the military history of WW II and visiting Europe.
And, my, did our clients respond—when we offered the tour, it sold out in one month. It is humbling to hear their excitement and loyal support in our communications with this group. All we can say is THANKS FOR YOUR TRUST IN US!
We look forward to delivering on our promise of a trip of a lifetime.
The Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Hank Schrader 713-397-0188
Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, Wins TravelAge West 2018 Trendsetters Award
Pearland, TX ( 17 April 2018) Visit Dream Destinations, LLC has been honored with a TravelAge West 2018 Trendsetters Award in the category of Best Targeted Marketing Idea of 2018 as part of the TravelAge West WAVE (Western Agents’ Votes of Excellence) Awards.
Every year, TravelAge West honors leading travel agents in the Western United States with its Trendsetter Awards. The travel agents honored all display an innovative, entrepreneurial spirit that enables them to adapt to new business landscapes — an essential skill in the ever-changing travel industry.
The TravelAge West Trendsetter Awards recognize travel agents and travel agencies who make an impact on the industry and the community. Two finalists in each category are invited to and honored at the WAVE Awards as guests of their sponsor.
Entries are reviewed and voted on by the sponsors and editorial staff of TravelAge West. Suppliers that sponsor the Trendsetter Awards support the travel agent community and wish to honor those who are making significant strides in the industry. Visit Dream Destinations, LLC’s category is being sponsored by Celebrity Cruise Lines, a highly recommended cruise lines that provides superior offering to its clients.
Trendsetters’ recipients will be celebrated at the WAVE Awards Gala on June 14, 2018 at The Ritz-Carlton, Marina Del Rey, in Marina del Rey, Calif., where the winners will be announced as well. TravelAge West will include a special WAVE Awards section in the July 9 issue, highlighting award winners
“We are proud to announce we have been selected as one of the two finalists for the Trendsetters Category for Best Targeted Marketing Idea for 2018.” said Hank Schrader, Vice President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC. “Our selection was based on our marketing effort for our 2019 75th Anniversary of D Day tour we will lead through England and France.”
“We want to thank TravelAge West and Celebrity Cruise Lines for this honor as well as our loyal clients, who approached us with the idea to lead another tour to a D Day anniversary celebration.” said Schrader. “When we put it all together, our clients responded by helping us sell out the tour in less than a month. We would like to also recognize the Europe Express Groups Department for helping us put together the 2019 tour—they did an outstanding job!”
Anne & Hank Schrader, owners of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, (dba as Dream Destinations) have successfully served clients for 22+ years. They are certified travel professionals who will provide their clients with the highest quality, expertly planned domestic and foreign leisure travel. Dream Destinations is a full service travel agency that focuses on cruises, European river cruises and European vacations for discriminating travelers.
TravelAge West is the leading trade magazine for travel agents and the travel industry in the 15 Western U.S. states. Serving more than 21,000 readers for 49 years, the biweekly magazine is a main source of news and product information for the region’s agents and travel executives. TravelAgeWest.com is a two-time winner of a Gold Award from the North American Travel Journalists Association for Best Travel Journalism Website. TravelAge West is a part of Northstar Travel Group LLC, a worldwide provider of information, news and data for the travel and hospitality industry. Northstar Travel Group is based in Secaucus, N.J.
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For More Information, contact:
Visit Dream Destinations, LLC Hank Schrader 713-397-0188 or email hschrader@dreamdestinations.com or visit our website at www.dreamdestination.com
My Final Thoughts
We are humbled by this award selection. It was only possible because our loyal clients supported us by selling out our 2019 D Day tour. It is nice to be recognized for our work designing and marketing this tour, but we have not lost sight of the real significance of the award—we have the honor of helping our clients learn about the huge sacrifice thousands of our military personnel made on that historic day that allow us to live free today. Once you visit Normandy and see the hardships these soldiers had to endure and the graves of those who gave their lives, you gain even a greater appreciation of that world changing day.
Thanks again, our loyal clients, we owe this award to your trust in us!
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 45 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
- AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
- Viking River Cruise Specialist
- Scenic River Cruise Specialist
- Emerald Waterways Specialist
- Avalon Waterways Specialist
- Brit Agent
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