2023 MAST Member Handbook

 

Xpedition MAST Edition – Available on MAST U 

This new course will provide Travel Advisors the sales and marketing knowledge, professionalism, and ethical boundaries a MAST member needs to have a successful and upright travel professional career. Other Xpedition courses will return at a later date.

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COMING SOON! Xpedition Groups

This new course will provide Travel Advisors the skills to successfully acquire and build up your group business. Where to find groups, how to market to groups, best practices for booking and organizing groups, taking advantage of MAST’s cruise group space program, etc. will all be included in this brand new course coming soon!

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Series 1: Mexico & the Caribbean – Available on MAST U

Help prepare new advisors to sell the Midwest agency’s “Bread & Butter”.

Industry/Destination/Resort Training is provided through various online courses and recorded webinars.

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Series 2: Ocean & River Cruising (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

14-week course that will prepare you to see the world through ocean and river cruising. Learn about the ocean and river cruise products, along with selling groups and growing your business. Participation is key to success for Xpedition 2.

Industry/Destination/Supplier training is provided through various online courses and recorded webinars. Participants use private Facebook page for topic discussions, homework assignments, and to interact and learn from other participants. By the end of this course you should be able to confidently recommend a cruise line to your customer based off of their interests and demographic. You will develop an understanding of the group business and how to get started.

Stuart Cohen’s Group Boot Camp training incorporated into the program teaching customer service skills and consultant selling skills. Weekly excursion planning and exclusive training webinars will give you the insight and confidence to sell cruises to all type of clientele.

A final group project will help you better understand planning a group trip and will allow you to go forward with a better understanding of river/ocean cruises as well as group travel.

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Series 2B: Cruise Xpansion Pack (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

Series 2B is a 6-week Cruise Xpansion Pack course made to work in conjunction with Xpedition 2 Ocean and River Cruises. This series consists of cruise line training and homework assignments. Xpedition 2B can be taken in two different ways. The first for people who have taken Xpedition 2 in the past. You can take the course during any of the Xpedition semesters. For those who have not taken Xpedition 2, you can take Xpedition 2 and add on Xpedition 2B for another semester during the same calendar year.

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Series 3: Europe (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

Xpedition 3 will help prepare new advisors to sell Europe as well as develop a better sense of using social media for marketing their products. This course is 12 week long and will cover preferred suppliers, destinations as well as familiarization with the European market. Like Xpedition series 1 & 2 participation is the key to learning and success with Xpedition 3.

Advisors will have weekly discussion assignments that they will share on our private Facebook page allowing them to track their progress as well as learn from the ideas of other advisors. Industry/Destination and Supplier training is provided through various online courses and recorded exclusive webinars. The Facebook page will be used for topic discussions, homework assignments as well as social media posts that will be able to be used by the advisors and agencies as part of a marketing campaign. With Xpedition 3 you will develop and understanding of selling Europe as well as building a social media marketing campaign that can cover far beyond the European market.

Nolan Burris’ Boot Camp training is incorporated into the program to teach customer service skills and consultant selling skills. Weekly excursion planning and social media posting along with training webinars will help you better understand what types of clients will benefit from your understanding of the European market.

With a strong emphasis on social media you will leave this course with concrete material that can be used in your current social media platforms as well as an understanding on how to go forward with your social media marketing plan.

The final project will allow the advisor to choose a supplier that has been studied during this course and plan an independent trip around that supplier. They will use their knowledge of social media to market this trip on their social accounts.

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Series 4: Hawaii (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

Xpedition 4 will give new advisors an in-depth look into selling Hawaii. With courses and assignments focus on the hotels, cities and islands of Hawaii this series is an excellent educational tool for any agent looking to sell this destination. Aside from the core focus of our destination, series 4 also presents agents with sales training and weekly social media assignments.

This 10-week course will focus each week on supplier training with specialist series and exclusive webinars. Advisors will have excursion research as well as destination training each week. They will also be reading Influence by Bob Ciandini, examines the art of persuasion with an in-depth look on why people say “yes” and how to understand the buyer’s way of thinking.

Like the other series Xpedition 4 will offer extensive social media training. As social media becomes a core-marketing tool for agents this series will prepare and educate new advisors on using Facebook, Instagram, blogs and Pinterest. All advisors taking this series will be required to use and create accounts for the social media assignments. Aside from social media advisors will also be using our Xpedition website and will receive our reading book as a course tool.

The final assignment will have advisors putting together a sales plan for selling Hawaii, which will include the type of client they will market too with social media components, which will help sell to their target audience.

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Series 5: South Pacific (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

This course will offer the experienced or niche travel advisor an opportunity to expand their knowledge on the South Pacific. With an in-depth look at Australia, New Zealand and a variety of the most popular South Pacific islands this course will teach the ins and outs of this latest travel hotspot. This series will include supplier, destination, and excursion training with an added emphasis on communication. Xpedition 5 is a 14 week course that will explore these unique destinations through adventure, leisure, and aspects that will make each vacation an option for any type of traveler. The series concludes with a final project that will allow you to build a trip for a specific type of traveler providing them with options created specifically for them. 

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Series 6: Eastern Asia (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

Series 6 is a 12-week Asia travel destination focused series. Xpedition 6—Eastern Asia consist of Industry training in the form of reading articles, destination and supplier specialist courses, as well as excursion research assignments. You will be required to participate in each lesson, homework assignment, and Facebook discussion to complete this course.

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Series 7: Central & South America (Course Not Available – Currently Under Construction)

Series 7 is a 12-week Central and South American travel destination focused series. Xpedition 7—Central and South America consist of Industry training in the form of reading articles, destination and supplier specialist courses, as well as excursion research assignments. You will be required to participate in each lesson, homework assignment, and Facebook discussion to complete this course.