Toni DeFino
For any travel agents looking to get a leg up in the industry, WheelsUp offers a one-stop shop for all their needs. In this edition of Friday Five, we chat with Toni DeFino, Director-North America, about the expanding role of agents, the challenges they face on a daily basis, and how WheelsUp is here to help.
- Tell us a little about WheelsUp – when did it launch and who is it for?
WheelsUp launched in Canada in October 2014 as an e-based product where travel agents can come and see the latest up-to-date incentives, promotions, specials, agent rates, fams and webinars. It’s a comprehensive website where the travel industry Learns, Earns and Saves.
- What are the top 3 ways WheelsUp helps travel agents?
With all the most up-to-date incentives out there by so many great partners, this is a one-stop-shop for agents. They can register for upcoming webinars, which take place on a weekly basis. If an agent has missed a previous webinar, they can still view it as we keep them recorded on our site for up to one year. Agents can also take advantage of widget partners on our site (ENVOY and HoppaGo). With ENVOY, agents get linked to their direct website to order brochures, and with HoppaGo, they can set up worldwide transfers for their clients through this handy link.
- What are some ways agents can stay ahead of the curve in today’s competitive marketplace?
Staying ahead of the curve is always a challenge. We try to help our agent community by providing them with webinar registration, evergreen posts and news articles that can assist them in today’s age of technology and the ever-changing travel industry.
- In your opinion, is a travel agent’s job getting easier or harder?
With so much competition out there and so many choices, I think it has become a harder job for agents to stay on top of everything, which includes managing all their client’s needs and wants and finding out who is offering the best rates. At WheelsUp, we try to help our agent partners by providing them with a 2x weekly newsletter that highlights the newest promotions, incentives and specials to help them make their jobs a bit easier.
- What’s new for WheelsUp in 2019?
In 2017, we partnered with two platforms in Europe to create a global company, GlobalAgents, and in 2018 we launched in the USA, creating a truly global company, with platforms in Canada, the U.S., Spain and the U.K. 2019 promises to be even more exciting with the launch of other platforms in different countries, as well as growing our widget partnerships with direct links for agents to help make their jobs easier.
WheelsUp is currently running a promotion for the month of October during which agents can win birthday month giveaways simply by signing up for its e-newsletter, ‘What’s Up’. To sign up or to learn more about WheelsUp go to wheelsupnetwork.com.
To contact the team, email:
Kate Ivchenko, Content Manager: kivchenko@wheelsupnetwork.com
Serean Bechara, Marketing & Content Coordinator: sbechara@wheelsupnetwork.com
Laura DiNardo, Sales Director: ldinardo@wheelsupnetwork.com
