TravManity names Seresa Crowson director of advisor development

TravManity has hired Seresa Crowson as director of advisor development and supplier relations as the host agency expands its advisor tools and digital booking experience. The move comes alongside new access to Elite Advisor Advantage, the Tern platform and a redesigned TravManity.com aimed at supporting travel advisors and travelers.

Why it matters: - TravManity is trying to deepen support for travel advisors with more training, technology and supplier access. - The company is pairing a leadership hire with new products meant to make advisors more efficient and more visible. - The changes are aimed at helping advisors spend less time on admin work and more time on client service and sales.

What happened: - TravManity announced that Seresa Crowson has joined the company as director of advisor development and supplier relations. - Crowson joined TravManity in May. - TravManity is an independent, IATA-accredited host travel agency based in Wood River, Illinois. - The company introduced Elite Advisor Advantage during an August advisor event in Puerto Rico. - TravManity also launched a new informational website and booking engine at TravManity.com during that same event.

The details: - Crowson brings experience as an independent travel advisor, a team leader for thousands of advisors and a founder of her own travel agency. - In her new role, Crowson will focus on training, mentorship, technology resources and supplier support for TravManity advisors. - Her responsibilities include advisor education, business-development support, sales and technology tool adoption, and supplier relationship building. - Crowson said education and experience are central to success and that AI and other tools should help advisors stay more human with clients. - Dr. Christopher J. Cokley, TravManity CEO, said Crowson’s background in advising, leadership and agency ownership will benefit advisors, supplier partners and the company’s future. - Shelly Coppersmith, TravManity chief operating officer, said Crowson’s mix of advisor, team-leader and agency-owner experience can help advisors feel supported as they grow. - TravManity says technology should reduce administrative burden so advisors can focus on traveler needs, personalized itineraries, follow-up and long-term relationships. - Elite Advisor Advantage gives advisors enhanced tools, stronger visibility and priority support beyond a regular TravManity advisor account. - A core part of Elite Advisor Advantage is access to Tern, an itinerary builder and customer relationship management platform. - Tern combines itinerary creation, client relationship management, trip planning, payment workflows, commission tracking and AI-supported features in one system. - The platform is designed to help advisors organize client and trip information, streamline workflows and build polished itineraries. - Advisors with EAA and Tern access can spend less time switching between systems and more time on client communication, planning and follow-up. - The new TravManity website and booking engine are designed to help travelers explore destinations, find inspiration and start planning trips online. - The digital experience also gives advisors another way to move prospects from online discovery into personalized planning, booking support and ongoing service. - TravManity says it is built on more than $3 billion in travel bookings. - The company’s First-Class Training program is included with enrollment for new and experienced advisors.

Between the lines: - TravManity is positioning advisor support as a competitive advantage, not just an internal service function. - The combination of leadership, software access and supplier relationships suggests a push toward a more integrated host-agency model. - The emphasis on AI and hi-tech tools points to an effort to automate back-office work without losing the personal service that differentiates travel advisors. - The new website and booking engine extend that strategy to the traveler side by creating a smoother path from browsing to booking.

What's next: - TravManity is likely to keep building around advisor training, mentorship and technology adoption under Crowson’s leadership. - The company’s rollout of Elite Advisor Advantage and Tern access will be a key test of how strongly advisors adopt the new tools. - TravManity will also be watching whether the new digital experience drives more traveler leads and advisor engagement. - More information is available on the company’s website.