Kevin Dern Travel

It's been a busy two days in Nashville scouting out hotels and venues for a corporate incentive group. So many great options to choose from here - including the Ryman Auditorium, Country Music Hall of Fame, Wildhorse Saloon, rooftop spaces at the honkytonks on Broadway, and many more.

The COVID-19 vaccine should be a huge factor in the return of group and incentive travel. We're already working on events for this fall and next winter. Ready to plan for 2022? This GBTA poll says that 79% of corporate poll participants would be very comfortable traveling after receiving the vaccine.

Great graphic showing how the airline industry (and travel industry in general) have been impacted by COVID-19. We’re going in the right direction back towards normal travel volume but it’s still going to take time. #travel #airlines #tourism #COVID19

Something fun for a Monday morning, especially if you've been missing world travel - taks a virtual drive through dozens of cities around the world, including music from a local radio station. It's remarkable how similar many of the cities look. Moscow, Hamburg, Seoul, and St Petersburg, Buenos Aires, Tokyo... they all look like they could be somewhere in the US.

Another surprise for our incentive group in Fort Lauderdale last week - cocktails and dinner on a private yacht while cruising on the Intercoastal Waterway. The attendees didn't know anything about it until they boarded the vessel. We love to create unique events for our clients that their attendees will always remember. #grouptravel #incentivetravel #sales #incentives #eventplanner #event

Working from home while supervising a five-year-old doing virtual kindergarten is super challenging. I'm very fortunate to have the flexibility to work when I can but I know others are not as lucky. Would love to hear from others in this situation. How are YOU managing!? #parenting #supportteam #wfh #workingfromhome

It was great luck to get the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, to jump on our bus to say hello to our attendees. I was running an incentive trip for a high end group in Fort Lauderdale and brought down to Miami for a half day excursion. I arrived on Calle Ocho in Little Havana in advance to be ready when the bus arrived, and I noticed the mayor being interviewed in a local cafe. I spoke to his management team and they agreed to have him say hello to our group. It was a fun surprise for everyone and helps to reinforce why an experienced meeting planner can take an event from good to great. #meetingplanner #eventplanner #miami #grouptravel #events

I posted a few days ago about United Airlines announcing that they are no longer charging change fees. Now American Airlines and Delta Air Lines followed their lead. Perhaps change fees are gone for good. Airlines need our business. #airlines #travel #tourism

Arrivals today. Everyone’s a VIP on our trips. #Incentivetravel #grouptravel

Is planning your company trips, events, and sales meetings taking up too much of your team's time? Are they not turning out as professional and polished as you'd like? It might make sense to outsource the planning to an outside planning company like mine. If you're looking for events and meetings that are flawless (and under budget), the best thing you can do is to hire professionals. My team and I have been doing this for decades and we'd love to connect with you. Email me at [email protected]. #meetingplanner #eventplanner #travelplanner #tourism #incentivetrips #salesmeetings

In Fort Lauderdale for a small, high end incentive group. We’ve planned a pretty amazing trip - they’re going to love it! Arrivals in 2 days.

United Airlines is making a bold move - removing all change fees for all domestic flights, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. (They're also allowing same-day standby at no charge.) They're obviously following in the footsteps of Southwest Airlines, which has long been America's most popular airline. Hopefully, we'll see the other major airlines do the same and make changes easy again. #airlines #unitedairlines #travel #tourism

Holy incentive trips Batman! We hired Elsa and Batman for a corporate family event in San Diego and both the kids and adults loved them... I would definitely use them again. #incentivetrips #meetingplanner #eventplanner #batman

Looking forward to my first corporate group since COVID hit - heading to Fort Lauderdale next week with an incentive group. Lots of fun things planned, including an excursion to the Everglades, a day in Miami, a guided tour of Miami's Little Havana, and an amazing surprise offsite dinner. Anyone else want to come?