Collette Hosts 2026 Global Sales Conference in Australia

At a time when global uncertainty continues to challenge the travel industry, Collette is reaffirming its long‑term commitment to travel advisors with a significant investment in people, products, and partnership.

Earlier this month, Collette brought more than 100 Business Development Managers (BDMs) from Canada to Australia for its 2026 Global Sales Conference—a hands‑on, immersive experience designed to deepen destination knowledge and sharpen strategies for the year ahead.

This was not a traditional, boardroom‑based sales meeting. Instead, Collette chose to invest in firsthand experience, ensuring its sales team could truly understand the destinations they support travel advisors in selling.

“This kind of investment, especially during a challenging time for the industry, reflects who we are as a company,” said Christian Leibl-Cote, Executive Vice President of Global Sales at Collette. “We know that the best way to support our travel advisor partners is to ensure our teams have deep, authentic knowledge of our destinations. When our people experience traveling the way our guests do, it can really open the lines of communication.”

The conference gave Collette’s international sales team the opportunity to explore iconic destinations including the Great Barrier Reef and Queenstown, while also strategizing future growth and collaboration across markets. The program reinforced Collette’s commitment to immersive learning across multiple destinations.

Karen Deveson, Managing Director, Collette Australia, emphasized the meaning behind the investment: “I’m incredibly grateful to work for a company that truly invests in its people and products. This is about experiencing a destination. At Collette, we don’t just sell travel; we believe in it. And how can we inspire clients to explore the world if we haven’t explored it ourselves? We are travellers too.”

For Collette, this investment underscores a clear belief: supporting travel advisors starts with investing in education, experience, and global collaboration by going the “extra mile” in the destinations we love.

“We are proud to showcase Australia to our international team,” added Deveson. “This country has so much to offer, and there is no substitute for experiencing it firsthand.”

As Collette looks to the remainder of 2026 and beyond, initiatives like this global sales conference reinforce the company’s long‑standing philosophy—travel is transformational, and the best advocates for travel are those who live it.