Local Travel Agent Gets Real-Life Destination Wedding Planning Experience in the Industry’s First-Ever On-Location Training Weekend
As a part of Destination Wedding University’s inaugural graduating class, Amber Pinkley was part of a select group that participated in the Playbook Retreat, the first start-to-finish destination wedding training weekend in the industry.
Canadian, Ok, October 17, 2019 – The world-renown travel entrepreneur Richard Branson is famous for saying, “The best way to learn about anything is by doing.”
And this is precisely the idea behind the Destination Wedding Playbook Retreat — a unique, first-in-the-industry weekend that offers travel agents the opportunity to see and practice exactly what goes into a destination wedding from beginning to end.
The Playbook Retreat is an elective capstone event for a select group of graduates of Destination Wedding University, which is a 16-week intensive program that takes students through every aspect of becoming a destination wedding expert.
Only DWU graduates can register for this immersive weekend. This year, interest was so high that the Playbook Retreat sold out in a mere four hours, filling all 32 available spots.
Amber Pinkley, part of the inaugural graduation class, was one of the lucky participants.
The moment they arrived at Hard Rock Resort in the Rivera Maya, students were welcomed in style. There were happy hours, a mariachi band, dancers, and even the ultra-luxe Rock Star Suite. For three full days, in gorgeous surroundings, participants learned and experienced directly all the aspects of a destination wedding — welcome parties, food, decorations, music and entertainment, the ceremony itself, and even luxury farewell cruises.
Representatives from Hard Rock Resort’s wedding department partnered with the Playbook Retreat and led classes, sharing their motivation and expertise on everything from social media marketing to booking to videography.
Response to the unique training weekend was hugely enthusiastic. The consensus seemed to be: this is not your regular familiarization (FAM) trip. Jackie Williams, a recent DWU graduate, said, “This was an immersive Destination Weekend Experience with surprises at every turn. I truly felt like a celebrity with my own paparazzi and personal coach at my fingertips all weekend.”
The retreat was created by Will Medina, a Florida-based destination weddings expert who is also the creator of Destination Wedding U. “I really wanted to design an experience that was exclusive and intimate and that would give my amazing agents a real-life, hands-on look at what goes into making unforgettable weddings.”
As he looked around the industry, he saw many large conferences and seminars that offer information — but they often encourage competition rather than collaboration and mutual support among agents. After 16 weeks working together, his students at DWU had formed a tight bond, and he wanted to maintain that environment of positivity and passion. He even incorporated a training to help students face their biggest fears.
"Within these three days, we dove in to every aspect of a destination wedding, including the areas that make planning both challenging and thrilling. The course was well worth the investment, and I’m excited to share my knowledge with my clients", said Pinkley.
Enrollment for Destination Wedding University is expected to triple next year, with registration opening in January of 2020. Pinkley knows that being part of the first group to experience something as unique as the Playbook Retreat will give her invaluable insight into exactly what makes for an unforgettable destination wedding.
To learn more about Adventure's By Amber’s range of services and to schedule a consultation, visit www.destinationweddingaventures.com and follow us on Instagram @adventures_by_amber .