Message from our Board Chair
What a wonderful time we had at Peer Group in Vermont last month! We had a fantastic FAM tour, informative speakers, great entertainers, helpful instructors, quality appointments and engaging networking sessions. And, it was great to see so many of you again! If you missed it, you might want to start to make plans right now to be at next year's conference - it will be in Branson March 12-16, 2018.
During the conference, we received copies of This Is Us, the collection of stories from HCI club directors that we put together. If you weren't at Peer Group, but contributed a story, you will be receiving your copy in the mail soon. Now with the "family reunion" over, we return to the task of preparing to engage our club members and serve our customers. I want to encourage you with the words of a former club director who contributed to the collection:
"You may give a lonely widow a reason to look forward to tomorrow, or a senior feeling left behind a feeling of inclusion and fellowship. Group tours instill a fresh new zest for life in folks that no longer travel independently. You have a noble calling, and I commend you all for your work in this industry. Carry on! You make a big difference!"
~ Patty Paul, First Citizens National Bank (Mason City, Iowa)
I couldn't have said it better.
Valerie Kelsey, CBCD
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Watch your inbox for a special Peer Group wrap up newsletter coming soon. Enjoy a preview on our conference page.
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PTO Profile: Mayflower Tours
Mayflower Tours is one of HCI's Preferred Tour Operators, and Sherri Guiborat has been with them for 26 years. She serves as the VP of Sales and Marketing and is based in Downers Grove, Illinois. Sherri and Kent Van Roekel kicked off the 2017 HCI Peer Group in Vermont last month as the hosts of the Opening Ceremonies in a fun way because "club  directors love a good time." They gave away a European River Cruise "Wonka style" when Kent (dressed as Willy Wonka in a purple suit and top hat) had club directors open candy bar wrappers to reveal a "Golden Ticket". "The travel business is all about loyalty and relationship building," says Sherri. Being an HCI PTO has been a great platform to meet bank club directors, and Peer Group is the best place to build relationships and create memories. Sherri loves that HCI is "a first name-basis kind of place" and looks forward to Peer Group every year.
Mayflower offers life enriching experiences around the world and promotes something different year after year to provide club directors new destinations and experiences for their members to enjoy - and they have been doing it for over 38 years. "Planning a trip with Mayflower Tours allows club directors to spend more time with their members," says Sherri. "Mayflower knows the power of the Bank Club and the benefits that are important to them! We are truly their partners in promotion and offer great marketing tools that are sure to make their group travel program a success including Travel Presentations, Personalized Flyers and Savings for their members." "We're a smart choice for bank club directors and we have the Gold Standard of River Cruising Holidays for them and their members."
Mayflower's service to you the club director and your members is their number one priority. Their phones are answered by a live person, you have a dedicated group specialist and inside support person in their office to assist you in every step of the way and with their group knowledge they strive to make the booking process an easy experience.
Everyone always wants to know what is "hot" or "what is selling" and for Mayflower, River Cruises and Small Ship Adventures is what is "hot".
Give Mayflower Tours a call and let them help you plan that next unique adventure for your club. They know what groups expect and will design a tour that is sure to please.
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Member Spotlight: Kristin Hannon
Minnwest Bank 
St. Cloud, MN
Kristin Hannon has been a Minnwest Bank employee for 11 years and a Minnwest Prime Club director for 5 years, but had never attended an HCI Peer Group conference until this year. She has just returned from her first one and is "super excited" to know about all of the resources available to her through HCI. And, she isn't just talking about the online tools - though there are many; she was blown away by the people and the knowledge that she can work with them to make her club better. She was nervous to attend at first, but says, "I left with thirty new best friends!" She was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming everyone was. "They encouraged me to join in their conversations and welcomed my participation. It was a wonderful experience."
She can't wait to get together with her Minnwest club director colleagues to share her excitement about HCI and the support that is available to them. These six club directors work together and take turns planning events for their members such as daytrips to theatres and museums, as well as education sessions like AARP Safe Driver courses and Stroke Detection medical assessments. Last Christmas Collette planned a "Christmas on the Riverwalk" tour in San Antonio for their members, and worked with them to make it go even with low attendance. Click here to read more
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STAY CONNECTED with HCI
Phone 877-881-0229
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