Laurence Pinckney's message
Not many acceptance speeches begin with a thank you to a cardiologist, but when Laurence Pinckney was being inducted into KHM Travel's Hall of Fame this past March, that's where he began.
His voice breaking with emotion, he recounted how, the previous week, his doctor had told him he needed a catheter put into his heart. Her initial scheduling would have required that he miss his induction ceremony, but when she realized how important it was for him to attend, she rearranged a few things to make sure he could have the intervention completed soon enough to be able to fly to Orlando for the festivities.
This was not the first time, incidentally, that she had moved a procedure up for him; earlier, she gave him priority so that he could attend the Carnival Mardi Gras inaugural sailing (though she first had to get through her incredulity that he was willing to put off an important health concern for ..."A cruise?")
In his speech, Pinckney drew an indirect parallel between how his doctor understood the value of the evening to him and how travel advisors understand that every trip is significant to every client.
"What we do is important," he said. "And it's going to be more and more important for us to be in front of people's dreams and hopes to be able to travel safely anywhere in the world. Whether you have $100,000 in sales or a million dollars in sales, the client you help will never, ever forget you."
Advisors play an important role not only in helping clients better understand the world, he said, but in promoting understanding between people.
"We have so much division in the world right now, with people telling us who we should like," Pinckney said. "But when [clients] interact with that family in Africa or that family in Germany ... that's why we do this."
And importantly, he focused on the need for travel advisors to support one another. He recounted a time when he took a group on a transatlantic sailing and one of the group, a friend of his, died en route.
Fortunately, another KHM advisor was onboard, "and she stood with me, took care of me while I tried to manage losing a friend and moving the group forward," Pinckney said.
Looking out at the assembled KHM advisors, he closed by saying, "When you walk into this room and when you walk out of this room, you will meet someone that you will come to love."
This honor was not the first for Pinckney. He had been recognized as Agent of the Year for Carnival Cruise Line and thrice was agent of the year for Norwegian Cruise Line. And a prerequisite for being inducted into the host agency's Hall of Fame is that the candidate "show willingness to invest their time, their talent and resources" to "provide guidance that benefits KHM Travel Group and the travel agent community as a whole."
Indeed, when KHM CEO Rick Zimmerman introduced Pinckney, he feted him as "an amazing man" and noted how much he had given back to the organization, serving as a regional director, as a member on the host agency's advisory board and on the diversity, equity and inclusion committee.
"Beyond his achievements in selling travel, Laurence has made an impact in the industry through his dedication to moving the travel agent community forward through his leadership and passion for helping others," Zimmerman said.
Travel Weekly writes often about the exceptional lengths that advisors go to help clients as well as how far suppliers go to help advisors. But what struck me most about Pinckney's message was his focus on what advisors do for advisors. And while he could have dwelled on the contributions he's made for others, he focused instead on how even a veteran advisor like him sometimes needs a shoulder to lean on.
I've seen what he was talking about in action -- leisure travel advisors helping leisure advisors -- at conferences, on fams, over social media.
In other industries, and even among corporate travel agencies, this type of peer-to-peer support among competitors is not common. I've seen industries where salespeople eye peers as one might view competing participants in an endless game of musical chairs, never wanting to give an advantage to someone who might get a seat while they're being shut out.
Perhaps part of why travel advisors are so collegial is that the need for travel advising is so great that there's simply enough business for everyone. And the evolution away from strip mall agencies that competed locally for business has also helped lower competitive heat. But I think that's only part of it. I think leisure travel sales attract people who are naturally service-oriented and relate easily to others, even erstwhile competitors.
Laurence Pinckney's message was delivered to KHM advisors. Happily, we're in an industry where it has the universal ring of truth.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Travel Weekly
30-07-2025
- Travel Weekly
Countries that fall off the map
Arnie Weissmann The company Global Rescue, which provides a range of risk- and crisis-management services, just released the results of its Summer 2025 Traveler Safety and Sentiment Survey, based on the responses of 2,900 current and former customers. The questionnaire asked respondents to share how global events have impacted their travel plans. American travelers are notoriously skittish, and that nervousness showed in differences between results from U.S.-based and other travelers. But it also revealed wariness on the part of non-U.S. travelers about visiting America. The contrast in attitude between U.S. and non-U.S. travelers was, in some instances, striking. U.S. travelers are significantly more likely to avoid Mexico than non-U.S. travelers (37% vs. 22%), with a similar gap in sentiment regarding the Dominican Republic (32% vs. 19%). Double-digit disparities also existed for potentially visiting Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kenya and Guatemala. Jamaica, the Philippines, United Arab Emirates, Colombia and Jordan had smaller gaps but still in the high single digits. In some instances, it seemed clear that bilateral politics play a role. In the greatest variance, only 25% of non-U.S. travelers indicated they would avoid China, but 51% of U.S. travelers said they would. The frosty relations between our two countries is one likely explanation. But why the gaps for Mexico and the Dominican Republic? It may have to do with government travel advisories. The Global Rescue survey found that more than 62% of Americans say that government travel advisories influence their destination choice "a great deal," "a lot" or "a moderate amount." The U.S. State Department advisory on Mexico breaks down the country by state and, in some cases, delineates areas of safety (or caution) down to the street and highway level. While there are just a handful of states where travel is strongly discouraged, only two fall under the mildest category, recommending that travelers need only take standard travel precautions. As for the Dominican Republic, the first line of the State Department advisory might have something to do with reluctance to visit: "Violent crime is a concern in the Dominican Republic despite more police presence in areas often visited by tourists." In some areas surveyed, like the impact of the Israel-Iran conflict and whether recent earthquake or volcanic activity impacted respondents' choice of destination, travelers both in the U.S. and abroad tracked fairly closely. There's likewise only a small gap in the results when U.S. and non-U.S. travelers were asked about the impact of U.S. governmental activity on travel: 28% of U.S. travelers and 32% of non-U.S. travelers said that U.S. international policy initiatives or announcements have impacted their willingness to travel. Twenty-two percent of non-U.S. travelers indicated that they have actually changed their travel plans as a result. When asked how the U.S. political climate is impacting plans to visit America, 20% of nonresidents said they're reconsidering travel here, 10% have already postponed trips and more than 15% have canceled trips. Asked how U.S. policy has impacted the way that Americans are perceived abroad, 61% of U.S.-based travelers and 65% of travelers from outside the U.S. said "Americans will be perceived more negatively" (5.6% and 3.4%, respectively, believe Americans will be perceived more positively). Guidance in government advisories regarding travel to the U.S. did change earlier this year for Germany, the U.K., Finland and Denmark as a result of changes in our passport gender designations. That change is unlikely to be the sole reason that people are forgoing a visit to America, but neither is it disconnected. It, as well as stories of visitors being detained at the border, refused entry or having their social media channels examined, all combine to send the message that the U.S. is not as welcoming as other countries. I've written before about the challenges that countries have in recovering from events that motivate travelers to look elsewhere for visitation. Typically, those events are transitory: an earthquake, a hurricane, a terrorist attack, riots. For a period, these destinations have fallen off the tourist map but tend to get back on it once stability returns. Has the U.S. fallen off the tourist map? The Global Rescue survey aligns with a corresponding drop in visitation to the U.S. and may in some ways suggest the worst is yet to come, with 45% of potential visitors reconsidering, postponing or canceling trips here. I have to believe that this, too, is transitory -- the U.S. is just too attractive a destination to stay off the map forever -- but I also worry the road back to our previous stature may be a long one. The key element that's impacting us is that we're not perceived as a welcoming destination in a world filled with countries that are. Once visitors get past immigration formalities, they will find us very welcoming indeed. The question is, will we get the chance to prove it?
NBC Sports
30-07-2025
- NBC Sports
St. Andrews to host next World Golf Hall of Fame induction
Padraig Harrington recalls his career milestones and thanks his family and everyone else who helped him during his golf career during his induction speech at the World Golf Hall of Fame. St. Andrews will be hosting The Open for the 31st time in 2027, a week that will include another World Golf Hall of Fame induction. The shrine is now located at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where the USGA has a second headquarters. Padraig Harrington led the induction class at Pinehurst in 2024. The next induction will be at St. Andrews, which previously held a Hall of Fame ceremony in 2015 when Mark O'Meara, Laura Davies and David Graham were among those inducted. Davies missed out when her flight from the U.S. Women's Open was delayed. She at least arrived in time for the reception. 'There is no better connection to golf's rich history and the origins of the game than at St. Andrews,' said Mike Trostel, director of the World Golf Hall of Fame. 'We are thrilled to celebrate the next class of golf's greatest figures at the home of golf and are grateful for the collaboration with our partners at The R&A.' The Hall of Fame induction is now every two years. It will return to Pinehurst in 2029, when the USGA has the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open in consecutive weeks.
New York Times
11-07-2025
- New York Times
With Ichiro's Hall of Fame moment, Cooperstown hopes and preps for a Japanese tourism surge
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Mom-and-pop apparel and memorabilia stores have long lined the picturesque Main Street in the upstate New York town that's home to baseball's Hall of Fame. When visitors for this year's induction ceremony arrive in two weeks, they might find something new: Japanese-speaking interpreters to help them shop. Advertisement The headliner of this year's Hall of Fame class is outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who amassed 3,089 hits in Major League Baseball and soon will become the first Japanese player enshrined in the game's hallowed museum. The number of visitors to Cooperstown, N.Y., a town of a couple thousand, always fluctuates with the star power of a given year's inductees. But this year presents a new wrinkle: the area has never expected an influx of fans from so far away. 'The biggest issue I was thinking about over the winter is like, how do we communicate?' said Vincent Carfango, owner of Seventh Inning Stretch, which is in its 31st summer and will have interpreters available July 25-27. 'I know we all have phones, and you can do Google Translate, but it's just easier in person if someone wants to talk about a certain piece.' Cooperstown isn't home to a sizable Japanese-American population. Right across from Carfango's store on Main Street sits the only sushi restaurant in town. To find interpreters, Carfango took to Facebook. 'A couple of my friends knew some people,' he said. 'There's a Japanese teacher and her husband that have never been here, and wanted to come anyway.' Cassandra Harrington, president of an organization that promotes tourism in the area, is printing up 3,000 village and museum maps that are translated into Japanese. But she said that as far as other planned changes for new clientele, business owners don't want to make too many assumptions about what foreign visitors may seek. A local confectioner was considering making fudge with sake in it, but wasn't sure how that would be received. 'They're trying to remain culturally sensitive,' Harrington said. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum started preparing for Suzuki's induction two years ago, said the organization's president, Josh Rawitch. That work culminated this week when the Hall opened an exhibit celebrating the ways Japanese and American baseball are intertwined. Advertisement Displays in 'Yakyu | Baseball: The Transpacific Exchange of the Game' honor not only Suzuki, but the pitcher Hideo Nomo — a trailblazer as the second Japanese player ever to reach the majors — and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the most prominent player in either country today. With a budget of roughly $2.5 million, it's one of the most expensive exhibits the non-profit has created, Rawitch said. On a bronze cast of a baseball, fans can place their hand on the same spots that Nomo would grip the ball when throwing his signature forkball. A video-and-audio installment later shows what it's like to be in the stands for games in both countries. In one clip at Yankee Stadium, the Bleacher Creatures chant the names of the Yankees' starters — 'roll call,' as it's known. Then the viewer is transported to Japan, where Rakuten Eagles fans release balloons into the sky en masse. Several items were sourced from Japan, such as a happi coat presented to Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez during a 1934 tour of the country, making for a more complicated procurement process than the Hall usually encounters when seeking artifacts on loan. But even amidst the preparations, there is an air of mystery in Cooperstown in the lead-up to the July 27 ceremony: how many fans will actually make the trek from Japan? 'There's a good degree of uncertainty,' said Vincent Russo, who runs another Main Street shop, Mickey's Place, where an interpreter will be available. 'Is it 5,000? Is it 10,000? Is it 1,000?' The cost to fly across the Pacific isn't the only concern for travelers from Japan. After landing some four hours away at one of the major airports in Queens, a four-hour or so drive awaits, some of it on backroads. 'The opportunity of having the first ever Japanese baseball player and somebody who was just so uber-popular in Japan is going to drive people here,' Rawitch said. 'But I also think we have to be realistic about the fact that it is not easy to get from Tokyo to Cooperstown. And so do I imagine there's going to be tens of thousands of Japanese fans here? Probably not. But there's going to be tens of thousands of fans here, and we want to make sure that we're welcoming regardless of where they're coming from.' Advertisement Most identified with the Seattle Mariners, Suzuki is not the only attraction this year. He's going into the Hall as part of a five-player class that includes C.C. Sabathia, a longtime New York Yankees pitcher who should bring plenty of visitors by car. But other forces are at play. This year's inductees were revealed on Jan. 21, one day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. That's significant because while everyone long expected Suzuki would receive enough votes to be inducted, most induction weekend reservations come after the announcement, according to Jay Smith, whose company Sports Travel and Tours sells licensed packages through the Hall. U.S. tourism has dropped this year, a hot topic at a tourism conference Smith recently attended. 'The international markets that I had meetings with, they are very well aware of the downward trend of interest for people coming to the U.S. at this point,' Smith said. In the final week of June, Smith said he had about 75 people signed up for an induction package from Japan. 'We thought that there would be more,' he said. Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame expects more than 60 media members representing some 20 Japanese news outlets will cover Suzuki's induction. But even when the Hall is trying to figure out how many U.S. attendees will arrive, a lot of guesswork is involved. The induction ceremony is not a ticketed event, and plenty of people book their travel independent of travel agencies. The Japanese American Association of New York and Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York offer a one-day tour bus from Manhattan on induction day at a cost of $305. But that amount too can be hefty, said Koji Sato, president of JAANY. 'Because Ichiro is being inducted, that makes it very desirable to go,' said Sato, who plans to attend himself. 'The average Japanese, let's say restaurant worker, in New York might not want to spend that much money for a day. But it all depends.' Induction weekend is not the only game in town for local businesses, which have a busy summer season as youth baseball teams play tournaments in town. But they do feel the impact of turnout, and the induction weekend headliner genuinely matters. Russo of Mickey's Place said that the year Cal Ripken Jr., the Baltimore Orioles great, went into the Hall, about 8 percent of his annual revenue came from induction weekend. Last year, when Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer led the class, it was under 5 percent. Advertisement Shopkeepers here still talk about Derek Jeter's ceremony, which was supposed to be in 2020 but was delayed by the pandemic until after Labor Day in 2021. In a typical summer setting, a Yankees superstar like Jeter would have driven eye-popping sales. Covid-19 made that a painful missed opportunity. Mickey's Place hasn't moved many Suzuki caps yet, but Russo expects that will change over induction weekend. The greater question, he said, is how many Suzuki caps will sell after that. Will Suzuki's enshrinement newly draw fans to the area? A new development nearby might help, too. In a few years, Hoshino Resorts, a Japanese hospitality company, is planning to open its first continental U.S. location in Sharon Springs, N.Y., about a half-hour away. The Hall is hoping that dovetails with their own efforts; Rawitch expects the Hall will display its new exhibit for at least five years. 'Regardless of how many people show up this July, whoever does is going to go back home and say, 'Man, did you see that incredible exhibit they did in Cooperstown, and you can go see each Ichiro's plaque, and there's this town that's just for baseball?'' Rawitch said. 'All of that is a five- to 10-year play. It's not just about July 27.' (Top photo of Ichiro at his Hall of Fame announcement press conference: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
