25-07-2025
Magical Vacation Planner unveils learning hub
Host agency Magical Vacation Planner (MVP) this month celebrated the grand opening of its new Entrepreneur Learning Center (ELC) in Mitchell, Ind.
The 5,500-square-foot facility features office and support space and a lobby to host walk-ins, but the majority of the ELC — 3,000 square feet — is dedicated to training and education.
Jamie Ane and JJ Eubanks cut the ribbon outside their Entrepreneur Learning Center in Mitchell, Ind., earlier this month. Photo Credit: Magical Vacation Planner
"We know that one of the key components at Magical Vacation Planner has always been education," said co-founder and CEO Jamie Ane Eubanks. "We want to really set ourselves apart."
The building is located in her hometown. That was both a strategic and meaningful decision. JJ Eubanks, Jamie's husband and the agency's co-founder and executive vice president, said his wife wanted to bring the company back to its roots, literally with the location and metaphorically by increasing in-person learning opportunities that have been consumed by virtual learnings in recent years.
It's also within a 400-mile radius of around 80% of MVP's advisors, Jamie said. While MVP also maintains a smaller office in Orlando, visiting there would mean a very long drive or a flight for most MVP advisors. It also lacks space, something that's not a problem at the ELC.
"The basics is really what builds your business in this industry, and there's just so much noise, so much chatter," Jamie said. "This is just a way we can say, hey, let's push the reset button. Get you in here, train in person."
Magical Vacation Planner recently opened a new Entrepreneur Learning Center in Mitchell, Ind. Photo Credit: Magical Vacation Planner
Jamie estimated that 99% of MVP's advisors had never worked as an agent before affiliating with the host, also making training paramount.
"That's important to us because we want to impact the travel industry not by shifting market share, but by bringing new people into the industry," she said. "We just found that this works for us. It may not work for everybody, but it really does work for Magical Vacation Planner and our advisors."
Inside the Entrepreneur Learning Center
JJ said the new facility in Mitchell can support up to 150 advisors at a time, and was purpose-built with spaces for training sessions, team building, activities and exercises, both inside and outside.
"It's pretty neat to have something that was designed specifically for the way that we do business and to help support our advisors," JJ said.
The Eubankses held a grand opening celebration on Saturday, July 12, featuring the agency's leadership, local officials, travel advisors and key supplier partners from Disney Destinations, Universal Parks & Resorts, Royal Caribbean, ALG Vacations, Celebrity Cruises and Sandals Resorts.
Jamie said suppliers were particularly excited to have a physical place where they could gather with MVP advisors for training, as in-person training can be so engaging. It's also more convenient than getting advisors to a location or on a fam for training, she said.
MVP's marketing moves
A big focus of MVP is bringing new talent into the travel industry, JJ said. One of the ways the agency got its name out there in recent years was partnering with Nascar driver Chase Briscoe. The MVP name was placed prominently on his car.
"We want to really set ourselves apart," Jamie said. "Nascar was hands down the biggest national campaign that we've done."
MVP has also done television and social media advertising.
JJ also teased another "big, national campaign" coming from the agency in the future.
While MVP doesn't release the number of independent contractors it has or total sales, Jamie said it would sit comfortably on Travel Weekly's Power List, which features travel agencies with more than $125 million in annual sales. The agency is a Diamond-level producer with Disney and Universal in addition to winning accolades with suppliers like Royal Caribbean and Sandals.
"Here at MVP, whether it's staff, whether it's our partners and our advisors, we are committed to growing the travel industry in a positive way," JJ said. "We will continue to do this. We will continue to look for unique ways to bring people into the travel industry. We will look for unique ways to celebrate and support guests with vacations around the world."
