Ensemble’s Horizons 2026 opened in Las Vegas with the kind of message host agencies and consortia often aim for: Growth matters, but culture is what makes it stick.
With nearly 1,000 members and partners gathered at Resorts World Las Vegas for the network’s annual flagship conference, Ensemble used day one to point to a string of results.
Network-wide sales are up 11% year-over-year. More than 50 new agencies have joined over the past year. Ensemble delivered profit sharing for the fourth consecutive year. And approximately 70% of members are now classified as promoters.
“The progress we've made has been very intentional,” said Michael Johnson, President of Ensemble.
“We've stayed focused on what matters — helping advisors build more profitable, sustainable businesses. The travel advisor has never been more important or more in demand, but the job is also more complex than ever. That raises the bar for what a consortium needs to deliver, and we take that seriously.”
But it wasn’t the numbers people were talking about in the hallways.
It was the stories.
“The progress we've made has been very intentional,” said Michael Johnson, President of Ensemble. (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair)
“Triumph can’t be had without the struggle”
Johnson opened the conference with the story of Wilma Rudolph, who survived childhood illness, was told she would never walk again, and went on to become the fastest woman in the world.
“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle,” Johnson told the room.
“She wore a metal brace. Doctors told her family she’d never walk,” he said.
“And her mom refused to accept it.”
By 16, Rudolph was an Olympian. By 20, she had three gold medals.
“We know what it means to be told the odds are against us. To be told our industry is outdated. To be told technology will replace us. To be told nobody needs a travel advisor anymore.
“We are not just the people clients call when something goes wrong. That framing diminishes everything you do.
“It’s the combination of expertise and empathy you bring that’s unmatched… the access to unique experiences… and yes, the support when something happens. It’s a 360-degree approach that makes advisors irreplaceable.”
And in a year marked by instability, he didn’t shy away from the opportunity in that.
“In uncertain times, trust is the most valuable currency there is.”
For advisors, the connection was powerful. The industry has heard plenty of predictions about its own decline. Technology would replace advisors. Clients would book everything themselves. The role was outdated.
Then the world got more complicated.
Geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, climate disruption and shifting consumer expectations have all reinforced the value of a trusted advisor.
Growth — But Built on Something Harder to Measure
“Our number one source of new members is referrals. Not advertising. Not cold calls.”
He let that sit.
“Your peers are telling other agencies: you need to be a part of this.”
“That doesn’t happen by accident. That happens when a community is delivering real value — not just to your business, but to how you feel about the network standing behind you.”
And the momentum, he suggested, is still building.
“When I talk to members, they’re not just satisfied. They’re proud.”
Nearly 1,000 members and partners gathered at Resorts World Las Vegas. (Photo Credit: Ensemble)
“Make-A-Wish, I thought about two things — little kids and Disney World.”
Day One also put a spotlight on Ensemble’s philanthropic work, including its partnership with Make-A-Wish.
Over the past six months, the Ensemble community has been working toward a goal of raising $150,000; enough to grant 14 wishes for children facing critical illness. Ensemble’s parent company is matching every dollar raised.
The evening program included former wish recipient and singer-songwriter Andrew Marshall sharing how his wish to meet John Mayer changed the course of his life after a leukemia diagnosis at 16.
“I thought I’d show him a song and he’d say, ‘Nice song, cancer kid,’ and that would be that.”
Instead, “he kicked everybody out… and we spent an hour just being two guys with two guitars.”
Former wish recipient and singer-songwriter Andrew Marshall (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair)When Mayer called him back down the hallway as they were leaving, he delivered a line Marshall says still stays with him.
“Andrew, you’re world class. Genuinely.”
Marshall paused.
“That’s the one that lives in my head rent-free — whenever I feel like the world is weighing on me.”
Today, he’s a working musician, a former contestant on The Voice, and an advocate for granting more wishes.
“One of those moments that splits your life into the before and the after.”
The room then heard from Kenna, whose son, Witten, wished to become a wizard after years of serious medical challenges and daily seizures.
“It felt like someone had opened a window in a room we didn’t realize we were holding our breath in,” his mother shared.
“He wasn’t the sick kid. He wasn’t the kid with epilepsy. He was just a real wizard,” she shared.
What followed was a fully immersive experience: robes, wands, and a private ceremony pulled straight from Harry Potter.
Kenna’s voice broke as she described it: “When the wand chose him… it was like he finally felt seen.”
For one week, the family stopped tracking medications, appointments, and symptoms.
“We were just laughing and playing together and being a family.”
Kenna, with son, Witten, who wished to become a wizard after years of serious medical challenges and daily seizures. (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair)
Then came something she still struggles to explain.
“A few months later… he had his first ever clear EEG. No seizure activity.”
The surgery they had been preparing for was paused.
“Some might even say… magically.”
...not a single dry eye in the room.
Advisors, Kenna said, also create space for families to breathe. They remove stress, shape once-in-a-lifetime experiences and help people hold onto moments that matter.
“It’s almost like you guys are wish creators too,” she said.
“Be the advisor your clients need you to be”
“Cruise is on an extraordinary run… younger travellers are entering the market… luxury, experiential, river, adventure — it’s all expanding. Be curious this week,” Johnson urged.
“Be the advisor your clients need you to be, and the business owner your future self will thank you for becoming.”
He closed by circling back to the opening story.
“Wilma didn’t find her gold in spite of the struggle. She found it because she put in the work — every single day, when no one was watching.
“I see that same spirit here.”
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