As AI and automation aim to reshape the industry, Ensemble used Horizons 2026 to make one thing clear: the value of the travel advisor is only growing.
Over three days at Resorts World Las Vegas, conversations repeatedly returned to the same themes. Community, advocacy, trust and the growing value of human expertise in an increasingly complex travel landscape.
For Ensemble President Michael Johnson, the consortium’s direction is deliberate.
“It’s never been our goal to be the biggest,” Johnson said during a media roundtable at Horizons. “It’s always been our goal to be the best.”
The statement reflected a positioning that surfaced repeatedly throughout the conference, one that places advisor profitability, meaningful partnerships and human connection ahead of scale for scale’s sake.
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And the numbers suggest the approach is resonating.
Network-wide sales are up 11% year-over-year. More than 50 agencies joined Ensemble over the past year. The consortium delivered profit-sharing for the fourth consecutive year, while approximately 70% of its members are now classified as promoters. Referrals remain the leading source of new agencies joining the network.
For Johnson, that detail matters most.
“That means that not only are our members engaged, but they are out there acting as advocates on our behalf,” he said.
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With nearly 1,000 members and partners attending Horizons 2026, more than double the attendance from the consortium’s first post-transition conference in 2023, the momentum was difficult to ignore.
But throughout the week, Ensemble executives consistently argued that growth alone is not the point.
“What separates Ensemble in a crowded consortium landscape isn’t any single tool or partnership but the quality of the community itself.”
That sense of community became one of the conference's defining themes.
Ensemble leadership outlined the consortium’s vision for advisor growth (Photo Credit: Natasha Lair)
ACTA: “The Industry Is Built on People”
ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais brought that message into sharp focus during her address to attendees, pointing to the deeper meaning behind Ensemble’s name itself.
“In French, Ensemble means together,” she said. “And that feels exactly right for this room.”
“The industry is built on people, on the relationships you build and the connections you create every day.”
Her remarks centred heavily on advocacy, particularly for Canadian travel advisors navigating increasingly complex regulatory environments.
ACTA President Suzanne Acton-Gervais (Photo Credit: Ensemble)
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During ACTA’s recent Parliament Hill meetings, the association pushed for federal leadership around mutual recognition of licenses across provinces and harmonized consumer protection and travel insurance rules.
“Right now, travel advisors are dealing with duplicative requirements across the country,” she said.
Acton-Gervais also highlighted ACTA’s growing international advocacy role through the World Travel Agents Associations Alliance and emphasized the importance of continuing to strengthen the advisor community through education, certification and recruitment initiatives.
“Individually, you are powerful,” she told the room. “Together, we’re even more powerful, impactful and influential.”
That emphasis on collective strength echoed throughout the week.
Why Ensemble Believes Advisors Matter More — Not Less
One of the clearest conversations at Horizons revolved around artificial intelligence (AI), but not in the way many industry conferences frame it.
“The value that a human brings to travel will become more, not less important,” Johnson said.
He pointed to the limitations of AI-generated recommendations, arguing that algorithms can aggregate information but cannot replicate personal understanding, trust or access.
“An advisor has the ability to understand who you are as a human and connect you with other humans,” he said.
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The consortium’s leadership team described a future where AI streamlines workflows, accelerates platform development and removes repetitive administrative tasks, allowing advisors to focus more heavily on client relationships and higher-value planning.
“There’s still a lot of admin work,” said Kristina Boyce, Ensemble’s Senior Vice President of Operations. “The biggest opportunity is that in five years, travel advisors are going to be so much more efficient and able to double their sales because they’re operating in a much more seamless world.”
At the same time, executives suggested there may also be limits to how far automation can go in luxury and experiential travel.
“Luxury is about exclusivity,” Johnson said. “If it’s visible and bookable on AI, that may not be the experience people are looking for.”
Instead, Ensemble’s strategy increasingly centres on giving advisors access to differentiated product, stronger supplier relationships and clearer profitability opportunities.
This year, the consortium introduced a new partner tiering framework designed to provide more transparency around preferred relationships and advisor earnings opportunities. Ensemble added approximately 120 new preferred partners over the past year, expanding what it describes as one of the industry’s broadest curated partner ecosystems.
“We want our agents to be able to book whatever they want, whenever they want, with whoever they want — as long as it meets the needs of their clients,” said Danny Finkel, Senior Vice President of Partner Relations.
The Emotional Centre of the Conference
While discussions around growth, AI and advisor strategy shaped much of Horizons, some of the most impactful moments came away from the business conversations entirely.
Ensemble’s ongoing partnership with Make-A-Wish Foundation remained a major focus throughout the conference, with the consortium continuing its campaign to raise $150,000 for wish-granting initiatives, matched dollar-for-dollar by its parent company.
Attendees heard from Andrew Marshall, a former wish recipient and singer-songwriter who shared how his experience meeting John Mayer after a leukemia diagnosis at 16 changed the course of his life.
The room later fell silent as another family described how a wish experience gave their son, who had endured years of severe medical challenges and seizures, the chance to simply feel like a child again.
There was not a dry eye in the room.
The emotional throughline connected back to a larger idea repeated throughout Horizons: Travel advisors do more than book trips. They create peace of mind, meaningful experiences and moments families carry with them long after they return home.
A Different Kind of Growth Story
As Horizons 2026 closed, Ensemble’s message felt less about expansion than intention.
Yes, the consortium is growing.
But leadership repeatedly emphasized that the goal is not to become the industry’s largest player.
“It’s hard to be the biggest and at the same time cherish the idea that every voice matters,” Johnson said.
Ensemble Honours Top Advisors and Partners, Announces Horizons 2027 Cruise Conference
Horizons 2026 celebrated Ensemble’s advisor and partner network, with awards recognizing excellence in innovation, growth and industry impact.
AmaWaterways took home Overall Partner of the Year, while member honours included Excellence Awards for Personal Travel Management in Canada and Ambassador Tours in the U.S. Other major winners included Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Viking, Silversea, Explora Journeys and Delta Air Lines.
Looking ahead, Ensemble closed the conference with one final announcement: Horizons 2027 will take place at sea for the first time aboard Norwegian Joy from April 5–9, 2027.
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