A number of local travel agents will receive first-hand experience of the Sandals, Beaches and Grand Pineapple brand during a special weekend of activities highlighted by a Product Update Trade Show, at Sandals Grande Riviera this weekend.

The trade show will be staged by Sandals team members who are students of the recently launched Sandals Corporate University (Ocho Rios campus). They are pursuing their Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Management at the Western Hospitality Institute.

The weekend of activities will include a number of events aimed at familiarising the travel agents with a number of exciting new innovations and facilities upgrade.

The trade show will showcase various sectors of the Sandals brand, including accommodation, events and entertainment, transportation, tourism services, food and beverage and attractions.

“We are extremely pleased to be hosting such an august body of local travel agents at Sandals Grande Riviera to have them reconnect with our brand,” said the resort’s general manager Brian Roper. “We highly respect the local market and our agents and this partnership is very important to us as a company.

“This will give our local partners first-hand experience of the wonderful improvements we have made, and also sample the new offering at this resort which was recently upgraded to the tune of US$60 million,” Roper added.

Since the launch of the Sandals Corporate University, some 20 team members from the Ocho Rios campus have began pursuing their Bachelors of Science degree in Hospitality Management with Western Hospitality Institute, one of the university’s partners.

“We are excited to be a part of this event,” said Tamon Allen, head butler at Sandals Grande Riviera and one of the participating students. “The trade show will not just give us a chance to put on display what we have learnt, but also to help sensitise our local travel agents who are very important to us and whose business we highly value.”

The students have been working assiduously to stage the product update and display the Sandals luxury-included product.

The weekend activities are another initiative by Sandals and underscores the company’s commitment to the local travel trade.