Riviera Travel has partnered with River Cruise King Academy to create a 6-day professional development workshop set for March 14-19, 2027. Timed to follow the 2027 ASTA River Cruise Expo, the program will be held aboard Riviera Radiance.
Riviera Travel ❤️ Travel Advisors
“At Riviera Travel, travel advisors are at the heart of our growth strategy, and we are deeply committed to investing in their success,” said Stuart Milan, president of North America at Riviera Travel, in a press statement. “This workshop reflects our belief that meaningful advisor partnerships go beyond product education. By partnering with River Cruise King Academy, we’re providing advisors with the tools, strategies and confidence to grow their river cruise group business while experiencing the Riviera Travel difference firsthand.”
The River Cruise King Academy Group Sales Workshop is led by David Natale and Erika Commisso and is built around a structured, revenue-focused curriculum rather than the traditional fam trip model. Instruction covers modern group sales systems and digital business tools, including TravelJoy and Tern, with an emphasis on client communication, group workflow management and building booking processes from inquiry through confirmation.
“I’ve spent years building a group sales system that actually works—not theory, but a real, repeatable process that produces real revenue,” said David Natale, Founder of the River Cruise King Academy, in a press statement. “Doing this on a Riviera ship isn’t just fitting, it’s perfect. These agents are going to sell this product. They’re going to love it. And they’re going to go home with everything they need to start immediately.”
Artificial intelligence in agency operations is also part of the program, addressing itinerary development, client communications, marketing content creation and follow-up sequencing. The aim is to help participants reduce manual workload while increasing consistency and conversion. The workshop also covers paid social campaigns—how to structure and optimize them for qualified group leads and how to translate those leads into repeatable booking pipelines.
A central element of the curriculum is the development of a fully customized group sales framework. Participants will build a dedicated landing page and booking environment for a live group departure, supported by automated email and marketing sequences. By the final session, each participant will have a complete set of marketing assets, digital workflows and automation strategies in place.
Throughout the training, participants will also experience the Riviera Travel product firsthand aboard Riviera Radiance, including its contemporary design and culinary program. Additional itinerary details will be announced at a later date.
Applications for the River Cruise King Academy Group Sales Workshop are open now. Space is limited to maintain a personalized learning environment.
For more information, visit rivieracruisekingacademy.com.
