A Cruise CEO Advisor has taken her local marketing to a new level and her efforts didn’t go unnoticed.

Kathleen Penner of Plenty of Sunshine Travel, an affiliate of Cruise CEO, has been awarded not one but two Hamilton Spectator Readers’ Choice awards.

Penner won the top Diamond Award for best travel advisor, and her travel agency was also awarded the Diamond Award for the top best Travel Agency.

Despite a shutdown in travel, her local marketing efforts are paying off. Over the last 15 months, Kathleen has started a YouTube channel where she posts weekly updates with her cruise partners, launched a new website, grown her client email list, started a weekly podcast and switched host agencies to ensure her business is aligned with a cruise focused host partner.

Said Penner: “I am always looking for new innovative ways to reach new clients and get my business name into my community. Being recognized as the top travel agency and travel agent in the city of Hamilton, Ontario (a population of 767,000 people) shows me that my efforts are producing results.”

Recently, Penner came up with an idea to revolutionize her porch and get more eyes on her business.

She explains: “Like every other advisor, it’s been a rough go, but as a home-based cruise agent, I am always challenging myself to reach new clients in innovative ways. I realized, with six people in my house, we’re always getting orders & packages dropped off, so I thought, why not turn my porch into a marketing billboard and use this location to increase awareness of my business? I posted my logo, have supplier flyers, business cards and a tri-fold brochure showcasing what I offer. It’s great to see the response so far and the interest it’s created.”

Cruise CEO president, Caroline Hay observed: “Kathleen has put the time into her business over the past 15 months, and her work is paying off! We’re very proud of her recent awards, and it’s so well deserved. Her innovative approach and commitment to building her business is commendable and captures the true essence of being the CEO of her own cruise business.”