Terri Rickard and Irina Tuluca of Southwestern Travel Group go into detail about the challenges they have faced since the start of the pandemic. They touch on everything from rescheduling and moving large events, to maintaining contact with and supporting their clients, to just doing the next right thing. They Also talk about what the future of the travel industry may hold. Don’t miss this wide ranging conversation about travel in a global pandemic.

“Being prepared is the most important way we can reduce your stress.” - Terri Rickard

More About Terri Rickard

Terri Rickard is the Founder and President of Southwestern Travel. She began her career with the Southwestern Family of Companies in 2012 as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. In her role as Executive Assistant she took on a major project to create an internal managed travel program for the (then) 16 operating divisions, managing over $5 million in annual travel spend.

In just a few years of collecting company travel data, intense industry research and perfecting the vendor contract negotiation process, she achieved savings of over $500,000. In 2016, she turned this internal travel program into a public service and launched Southwestern Travel Group with the focus of helping and consulting other companies to save money on group travel, specifically in regards to meetings and incentives.

Today, as President, she focuses on the vision of the company, execution of the vision and recruiting A+ people. She is a hands-on team player actively saving clients’ money, training , negotiating and ensuring all best practices are adhered to for every event or adventure planned.

More About Irina Tuluca

Irina Tuluca is currently a Group Account Manager for Southwestern Travel Group that specializes in planning meetings and incentive trips domestically and internationally. As a seasoned event & meeting manager with over 6 years of experience, Irina has planned events of all scopes and sizes. 

She graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Entertainment Management with a focus on Event and Venue Management before moving to Nashville to work at the Grand Ole Opry House as an Event Coordinator. She then joined Southwestern Travel Group in January 2017 as the first hire to help Terri grow the business and has seen the company evolve from a start up to a fully functioning travel management company with various operating divisions.  

Irina is skilled in contract negotiation, project management, operations management, strategic planning, complex problem solving, communication, and event planning and design.

The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!