Joined in January 2024
Event planner
Based in Austin, TexasFrom luxury event planner to dual-revenue business owner
Fora Advisor Camille Ross started her career during the 2008 recession with an unpaid internship at a luxury event planning firm in Austin. After building experience in Memphis and working for a hospitality group in the Cayman Islands, she returned to Austin to launch her own company. Today, her company manages over 60 weddings annually, plus another 40 corporate and social events.
But Camille saw an opportunity many of her peers were missing: wedding room blocks and honeymoon planning.
“I started picking up more destination weddings,” she said. “I was also traveling more personally, and I wanted to take a step back from doing so many events, while still supplementing my income. Travel advising seemed like the perfect solution.”
Adding travel planning without disrupting a thriving events business
When Camille's business partner approached her about merging their two event companies, they discovered complementary visions. Her partner wanted to add concierge services; Camille wanted to add travel.
Two of their wedding clients who had become travel advisors recommended they research Fora.
“When I looked into Fora, it seemed pretty easy to navigate,” she said, noting that she’s “not great with technology.”
The accounting and support teams have been a great resource for questions—they’re super responsive.
Camille Ross
joined January 2024
The business model proved immediately profitable. Camille’s existing wedding clients already needed room blocks for weddings and events. By booking these through Fora instead of leaving commission on the table, she created a new revenue stream from work she was already doing.
“The accounting and support teams have been a great resource for questions and to get organized,” she said, “and they’re super responsive.”
Leveraging her existing network to launch travel advising
Camille's established relationships with Austin's premier luxury properties translated directly into travel revenue. Her connections at properties like Commodore Perry Estate generate substantial commissions through buyouts, with some room blocks totaling $100k or more. Several local hotel venues developed into regular commission sources. Beyond Austin, Camille managed three destination weddings in Cabo last year and is currently negotiating blocks with hotels in Santa Barbara for an upcoming wedding.
Her industry relationships also proved valuable in unexpected ways. During a familiarization trip to Kona, she reconnected with someone she'd known at Four Seasons Austin 10 years earlier who had moved to Hawaii.
“These longtime industry connections and paths that cross have been advantageous for my travel advising business,” Camille said.
Using Portal to manage her travel business
While room blocks provided revenue, Camille identified honeymoon planning as her next growth opportunity. Her wedding clients were already planning honeymoons, and many didn't have travel advisors.
“We do a lot of itineraries and timelines for events,” Camille said. “For travel advising, it’s the same thing.”
Fora’s Portal helped Camille stay organized
With easy-to-make itineraries, 175k bookable hotels, and commission tracking, Fora’s platform has all the tools advisors need to be successful.
She quickly learned that the organizational systems she developed while managing complex weddings also applied to travel planning. Her planning expertise, timeline management, detailed itineraries, and vendor relationships transferred seamlessly to creating custom travel experiences.
Fora's Portal became her central system for managing travel contracts and commissions across both businesses. The accounting and support teams provided crucial assistance as she built her systems.
“Fora’s Portal for me—I would not function without it,” she said. “Portal keeps everything organized.”
How Fora made success possible
User-friendly technology: Portal provides an intuitive system for managing clients, contracts, and commissions without requiring extensive technical expertise.
Responsive support team: Accounting and support teams provide quick assistance for workflow questions and commission tracking.
Flexible business model: Fora enables advisors to integrate travel services into existing businesses rather than requiring full-time commitment.
Community resources: Access to advisors with specialized destination knowledge through WhatsApp groups and local chapters accelerates learning.
