Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Air
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

Marketing, Engagement, & Partnerships Lead Discussions as TMP East Opens

by Dori Saltzman / June 22, 2022
travel industry conference

Travel agency group executives offer tips and advice at TMP East. 

 

For a travel industry that’s finally starting to pick up steam after more than two years of simply surviving, it only makes sense to kick off a travel conference right on the heels of the summer solstice.

“Yesterday was the longest day of the year. The sun is shining and our industry is shining,” said Travel Market Report publisher Anne Marie Moebes, welcoming the more than 200 attendees to this year’s Travel Market Place East conference, which kicked off Tuesday morning in Toronto.

The two-day conference provides attendees, mostly travel agency owners, employees and independent contractors, a packed schedule of general sessions, TED-style talks, panel discussions, a full trade show floor and more.

The sunny-days theme was picked up by Mike Drever, founder of Branch Up, and founder and former CEO of CruiseShipCenters.

“I’m talking today about the future of the travel agent and the forecast is bright and sunny, as it always has been,” he said. “Travel agents are absolutely required. Every supplier needs you. Every single one. And they will forever, as long as there is a complex travel product for sale.”

It’s a given, he said, that people will book air, hotels and car rentals online because they’re easy to understand.

“But they’re not booking an African safari online and most people are not booking a cruise online. They may research it online, but they want to speak to a person.”

But, he cautioned, in order to remain relevant, travel advisors need to get in front of consumers to let them know what their travel options are, why they’re complicated, and how they, as an advisor, can help.

And the best way to do that, he suggested, is to build a database of potential customers and then work that database.

Drever called it finding your “first first.” In other words, it’s the first thing travel advisors need to be thinking about in order to stay relevant and make booking with them a no-brainer for consumers.

By having and working a database, advisors can establish and build rapport with customers. They can prove their expertise and stay front of mind. All with the end goal of getting them to book with you.

In other words, marketing.

“To get sales, you have to do marketing,” he said simply, adding that advisors shouldn’t be afraid to stay in front of their clients. Don’t worry about “bothering” them.

“Frequency is good. It’s what builds your relationship… don’t be afraid to keep in touch with your customers and use as many mediums as possible,” he said.

Agency Leaders Echo Engagement
Following Drever’s talk, a panel of travel agency consortia, franchises and host executives took to the stage to talk about some of the best practices they see among their own members. Engagement with clients was a top talking point.

“You need to stay connected from a marketing perspective,” said Una O’Leary, general manager, Canada for Virtuoso Travel, who added that clients you market to will spend up to 40% more when they book with you.

Mike Foster, president of Nexion Travel Group, Canada, also emphasized staying in front of clients. He talked about Nexion advisors who took time during the pandemic to do videos of their own travels during the shutdown and then share them with their clients. They’re the ones whose business picked back up quickly once travel became easier, he said because “they kept the thought of travel alive,” for their clients.

Zeina Gedeon, CEO of Travello, also cited staying connected as a best practice but added that finding a niche is a tactic that drives a lot of success. It’s something that Lindsay Pearlman, senior vice president, international leisure of Travel Leaders Network, agreed with.

“As a travel agent, decided what you want to do with your business… you can’t be a generalist anymore. You can’t case a wide net.”

Pick what “bucket” you want to work in, whether that’s a type of travel, the size of your agency or something else and then “pickle it,” he added.

  11
  0
Related Articles
Travel Advisors Discuss Challenges – and Solutions – at TMP East 2022

MOST VIEWED

  1. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  2. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  3. TSA Will Now Allow Teens to Access PreCheck with Parents or Guardians
  4. Tips for Delivering Bad News to Your Clients
  5. Vantage Travel Website Down, Cruises Canceled Last Minute
  6. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans

MOST EMAILED

  1. 5 Reasons You Need to Use a Travel Advisor Now More Than Ever
  2. First Hand Look at the Soon-to-Open Sam Lord's Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort
  3. U.S. State Department Updates Jamaica Travel Warning to Level 3
  4. U.S. to End COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for International Travelers
  5. 25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans
  6. TSA Will Now Allow Teens to Access PreCheck with Parents or Guardians
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Your Replies: Travel Advisors Don't Save Their Clients Money
Your Replies: Travel Advisors Don't Save Their Clients Money

Our recent column, "Travel Advisors Don't Save Their Clients Money," sparked a lot of interest and feedback from our readers. 

Read...
The Use Cases for Artificial Intelligence in the Travel Industry
The Use Cases for Artificial Intelligence in the Travel Industry

AI is not coming – it is here. 

Read...
The Travel Institute Releases 2nd Edition of Wellness Travel Specialist Course
The Travel Institute Releases 2nd Edition of Wellness Travel Specialist Course

The refreshed course has been updated to reflect changing trends and offerings in the wellness travel arena. 

Read...
Virgin Voyages Makes a Splash in the Med With Resilient Lady
Virgin Voyages Makes a Splash in the Med With Resilient Lady

Ready your client for a Hot Ship Summer.

Read...
25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans
25 Qualifying Questions to Help You Nail Your Clients' Vacation Plans

Qualifying questions may just be the best sale tool advisors have. 

Read...
Testing the Waters with Dori: Travel Advisors Don't Save Their Clients Money
Testing the Waters with Dori: Travel Advisors Don't Save Their Clients Money

Before you grab your rotten tomatoes to start throwing, hear me out.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
Cruise Trend Outlook 2023
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/TIZwKLcPwbg/0.jpg
We Appreciate our Travel Advisors
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Air |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy