From Soccer Events to Biz Travel, Agency Scores in Diverse Markets
by Maria LenhartWhether it’s putting quilting groups on cruise ships, organizing destination soccer tournaments, managing business travel for regional companies, or arranging FITs, the second-generation owner of a Washington state agency is adept at juggling the demands of diverse clients.
It probably helps that Alex Trettin, president of Travel Leaders-Travel Center in Tacoma, Wash., grew up in the agency business. After his parents purchased the agency in the 1980s, Trettin, held nearly every position, including delivery driver, file clerk and receptionist.
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“We’re a brick and mortar agency with a strong focus on corporate travel – that’s about 35% of what we do,” Trettin said of Travel Center. “The rest is split between general leisure – FITs, cruises, etc. – and specialty groups.”
The agency maintains three locations and is a host agency for a dozen agents.
Corporate focus
Despite the flurry of consolidation in the business travel world, Trettin said there is still plenty of room for smaller players like Travel Center, which does about $5 million a year in corporate business. The key, he said, is to focus on small to mid-size accounts.
“The giant TMCS do a great job of managing the multimillion accounts, but they do a subpar job with small and medium accounts,” he said. “We’re not going after G.E. – our focus is on companies with budgets of $1 million or less.”
Trettin said he is seeing demand from companies that want help managing their travel spend. “They are looking for guidance, and we have resources to help them that are very cost-effective,” he said of his corporate clients, most of which are based in the Northwest.
In providing resources for corporate travel, Trettin credits support from the Travel Leaders consortium. “Travel Leaders has a fantastic program for business travel management agencies, including a coaching and mentoring program that enables us to consult with each other as a group,” he said.
To mine the corporate market further, the agency has started heavy use of LinkedIn as a source of lead generation. (See sidebar.)
Affinity groups
Another side of the agency – affinity group travel – is growing steadily, Trettin said.
In particular, the agency has found success organizing cruises for quilting groups, building up steady repeat business over the years. Travel Center maintains a dedicated website called www.quiltcampatsea.com, and this year the agency is organizing cruises for quilters to Alaska and New England.
Marketing on Facebook
To tap the quilter market, Trettin said he advertises in print magazines for quilters and buys banner ads on quilting websites. He also markets through Facebook by using directive advertising.
“With Facebook, you can do demographic-specific targeting for your promotion,” he said. “Like a Google ad, you only pay per click. It goes to people of a certain age and gender and who are interested in quilting.”
While the agency also has a Facebook page for its quilting specialty, Trettin said it is not a huge source of business, generating about three or four bookings a year.
Along with quilters, destination weddings and honeymoons are another growing segment for Travel Center. “We participate in at least six wedding shows a year. People are finding that [destination weddings] are a fabulous way to celebrate,” Trettin said.
Soccer tournaments
Another facet of Travel Center’s business is managing two major amateur soccer tournaments, including King Cup, which Trettin has organized for about a decade. Held annually in Las Vegas on Martin Luther King Day, the tournament draws over 4,000 people, including 202 teams, plus family and friends.
“We got started by providing hotels when it was a small tournament, then we ended up running it,” he said. “It’s grown into the largest men’s soccer tournament in the country.”
Both King Cup and a smaller tournament are promoted and managed with the aid of a dedicated website, www.soccerinsun.com.
Inbound China travel
One aspect of group travel that Trettin would like to grow is arranging inbound tours from China, an interest that started when he lived and worked in China as an English teacher.
“After teaching English there for two years, I started doing inbound tours,” he said. “Unfortunately, it fell apart after 9/11 when it became difficult for Chinese travelers to obtain visas.”
Just recently, Trettin said a tour the agency was organizing for Chinese basketball players was derailed by the visa situation. “We’re still looking for opportunities with China, but it’s difficult.”
