AITO conference: Speed dating the all stars

Aled Evans of Undiscovered Destinations, recaps on the AITO conference and the importance of ‘Thank You’.

Having joined AITO in November 2013, this was Undiscovered Destinations’ first attendance at the AITO Agents’ domestic conference.  One of the key factors in the business decision to join AITO was the opportunity to work with independent, specialist agents whose knowledge and experience would be a good fit for our niche small group tours. From what I experienced over the weekend at Drayton Manor and with the enthusiasm and interest we were greeted with at the agents’ marketplace, our decision seems to have been the right one.

Beginning with workshops focusing on the importance of assertiveness in closing sales and how Twitter and Facebook can be a powerful tool for promoting the business, the conference was much more than a networking event. As a keen advocate of continuing personal development (or ‘you never stop learning’ as it used to be known) I’m always keen to brush up on old skills and learn new ones.  

At the Saturday evening AITO All Stars Awards Ceremony and Dinner, it was great to see such a wide range of agents from all over the country celebrating and being rewarded for their hard work and having their success acknowledged by their peers and partners. It was clear from speaking to some of the winners that great product knowledge and a close relationship with clients and operators translates in to increased sales.

 Although all of our staff have a retail travel agent background, Undiscovered Destinations has focused on selling directly to the public since the company started 11 years ago. It was not that we did not want to sell through agents; it was rather that we did not have any formal mechanism for doing so and in part we did not consider our tours suitable for sale through mainstream agents. From the chats and the feedback that we received over the weekend, we have discovered that there are a large number of extremely well travelled, knowledgeable and professional travel agents that we should be building relationships with, to each other’s benefit.

On the Sunday morning, AITO agents’ chairman Gemma Antrobus gave a thought provoking talk on the power of ‘thank you’. Citing some great examples, such as gentlemen’s outfitter Charles Tyrwhitt who sends a personal letter when buying from their website, she reminded everyone of how important those two little words can be.  When done with sincerity it is such an easy and cost free way to ensure staff, customers and suppliers know that you appreciate them and is all too often overlooked. It was a useful reminder for all of us.

During the business sessions, the discussions and presentations were focused and informative, but the one thing that stood out for me was the actual number of bookings made for AITO tour operators by AITO agents. Gemma Antrobus announced that the AITO All Stars scheme generated £53.6 million worth of bookings in 2014, exclusively for AITO operators. However big your business is, that is a hugely impressive number.  I would advise any operator considering signing up to the closer ties agreement and All Stars scheme to do so. Based on our experience at the conference, Undiscovered Destinations have signed up for the All Stars Scheme, commencing from February.

There was a wonderful, comic introduction to the Agents’ Marketplace by Ted Wake and Sarah Archer, who got the travel industry’s equivalent of ‘speed dating’ under way. This was a quick and easy way to meet with every agent attending the conference and although we had only five minutes on each table, with a bit of preparation before attending, it turned in to a very productive business session. The four hours seemed to fly by and before we knew it we had met everyone and had a long list of new and exciting contacts. If it had been real speed dating, then we would have been spoilt for choice and lost as to which super model to contact first!

Back in the office and at the debrief on the Monday morning the feeling was that the AITO Agents domestic conference should become one of our annual ‘must attend’ events. So to all those that supported, helped organise and participated in a very professional and enjoyable weekend at Drayton Manor – a large and sincere ‘thank you’.