After years of experience working as a travel advisor, it’s easy to settle into a routine and put networking and business building on the back burner. You most likely have a large client base filled with repeat customers and strong partnerships with suppliers.
Having a full plate shouldn’t mean throwing networking to the wayside though. Strengthening existing relationships and forming new partnerships will always have their place. If there’s one thing you’ve learned over the years of working in the travel industry, it’s that travel is always evolving. And this means staying in the know is important. Creating local connections, strengthening supplier partnerships and attending events can play a huge role in growing your business and staying relevant.
Community Connections
Years ago, the majority of business used to walk right in the front door, but over time, the internet has allowed travel agencies to reach new clients in areas outside of their communities. It’s not uncommon for advisors to book vacations for people located in other states. This doesn’t mean building connections in your local area is no longer important though.
“It’s important to network in your local community if you want to build your clientele and business and have local brand recognition,” said Jessica Pressler, owner and founder of Radiance Travel.
“I’ve found that participating in local charity events as a sponsor or giveaway leads to brand loyalty,” she added. “Community members want to support my business when I’m participating in a charity that is close to their hearts.”
For Jenny Cagle, president of Elm Grove Travel, building connections in the community has always been a source of new business for her agency. She prioritizes joining clubs and associations in her area.
“As the owner of the agency, I have always maintained membership in the local Business Association, The Rotary Club or Kiwanis, and various social organizations,” said Cagle. “The advisors on our team also network in the communities they live in by being active in their children’s schools and athletic teams. We strongly believe that since everyone loves to talk about travel, we always have plenty of people to talk to at events, and those people remember us when they are planning their next trip.”
Industry Partnerships
In addition to having local connections, it’s also important to strengthen relationships throughout the industry, and this includes with both supplier partners and other travel advisors.
Suppliers
The advisors at Elm Grove Travel put a priority on forming strong relationships with their supplier partners, and Cagle explained it creates a two-way communication — the advisors have someone to turn to when they need help, and the supplier oftentimes contacts the agency looking for insights.
The perks of these partnerships expand even deeper than having someone to turn to. Along with having a point person, Pressler pointed out some of the additional benefits she’s seen when building relationships with her supplier partners.
“Benefits include invites to VIP events, ribbon cuttings, fam trips, exclusive conferences and even leads from suppliers,” she said. “The suppliers I have the strongest relationships with have sent me the best clients from their own networks, which have led to luxury bookings to Mexico, Greece and even Africa.”
The Elm Grove Travel team visiting with their Globus BDM during a product update
Travel Advisors
It doesn’t always have to be a competition. In fact, networking with other travel agencies can be a great thing for your business. Pressler has several travel advisor friends, and she’s received advice on important things like hiring and templates for contracts.
The travel advisors she networks with not only learn from each other but also send each other leads based on which agency is the best fit for the client. To Pressler, building each other up leads to being a part of a better industry altogether. “It's important to be kind and help each other out because it only strengthens our industry,” she said.
Cagle said a huge benefit of consortia membership is being able to network with other agencies, and she’s had the pleasure of meeting several other agency owners in the Midwest where she’s from.
“I love chatting about business practices, marketing tactics and employee benefits with others from different areas. I always learn something new,” Cagle said. “My best example of this is when four agency owners from our area carpooled to a consortia meeting. During that ride, I learned we were overpaying our bank to provide our letter of credit for ARC. After that ride, I contacted the bank and could negotiate a better rate. Without knowing the other owners, I would have continued to overpay.”
Attending Events
Not too many people work in the travel industry if they don’t like to travel, and one of the biggest perks of working as a travel advisor is doing just that. Between conferences, FAM trips and vacations, agents’ travel schedules are usually pretty full. It’s common for the amount of travel to ebb and flow throughout the years depending on what else is going on in life, but it’s important to never stop prioritizing attendance at in-person events.
There are so many good things that come out of going to events. First of all, there’s always something new to learn. This industry is constantly changing, and attending events keeps you up to speed on what’s going on. Seeing as most advisors work remotely these days, attending events can also be a great way to socialize.
Pressler at ALG Executive Advisor retreat.
Pressler on an independent FAM in Cancun.
“In-person events are a priority for me not only for the networking and education, but also the socialization and comradery,” said Pressler. “I work from home, so these events give me life and remind me why travel is so important for the soul.”
Cagle encourages the staff at Elm Grove Travel to go to in-person events whenever possible. There are several benefits that come from attending. It allows them to show support for supplier partners and also helps them to meet and build relationships with other travel advisors. It’s not too often she attends an event without learning something new.
“There is always one nugget that we pick up … whether it’s a specific piece of information about a supplier, a marketing idea or a new business practice,” Cagle said.
No matter how busy the workload feels, prioritizing networking and relationship-building with clients, suppliers and peers throughout the industry will always have an important place.
Originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of The Compass magazine.
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