Travel Agent Professional December 2015 by Travel Agent Professional

Travel Agent Professional December 2015 Issue 40

Wearing Multiple Hats By Cindy Bertram

Richard Meadows

ecember

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By Paull Tickner

By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

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By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal

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Are You A “TYPE TT”? By Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants

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Ad Index

Cover Photo: Cunard Line

Avoya Travel .................................17

HostTravelAgency.com ...................7

Auto Europe .................................IFC

Royal Caribbean Line....................BC

Britain Greatdays.............................3

Travel Agent Professional

2015

Success Steering Your Business — Wearing Multiple Hats

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TAP

A Kaleidoscope of English Gardens

Travel Agent Professional December 2015 Issue 40

Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120198 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.360.3153

Joel M. Abels

Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007

Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design ann@travelagentprofessional.com Bonnie Walling Editor Bonnie@travelagentprofessional.com Alan Cohen Vice President Marketing Alan@travelagentprofessional.com

Meet Our Editorial Board Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain ptickner@customgb.co.uk www.customgb.co.uk Cindy Bertram, Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC cindybert@att.net Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing. Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade. The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials. On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another. While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.

The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

December 2015

Travel Agent Professional

A Kaleidoscope

P a u l l T i c k n e r

By Paull Tickner

To mark the 300th anniversary of ‘Capability’ Brown and in celebration of England’s many fabulous gardens, landscapes and events, VisitEngland is promoting ‘Year of the English Garden as a major theme for 2016. As most of the places your customers will want to visit lie out of London, you now have the opportunity to develop new itineraries which spend 5-6 nights in the countryside packed with value added visits to privately owned castles, stately homes and gardens. Pubs and tea rooms get added to the mix and with jetlag parked, your clients are then ready for 2-3 nights in London plus extensions on an independent basis. These two promotions also offer you the chance to be much more creative about the customised tours you offer. One of the following conversation starting suggestions might make a good starting point for a tour that can be matched to suit your customer’s time frame, interests and budget.

Paull Tickner has been designing and operating niche travel programmes for the UK and Ireland for over 30 years. For more information E-mail Paull at ptickner@customgb.co.uk

December 2015

English Gardens Orchids All the Way Melt away those winter blues and step inside the tropical paradise at either the Kew Gardens Orchids Festival (6th February-6th March) or the RHS Spring Plant Extravaganza and Orchid Show (1st-2nd April). Check this website to see if there’s an Orchid Society near you. Click on Affiliated Societies and then Affiliated Societies Near You. You might be pleasantly surprised by what and who you see listed.

Tulip Festival at Pashley Manor Pashley Manor stage their annual festival from 22nd April-7th May when 25,000 tulips, from palest pink to nearly black to brightest red, create dazzling mantles of colour in every flower bed, pot and border. It provides a spectacular centrepiece for a tour that includes a leisurely visit to the hill top town of Rye and visits to the stunning gardens at Sissinghurst Castle, Great Dixter and Hever Castle before returning to London. Why not promote a tour that starts in England and then goes to Holland for a visit to the Keukenhof and a tour of the Dutch bulb fields?

Chelsea in London and Bloom in Dublin Did you know that you can offer your garden club a three country tour that starts with the Chelsea Flower Show in London and visits some outstanding Cotswolds and North Wales gardens before taking the fast ferry across to Dublin for Day 1 at Bloom, Ireland’s largest gardening and food event. I don’t think you’ll find this exciting combination in many tour operator’s brochures.

The Olimpick Games, the Cotswolds and a Flower Show In June 1612, Robert Dover opened the first ‘Cotswold Olimpicks’ in the picturesque market town of Chipping Campden. Honouring the ancient Games of Greece, then as now the sports included singlestick, wrestling, jumping in sacks, dancing, shin kicking and many other rustic activities. The tradition continues and you can now put together a tour that visits some of the Cotswolds top gardens and a couple of pubs I can personally vouch for! It also includes the crowning of the May Queen at the Scuttlebrook Wake and finishes with a memorable day at the annual Hatfield House Flower Show and a couple of days in London.

Travel Agent Professional

Say It With Flowers The audience for this memorable tour could be the team (and their spouses) who lovingly decorate your church for Sunday Worship, weddings and other major events. This itinerary can include a visit to Arundel Cathedral to see their spectacular Carpet of Flowers which fills the entire central aisle and a day at the Chelsea Flower Show. The next few days can then be spent in the English countryside where the highlight could be the majestic nine hundred year-old Chichester Cathedral which will have been transformed with over eighty stunning arrangements all following the theme of the Festival’s title: ‘The Artist’s Palette’. A dazzling array of imaginative and beautiful flower designs are guaranteed to interpret the theme to sensational effect. You could of course find that your local garden club also likes the look of this very different approach to a 2016 Chelsea Flower Show tour.

Cathedrals, Castles and the Mystery Plays Here’s an idea that will work beautifully for those of you that can fly nonstop to Manchester from Atlanta, Boston (seasonal flights), Chicago, JFK, Newark, Philadelphia and Washington DC. This fabulous combination runs in late June and starts with the Blackburn Cathedral Festival of Flowers before heading through James Herriot’s Yorkshire Dales to York (it’s his centenary year in 2016). Using the city as a base, include a day at the Castle Howard Flower Show and an evening performance of the York Mystery Plays. For further details, contact Paull Tickner at ptickner@customgb.co.uk or check out his website

December 2015

Success Steering Your Business —

C i n d y B e r t r a m

As kids,

we were often asked, “So what do you want

to be when you grow up?” Back then a pretty clear picture usually came up — doctor, nurse, teacher, pilot, accountant, or maybe a designer, mechanic, artist. What you wanted to do back then, versus what you wound up doing in your career undoubtedly changed a bit. Today when we go to professional networking and social events, we’re always asked, “So what do you do?” The 30 second elevator pitch is expected. Although I’ve tweaked it, I silently think, “But I do more than that! I wear multiple hats!” As travel professionals, how do we successfully steer and grow our businesses while having to wear all those different hats?

By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

The “So What Do You Do?” Challenge Yes, we are memory creators, booking agents, sales pros, connectors and miracle workers. Beyond that, it also involves the business and financial side of running a successful, profitable business. We have multiple components when it comes to successfully operating a travel business, but there are resources available, along with realizing what we can do, and cannot do by ourselves.

December 2015

Wearing Multiple Hats

Embrace the “I have scissors, but don’t cut my own hair” Mindset As a kid, I found some scissors, started playing around with them and thought it might be fun to cut my own hair. Unfortunately, it turned into a bit of a disaster, and after my mom saw the mess I created? She took me to a hairdresser who straightened it out. Yes, we all have scissors at home, but does that mean that we’re going to cut our own hair instead of going to a hair salon or professional stylist? No. I have a Master’s degree in business administration from a terrific university where I successfully got through macro and micro accounting, along with business finance and statistics, but do I sit down and do my own taxes? No! In our case, it’s best to decide what we can well, prioritize those tasks and then accomplish them successfully. And when it comes to things we need to handle where we don’t have the expertise? We need to find and use other professionals to handle those areas for us and our business. A dear cruise industry executive once told me, “I’m not an expert in everything, so if there is something I need when it comes to running this company that I don’t know? I reach out to someone who’s got that expertise.”

Travel Agent Professional

10 Insights from Richard Meadows, President of Seabourn & Cunard Line When it comes to wearing multiple hats, perhaps one of the best executives who successfully manages to do that is Richard “Rick” Meadows, President of Seabourn and President of Cunard Line. In Richard Meadows’ extensive cruise industry career, he’s held specific positions where he’s had one title. His first dual role with two different Carnival Corporation brands came about when Meadows oversaw the move of Seabourn from Miami to Seattle. He became president of luxury line Seabourn along with continuing his role as executive vice president — marketing, sales and guest programs for Holland America Line. Earlier in 2015, Richard Meadows recently transitioned over to becoming president of Cunard Line as well as remaining president of Seabourn. I recently had the opportunity to talk with Richard Meadows, and asked him how he’s been able to successfully wear multiple hats and run two different successfully companies. Richard first mentioned, “The key thing is acknowledging that the Seabourn and Cunard Line brands are very unique and provide different selling opportunities. I’m fortunate to have good teams that are focused on selling each brand. I lean heavily on them to bring those brands to life.” He further explained, “We have separate but independent organization units that handle both of these brands, and I’m dedicated when it comes to spending on my time with each one of these, along with then switching hats.”

December 2015

11 Technology Makes Things Easier & Having Good Dedicated Teams Yes, technology does make things a bit easier. Richard notes, “With technology today, I can connect via video calls and conference calls as I work in both Seattle, Seabourn’s headquarters as well as California, where Cunard Line is located. I’m fortunate, because our two headquarter offices are in the same time zone. Also, I can easily fly down to California and be there in about two hours. So in my case, it’s about leveraging technology and maximizing my time spent, along with travelling with and working with team members.” The fact that technology allows close connectivity helps, but Richard also explains that he’s fortunate in having two good dedicated teams within each cruise line.

Travel Agent Professional

12 Richard Meadows’ Pulse for Travel Professionals — Running the Business Richard Meadows also mentions that what he deals with is really similar to what travel agent professionals also deal with day to day. He notes, “Today agents tend to work remotely, but they can easily dial in and speak to someone at their host agency. And technology allows close connectivity.” As far as successfully running a business, which in his case is two different cruise lines? Richard shares a few of his own insights. He explains, “It’s about setting clear goals, prioritizing around those actions and then make those goals come to reality.”

Another Suggestion — Be a World Class Storyteller As a travel agent professional, Richard further explains, “The bigger thing is being a world class story teller and connecting with your prospect. You need to convey what you are selling along with what resonates. It’s also important that you add value to what you’re selling and creating that for a prospect and future client.” A critical part of approaching travel selling is what Richard refers to as “being a master story teller.” He further explains, “You need to have that come to life. Listening to clients and then matching those wants and needs with the best fits are critical, as well as being able to authentically tell the story and relate to that person/client.” With selling, Richard also explains, “We’re responsible for matching expectations and making clients end up on right experience. By being that master storyteller, telling it correctly, and being an active listener, your story really will be heard.”

Use the Two Prong Approach When it comes to any key top priorities that travel professionals should focus on when it comes to successfully managing their businesses, Richard mentions, “It really gets back to prioritizing your business. Travel professionals need to not only have a business plan in place, but also be able to adapt to what might change. This is critical. I like to think of this as having a two prong approach. You need to have a business plan, but also re-evaluate and prioritize that plan as well as having tactics in place that let you be able to change. Unexpected situations can and do occur, so being to adapt and change quickly is also critical.”

December 2015

13 What Richard Meadows Likes Best Wearing Multiple Hats When I asked Richard what he likes best about running both of these cruise lines? He explained, “They’re both such aspirations and quality brands. For me to be able to spend time helping these brands and being part of a team is an honor. Yes, I’m a steward. But in their own way, both Seabourn and Cunard Line are leaders, have a legacy and give guests high quality experiences. Seabourn is ultra-luxury. With Cunard Line’s history and legacy for 175 years, we work to continually bring that brand forward. It’s also gratifying to continue to find ways to surprise our guests. These are two different brands with extraordinary power in their markets.”

Final Thoughts A dedicated list maker myself, I love it when I’m able to check off my accomplished tasks each day and each week. But Richard Meadows’ point of being a storyteller really resonates with me, because I value my storyteller edge. People relate to experiences, and by sharing a story, along with then being able to match clients up to the best fits for their needs? That’s where the success begins and can continue. We also need to continue to “switch hats” within our business, use other professionals to handle what we can’t do, prioritize, and be able to quickly adapt to changes when needed.

Travel Agent Professional

14 Damage Control L e s - L e e

Damage Control — it’s what the whole world is going through right now.

R o l a n d

With the disaster in Pairs, the public is concerned about whether to travel and if so — to where? It’s more than a burden for travel agents. It’s our job, and we have to be able to handle the questions. Properly! Because we are the first people our clients contact. We have to have the answers. And this is not a job for Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm workers. By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal

Example. A group of 20 people have booked a 2

time — allowed for a travel agent — was a percent-

week trip to France, staying in Paris, Lyon, and

age of students going versus the percentage of adults

another stop. Student group, including 3 teachers

in order to be qualified.

and 10 adults. Most students are minors. Set to leave within one week after the bombings in Paris.

So who did the rep from the school call for advice — Me!. I advised them to pull out the contract and

Bombing was Friday night, our time. Meeting called

go line by line, and I was surprised by some of the

with the parents and teachers for Saturday morning.

language. How many agents, and clients too, ever

As immediate as it could be. Yet the student group

read the contracts line by line. If you assist with

supplier was not available with the answers. Which I

cruise line boarding passes, do you print out the

could understand — slightly. Their representative, on

sales contract for you clients. I do not. I put a dis-

the phone, said this has never happened before.

claimer on MY invoice, stating that rules, or changes

Surprise, surprise! Like Sept. 11, had never happened

in the itinerary are made by the supplier, and the

before either.

sales contract is available at yadda yadda yadda.

First, I did not book the group. Precisely because

It seems that unless the entire US Congress is killed,

when I used a student group agency for this school

no refunds of any sort. Okay, I am exaggerating. But

before, the company went ahead and contacted the

the company does not give money back. They will

school personally after the trip, and offered a better

hold it over for future travel, maybe next year. Who

deal if they would bypass using a travel agent. ATC

cares if some of these students will have graduated

for the teacher, plus other benefits. Even though I

by then, and are off to universities.

offered the TC previously, the restrictions at that

December 2015

15 When I contacted the airline they booked, as well as others to compare. All were offering exchanges with no penalties for up to one week after the incident. Did they have space on carriers Thanksgiving week, for the entire group. No! When I mentioned some were minors. They said they could make exceptions and offer refunds. When I said the tickets might be a bulk rates, they told me to work it out with the supplier. Yet, the supplier says no refunds. Only changes, with some penalties, but no amount quoted yet. It seems that that the company, contacted within hours after the event, had no one but a receptionist in the office and no decision could be made until Monday- 2 days later, just before everyone was to leave. Is that good damage control? Since they had no group on the ground in France currently, they did not yet know how it was going to be handled. News reports that airports had been shut down. Eiffel Tower, museums, and other venues shut. But we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know for how long. As we now all know, the shootings went on for another 3 days, searching for the people responsible. Followed by additional worldwide threats. But the student group company still maintained that unless the US formally states travel advisory warnings, they are not

Travel Agent Professional

16 obligated to return the thousands of dollars to the

I also had a business meeting with a local non-profit

school. But with THEIR insurance, they have an

company, with a huge following. They want me to

amount of penalty and rebooking charges and they

head up travel groups they would sponsor for the

will keep the money until it is rebooked on another

members — thousands of them. They already have

trip within one year.

Cuba on their agenda, but were so unhappy with the supplier they had selected. Now, they want to bring

This all happened on the heels of the Lufthsana strike.

in a professional- moi- and give me almost free reign

One that we were notified about in advance. Having

to select destinations, budgets, times, etc. Whatever I

to deal with clients to change their travel dates.

select, they will promote.

Jump ahead to this week. I was at a dinner with over

I also met with clients throughout the week who I are

100 people at my Country Club. I truly did not have

on the books for international travel. I chose to con-

time to eat the main course because of all the people

tact them, rather than wait for the to call me. I reas-

stopping by my table with one of three comments. 1.

sured everyone that, yes, the British Isles cruise has

Les-Lee, I imagine that this attack in France is going to

not been cancelled. Yes, the China trip is still on. Yes,

put you out of business. 2. Are the travel companies

Brugges is still a port stop on another cruise. Iceland-

and cruise lines offering better deals now, to get peo-

well nothing happens there — so far. Caribbean-

ple to travel — and I don’t want to go to Europe. 3.

everything is a go.

Where can I still travel to? And don’t choose Washington DC or New York.

I spoke to one of my outside agents and she asked me to take all her calls. She just didn’t want to have

I took my dinner home in a doggie bag and I don’t

to deal with all the chaos. Another agent is already

even have a dog. But it was an expensive meal.

traveling in Europe, but haven’t heard from her yet. But her clients are calling me, wanting answers.

No, I am not going out of business. And, I will immediately do a newsletter and Facebook page to all my

As I already wrote. This is not a Mon-Fri job. Or a

clients. It is too soon to see if companies are going to

9am-5pm job. If we, as agents, don’t commit to work-

offer a discount. Maybe the River Cruises will start,

ing a little header at this time, then we should think

again, free air to Europe — who knows? Where can

about another profession. This is not the time to pull

they travel?

the covers over our heads. I know we don’t have the answers for all the questions being asked, but our

Well, luckily, my table mates at the dinner, some are

presence, our honest knowledge, our hand holding,

very good clients of mine. During the dessert, one

and our reassurance that we are still here is our top

couple told me to find a real good tour of India.

priority.

Another couple said India is the last place they would ever go to. And another couple told me to plan a big

Now, if you excuse me, I will eat the chicken in my

family birthday celebration in South America.

doggie bag.

December 2015

18 Are You A “TYPE TT”? M i t c h e l l

My thanks to the online financial company “E-Trade” for the inspiration for this months’ column. In their current series of television commercials, Kevin Spacey is featured compliment-

J .

ing investors for recognizing business and social trends as

S c h l e s i n g e r

potential points of investments and indicates that they are “Type E’s”… E for E-Trade. This gave me the idea for a “Type TT” or Travel Trender. Smarter travel selling professionals who profit from recognizing trends in travel and communicate these alternatives to existing clients in order to retain their loyalty and of course to attract new clients. Here are some thoughts on how to make sure you are fulfilling your potential as a “Type TT”:

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants, mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net

There are 2 Significant Trends in The Cruise Industry:

•

Between 2015-2020 there are a number of spectacular new BIG ships schedule for introduction that carry anywhere from 3,000-5,400 guests. These ships have more diverse onboard dining, accommodation, activity and entertainment elements than ever before which contributes to attracting new cruisers, repeat guests, families, multi-generational groups and more. A particularly interesting feature on some new ships are “spaenvironments” where the staterooms are on the same deck as the spa and feature special spa packages and

•

specialty spa restaurants, etc. At the same time, there is also a growing trend toward Smaller ocean going ships (500-1,200 guests) sailing to destinations on all seven continents. And as part of this trend is a sub-trend for cruise products featuring prominent enrichment programming, which widens the potential audience base.

• • • •

Cruise loyalists are a natural as they seek more “up close and personal” destination experiences with fewer guests after years of sailing on bigger ships. Culinary arts enthusiasts can take advantage of experiencing cuisine and wine across the globe, including shopping with ship chefs. Environmentalists and soft adventure cruisers can enjoy wildlife experiences in Antarctica, the Galapagos or Artic region. And new brands like Fathom, add a whole new audience looking to participate in “social activism” experiences providing personal assistance in communities in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

December 2015

19 •

And, don’t ignore the ongoing growth of the river ship travel in the U.S., Europe and rivers around the world. A critical part of this travel trend is the number of new River ships offering more creature comforts and conveniences than ever, in order to provide contemporary experiences similar to ocean going vessels

•

The tour industry has responded to guest requests for more independent travel options apart from the older version of “on-the-bus-off-the bus” tours. And, while cruises are ideal for coastal destinations, there are a multitude of locales around the world where land tours enable guests to better immerse themselves into the culture and lifestyle of these regions and the people they are able to encounter on a one-to-one basis.

And, like the Small Ship side of the cruise industry there are a bevy of Small Tour companies that fulfill specialty travel experiences, bigger companies cannot, featuring trips including:

• • • • • •

Running of the bulls in Pamplona Art Basel Formula 1 auto races in some of the most beautiful and exciting cities in Europe Cannes Film Festival Hiking and biking tours across the globe Oktoberfest

•

If you are a member of a consortium with a large scale repertoire of international hotels and resorts, this enables you to construct personalized travel experiences for clients you know who prefer this type of travel. You can pre-purchase entry tickets to museums and events in the destinations they select. This is especially attractive to younger travelers who want the independence and upscale clients looking for a singular experience without any crowds.

•

Another very popular travel trend are destination weddings. A fantastic destination creates a memorable backdrop for a wedding ceremony. All-Inclusive resorts prominently feature destination weddings where the bride and groom can share nuptials with family and friends on a bevy of beautiful Caribbean island beaches, the Riviera Maya in the shadow of Tulum, lush tropical locales in Hawaii and more.

These are part of a cadre of travel experiences that answer the question; “what’s new and interesting? It is critical that your outbound communication and website features elements of the Travel Trends that best reflects your business model and the interests of your clientele. And make sure that you and your travel team are up-to-date on these trends so that you reflect this expertise to existing and new clients and are successful as a Travel Trender.

Travel Agent Professional

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When you send your clients on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you’re not just giving them a world-class adventure. You’re sending them on a vacation that will give them the same special treatment you do. That’s why Travel Weekly has voted us Best Overall 12 years running. And why your client will want to come back and cruise with us (and you) again and again. So choose confidently. Choose Royal Caribbean. INNOVATIVE SHIPS From our FlowRider® wave simulator, to our rock-climbing-wall, to live shows straight from the stages of Broadway, Royal Caribbean consistently pushes the bar with award-winning ships that give a richer more memorable experience to clients of all ages.

AMAZING DESTINATIONS With 2Ć ships sailing every major sea on the globe to 240 incredible destinations in 72 countries on 6 continents, Royal Caribbean offers customized, exclusive shore excursions that give your clients the best of each destination. WORLD-CLASS SERVICE With all the changes and advancements we’ve made over the last 40 years, one thing has remained constant — our commitment to giving your clients the personalized Gold Anchor Service only found on Royal.

Visit www.LoyaltoYouAlways.com, our exclusive travel partner hub, to see up-to-the-minute offers, latest news, and easy to use marketing resources.

YEARS RUNNING

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YEARS RUNNING

BEST SALES & SERVICE Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards 2008 – 2014