Advantage members debate commercial terms and the consortium’s suppliers’ charter at overseas conference. LEE HAYHURST and LUCY HUXLEY report from Mark Warner’s Sea Garden Resort in Bodrum, Turkey
Benefits: ‘Membership worth £24,000’
The Advantage Travel Partnership claimed the commercial benefits of membership increased by more than a third last year. Delegates at the consortium’s annual overseas conference were told the average annual benefit of membership in the year to September 2014 was £24,000. Giving an update on
Advantage’s Vision 2020 strategic plan, managing director Julia Lo Bue-Said said the consortium had amended its activities to work in closer partnership with members. “Everything we do is all about demonstrating value back to our members,” she said. “We see ourselves as business consultants focused on how we can help to really drive change. The more we can identify what’s important for you and the more commitment we can get from members, the more we are able to deliver.
“It’s all about membership benefits. If you are not prospering, we are failing. This past 12 months has been about engaging with our members.” The consortium said it would
deliver an additional £500,000 to members in commercial opportunities this year – £150,000 more than in 2014 – mainly in the form of incentives. Key areas for investment will
be technology, including the Advantage Gateway selling platform, its internal customer relationship management system and training. Turnover for the Advantage Managed Services (AMS) membership, which looks after back-office administration for members, rose 13% year on year to £43 million in the year to last September. Average booking values for
14 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 21 May 2015
Julia Lo Bue-Said
the 21 AMS agents were up 3.5%, and they were achieving higher margins than non-AMS members, said Lo Bue-Said. Advantage aims for AMS
turnover to reach £100 million by 2020. The consortium is also offering help with exit strategies, as 10% of members are due to reach retirement age in the next decade. Advantage has 39 active
consultancy partnerships with members, ranging from business planning to human resources.
Charter: Partners sign up to complian
Advantage is entering into phase two of its ‘Partnership Charter’, which will involve the reinforcement of suppliers’ compliance with its strict criteria. Commercial director John
Sullivan said 71 suppliers had signed up to the charter since its launch last year, and that it was in advanced discussions with “a number of other recruits”. Sullivan also revealed that 128
of its 150 supplier partners had now achieved ‘commended’ or ‘highly commended’ status, an increase of 20% over last year. The commended/highly commended scheme is self- audited, as opposed to the Charter, which Advantage assesses. Sullivan said: “We are finding that where suppliers are close to becoming highly commended, they are making changes to get
CONFERENCE REPORT
PHOTOS: NICK ROBB
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84