Travel Weekly teamed up with Gold Medal and Dubai Tourism to give one travel agent a ‘Golden Opportunity’ to win a £5,000 marketing fund and a trip to Dubai. Hundreds of agents entered the competition, which required them to put forward a proposal, in 750 words, which they
Sharon May, Worldwide Travel Solutions
Proposal: Sharon’s proposal consisted of the creation of an app in conjunction with Gold Medal featuring Dubai hotels to be launched firstly in the UK, followed by other countries. She believed there
was a gap in the market for such a product and sought to link the app directly to Gold Medal feeds for hotel rates, with bookings made through Worldwide Travel Solutions.
Sharon proposed
advertising the app in Emirates’ magazine and on social media. The judges: “A fabulous, innovative and well-presented idea that supports the positive trends within the industry in the implementation of a Dubai hotels app. However, the proposal was a little too ambitious and beyond the scope of this particular competition.”
believed would increase their sales to Dubai. This was to include suggested marketing methods and use of media, an outline of cost allocations, the target audience, proposed results and return on investment. Entries were whittled down to four finalists who were invited to the Travel
Verity Eyre, Voyager Travel Direct
Proposal: Verity’s proposal to increase sales of Dubai involved using the prize money to travel to the destination and create a five to 15-second promotional video highlighting the best the country has to offer. The video would be
posted on Instagram under a range of hashtags to gain exposure and would feature on the agency’s website. Verity proposed that the promotional video
would target couples and families. It would also be uploaded to YouTube and promoted through social media, Facebook advertising and promoted through TravelZoo. The judges: “Succinct and targeted pitch, bringing Dubai to life within a proven marketing channel and solid return on invest; it just lacked a bit in innovation.”
Weekly offices to deliver a Dragons’ Den-style presentation to wow the three judges: Ruth Hilton, head of sales and business development at Gold Medal; Ian Scott, director UK and Ireland at Dubai Tourism; and Lucy Huxley, editor-in-chief at Travel Weekly.
RUNNER-UP SALLY DIXON, SPEAR T
Proposal: Sally said Spear Travels did not push Dubai sales and proposed using the prize money to create a new brand as part of the agency: InSPEARational Dubai. The campaign would
involve promotional leaflets for customers, a dedicated Dubai page on Spear Travels’ website and launching @inSPEARational.Dubai as a dedicated Facebook and Twitter site. She proposed hosting
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travelweekly.co.uk — 11 December 2014
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