CONFERENCE REPORT — AITO AGENTS 2015
Xxy xy xy xy
AITO WINNERS Beaver Travel scooped the Aito Agent All Star of the Year 2014 award. The agency, based in
Radlett in Hertfordshire, pipped Deva Travel and Journeys A La Carte to win the award. Jacquie Cole, of
Bakewell Travel, received the Aito Shining Star award, in recognition of her commitment to selling All Stars operators. Traveltime World in
From left: Noel Josephides, Abta
chairman; Gemma Antrobus, Aito; Trudy Drake, Abta LifeLine; Vanda Bauer, Classic Collection Holidays; and Matt Spiller, Inside Asia
Jacquie Cole (left),
Bakewell Travel, with Vanda Bauer, Classic Collection Holidays
Hertfordshire won the national best newcomer of the year 2014 award, while Howard Travel in Wiltshire won the most- improved agent award.
Aito Agents chairman Gemma Antrobus told delegates at the association’s domestic conference: “Sales of All Stars operators through Aito Agents have been growing year on year. “Imagine if 100% of Aito
operators worked with the trade.”
The domestic conference
was the largest to date, attended by 181 delegates. Twelve members joined Aito Agents last year, taking the total to 126 branches nationwide.
nk association is relevant to them
80% felt membership was good value for money.
Chairman Gemma Antrobus said 85% thought the Aito Agents dinners and speed- dating events, held three times a year in different areas
of the
country with suppliers, were “very good or excellent”. She added: “We are also
toying with holding an afternoon tea event.” The October brochure drop to Aito Agents was twice the size of the February drop and showed Aito operators realised the value of sending brochures to retailers, added Antrobus. “It is a great way for
operators to spread the word, especially smaller ones who cannot afford to get brochures out to lots of agents,” she said.
Beaver
Travel’s Carole Short (left) and Sally Wallis
Loyalty: A thank you is a vital marketing tool
A thank-you gesture is one of the cheapest and more powerful tools at agents’ fingertips, according to Aito Specialist Travel Agents’ chairman Gemma Antrobus. She said thanking customers,
staff and suppliers was one of the “most effective” ways of moving an agency’s business forward. “A genuine thank you carries
more weight than you would imagine,” she said. “It takes a few seconds, but it’s possibly one of the cheapest and most effective marketing tools – just two words.” Antrobus cited two examples of companies that had recently sent her thank-you notes for buying from them: men’s clothing store Charles Tyrwhitt and jewellery specialist Tiffany & Co. “After buying a
tie from Charles Tyrwhitt, I received a thank-you letter,” she said. “It was hand-
stamped and personal. And I received a £10 voucher off a future purchase. I felt valued by this
brand. It won my loyalty through the power of thank you.” Antrobus suggested that agents should consider more-personal thank-you messages to customers, adding “Gifts are great but make them personal. How about muffins or biscuits, instead of flowers?”
Just as important is making
staff in the agency feel valued by thanking them for the hard work in a “genuine” way, she added. “Look them in the eye and tell them their bookings helped the agency hit its target that month,” said Antrobus. “Get a round of coffees in or fill the fridge with some healthy treats once in a while.”
Small treats are great for staff morale 15 January 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 11
PICTURES: ANDY HUNTLEY
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