NEWS Phil Nuttall
Travel Village boss calls for fewer conferences to avoid BDM burnout
Robin Murray
A leading travel agency boss has warned the health and effectiveness of supplier business development managers are being threatened by increasingly arduous workloads. Phil Nuttall, chief executive of
the Travel Village Group, said demands including the need to deliver and attend trade conferences were taking BDMs away from core agent support duties. He warned many managers
“We rely on business development
managers to build relationships with suppliers, but we are finding it increasingly difficult to speak to them at certain times of the year,” he said. “That’s because they are out and
STORY TOP
were facing burnout as he called for a “reboot of conference season” to prevent them “being put under enormous strain to the detriment of their health and family life”. Nuttall hailed 2024 as largely
positive for his business and the wider industry, but insisted the sector must “take a step back and evaluate” its approach to conferences or face “losing the people we need the most”.
travelweekly.co.uk
about overseas at conferences, which for many involves tens of flights over a period of possibly three months – and periods when they are often away from their families. “It’s a time when
they constantly share out-of-office email replies, which inevitably back
up and, for some, result in
frustrated and curt responses.” Nuttall said the problem is
at its worst in the three months leading up to Christmas, when many travel companies opt to hold their annual conferences. He said many BDMs are “dead
on their feet, struggling mentally and physically shattered” due to their busy schedules, adding they are “inevitably picking up bugs and
viruses as a thank you for taking three months out of their lives”. In a bid to ease the burden,
Nuttall suggested travel firms should host their major conference every two years, instead of annually. “I do not understand why our
industry feels the need to have a conference every year – surely it is far better to alternate and reduce costs?” said Nuttall, who stages his own company’s conference biennially. He also suggested suppliers could
reallocate funds saved by putting on fewer large-scale events to instead bolster year-round support for partner agencies, adding: “I for one would welcome a percentage of the funds tour operators are expected to put up to support annual conferences being used for targeted marketing campaigns and driving sales.” A move to a biennial approach
and fewer events would also create more time for agents to spend with suppliers to plan and invest in business development, Nuttall
suggested, with the added benefit that conferences could be “something to look forward to and celebrate rather than being taken for granted”. “Also, let’s not forget the people
within our businesses challenged with arranging a conference – it consumes your life and no sooner have you finished one, the next is around the corner,” he added. “Whether you agree or not about
the number of conferences in a calendar year, you cannot argue about the effect it is having on the people we need the most and their families, who support them and are asked to be understanding of our industry.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you an agent who feels BDMs are being put under too much pressure? Or are you a BDM considering your future as a result of your workload? Tell us on the record or in confidence by emailing
robin.murray@
travelweekly.co.uk
6 MARCH 2025 5
PICTURE: Alex Maguire
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