CONFERENCE Vertical Travel Group Conference 2022: Homeworking group welcomes almost 100


Vertical group reveals plan to double number of agents


V


ertical Travel Group unveiled plans to double its number of agents in the next two years at its


annual conference in Cyprus. The group currently has around


180 homeworkers who work for brands including Holiday Elite and Your Holiday Booking, but its head of recruitment revealed plans to grow considerably. Damian Mc Donough, business


development director, told Travel Weekly the firm could have 400 homeworkers within two years. “Our plan is to double the group


in terms of homeworkers,” he said. “It’s an ongoing process and


there’s no real cap on it – we’re just going to keep growing. There’s no reason we couldn’t be sat here in a year or two with 400 workers.


Damian Mc Donough


to the industry, and said the firm was “well positioned” to cope with expansion. “We know we can support the growth because of the way we’re structured as a company,” he said. “We have fantastic marketing and


technology resources, and they can always be expanded too if needed.” Mc Donough also believes an


increasing number of agents will turn to homeworking as they seek a more flexible work-life balance post-Covid. Chief executive Peter Healey


“My role used to be mainly


focused on the accommodation and transfers side of things, but now it’s solely focused on recruitment.” Mc Donough stressed the company


employs only “quality agents with experience” rather than those new


AGENTS’ VIEWS


Caroline Mandaracas, Your Holiday Booking “It’s been fantastic and I’ve loved meeting more people in the Vertical group. I’ve spoken to these people over email and on the phone but it’s been great meeting


them properly so I can put faces to names. I’ve learnt that there’s a lot of support in the Vertical group and the marketing team are so enthusiastic about helping us as much as possible.”


Jo Ramsden, Your Holiday Booking “The conference has been fantastic. It’s been a long time coming but definitely worth the wait. It’s been amazing to


see old faces again and meet new people. It’s been a little overwhelming after everything we’ve been through. I’ll definitely be pushing this hotel [Asimina Suites Hotel] after coming here and Paphos is absolutely beautiful. I plan to come back to the next Vertical conference.”


Kieron Wild, Holiday Elite “It’s been an education. It’s great that that we’ve managed to all come together again after Covid. It’s been a heavy few years with lots of stress involved, and I’ve


loved reconnecting with everybody, from suppliers to other homeworkers to Peter [Healey] himself. The most beneficial aspect for me has been the one-to-one conversations. That’s when you learn the most.”


said that while growth was key to Vertical’s plans, the group’s primary focus was its existing employees. “We’ve got about 180


homeworkers across the group and our objective is to grow next year, but our main priority is making the people who are already with us more successful,” he said.


Group rings changes


Vertical Travel Group has changed the way it communicates with its homeworkers to combat “isolation”. Senior staff at the company call agents


on a regular basis rather than conversing over email to keep them engaged and tackle loneliness. Group marketing director Ben


Rodger said this increased focus on communication had been a “big change” at the company in recent months. “There comes a certain isolation with


working from home, especially if you’re working for yourself, which a lot of our homeworkers are,” he said. “I’m constantly encouraging


my team to pick up the phone and call the agents rather than emailing


Peter Healey


12


7 APRIL 2022


travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Steve Dunlop; Robin Murray


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