CONFERENCE Elite Travel Conference 2022: Group hosts forum in Spain. Josie Klein reports from Cordoba
Consortium aims to double member numbers by 2027
E
lite Travel Group aims to double its membership within the next five years. Chairman Robert Lines
said he hopes Elite reaches 100 members by 2027, which would see the consortium return to the same membership figures as 15 years ago. Speaking after Chatsworth Travel
in Chesterfield and four branches of Toucan Travel in Hampshire joined the consortium, Lines said he sees the target as “ambitious but possible”. “We are looking to grow and
our goal is to reach 100 members in the next five years,” he told Travel Weekly. “We will go and call in on
independent agencies around the country, talk to them and tell them about our company, and see if they are happy with their consortium. If they are not then we will happily welcome them into our family. “It is important for us to shout
about Elite so agencies know who we are and what we can offer them.” Lines explained that Elite puts its
earnings back into the consortium and provides its members with additional income when it can. “Because we are a non-profit and
we don’t pay our directors a salary, all of our profits go back into Elite and our members,” he said.
Elite recruits Page to drive ambitious development plans
Elite Travel Group has appointed Caroline Page as its business development manager. Page joined the company in September and has
been tasked with driving its ambitious growth plans to double membership within five years. She began her career aged 16 as an agent with
Midlands Co-op Travel and went on to manage a Tui store. She then took on a business development manager role at Red Sea Holidays. She recently returned from maternity leave, prior
to which she held the role of business development manager at Cosmos Tours and Avalon Waterways. “I’m three weeks into the job but I already knew
the Elite team because I have worked with them in a supplier capacity, so it isn’t like starting from scratch,” she told Travel Weekly. “It has been lovely catching up with
some friendly faces at the conference, as well as meeting new people and making connections.”
Caroline Page
12 13 OCTOBER 2022
travelweekly.co.uk
The conference was attended by 60 agents and suppliers
“At the end of 2021, we gave all
our members a £1,000 dividend to show them our appreciation, which they loved. “That’s the kind of thing we do
here. We take care of our members and, because we are a smaller consortium compared to most, our members are real people instead of numbers. And everybody knows each other, which is lovely.
“We are known as the friendliest
consortium in the business and that is for a reason – we offer a personal service. “The conference has shown how
well everyone gets on, because a lot of them have been members for years and know each other well.” He added: “Around 15 years ago
we had 100 members and it’s time we got back to those levels.”
GLAD TO BE BACK
Jackie Standridge, Spa Travel Bureau “The conference has been great and it was wonderful to be reunited with the travel family
after two long and very difficult years. I have loved sharing stories and experiences, and for us to come together to realise that the travel industry is back and better than ever.”
Gail Toon, Villair Travel “I like that we didn’t do speed dating – we had the chance to spend as much time as we needed with the suppliers that were most
relevant to us, which worked well. It was great to be back together. Elite is a small consortium, which means we all get to chat to each other and build friendships – it’s not all about work, it’s about getting on with people too.”
Caroline Hubble, Kinver Travel “This was my first Elite Travel conference and I was able to speak to people I had never met
before, which was a great opportunity. It has been really nice to get to spend time with everyone, and the location is beautiful. Coming here has given me extra knowledge that I will be able to take back and use in my business.”
Carla Cole, Villair Travel “The conference was informative, good fun and a fantastic chance to meet up with our group of colleagues from Elite. I’ve enjoyed
catching up with everyone and talking about the ups and downs we have all faced over the past couple of years. It has also been lovely to be in Cordoba, which is such a beautiful place.”
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