NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Broadway Travel Conference 2017: Group reveals new brand and website at its ninth annual conference. Lee Hayhurst reports from Rhodes
Broadway staff and agents at the gala dinner
Broadway admits trading tough but sets 30% target
Broadway Travel has seen one of its toughest and most unpredictable years ever, managing director Adam Pardini told delegates.
He admitted that although
Broadway is profitable it was “not where we want it to be”. The group has targeted a 30% increase in profits next year. Pardini said investment this
year on a rebrand, technology, a new crisis team and focusing on the customer would help Broadway build on its successes. “Companies have been hit
over the last few years and they don’t want to keep losing money. They want to deal with reputable businesses and we are and continue to be,” he said. Pardini said trading had been
unpredictable, with January seeing the best net profit ever but April was “awful” and August was the group’s worst on record. To illustrate how unpredictable
the year had been, he revealed cost per call had fluctuated on one of its channels from a low of £3.94 to a high of £211 during lates.
“This has been a year of consolidation for us. We have spent money ready for next year”
“We have gone through probably
the toughest trading year we have ever had,” he said. Despite the challenges, divisions
of the Broadway Travel Group have seen increased profits with Broadway Cruise seeing a 100% upturn. Its travel agent consortium has
seen a 5% increase in profits, bed bank Bedswithease 24% and the new Frimley office 8%. Jill Mitchell, Broadway chief
operating officer, said: “We are financially solid, have a very strong balance sheet and are profitable. “This has been a year of consolidation for us. With all the challenges thrown at us we actually had a flat performance during the year. “We have spent money this year
ready for next year and we will target growth. “The target for next year is to increase gross profit by 30%.”
In numbers: Broadway Travel Group
● Broadway is the UK’s 14th-largest Atol-holder, having jumped two positions on last year
● The group is licensed to carry 285,000 passengers this year ● It made a pre-tax profit of £1.3m in the year to September 30, 2016
● Its turnover in 2016 was £17.1m, while its total transaction value was £142.9m
● The 2017 conference in Rhodes was attended by 80 Broadway agents and staff and 50 business partners
20
travelweekly.co.uk 19 October 2017
Group appoints Ashford to board as trading director
Broadway Travel has recruited Craig Ashford to join its expanded board as trading director. Ashford, currently sales and
marketing director at rival agency Travel Up, will take up his new role on October 30. Broadway has expanded its number of board members from three to eight over the past year. Managing director Adam Pardini said this would allow him to focus on key areas of the business. The other board members
are finance director Claire Loscombe, product director Phil Turner, chief marketing officer Tim Buckman, IT and operations director Steve Tyler, Bedswithease sales director Paul Riches and chief operating officer Jill Mitchell. Broadway will run its first
regional radio advertising campaign in the January peaks offering free holidays to listeners of Newcastle-based Metro Radio. The Broadway Travel
Consortium, which currently has five members, is due to add a sixth in the next few months.
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