In another sign the industry is bouncing back, Travel Leaders Network held their Mega event yesterday in Toronto, with more than 190 advisors and 34 suppliers in attendance. The event was the first of three to be held with Edmonton and Vancouver to follow next week.
"I think a lot of it has to do of course with a year and seven, eight months of virtual events. And you know, the suppliers and the members are just so eager to reengage in person," said Christine James, VP, TL Network.
It's not the first in-person event TL Network has held. Once it was safe to do so starting in September, smaller, regional events were hosted and five more mixers are happening in addition to two regionals before the end of the year. James said she is seeing a trend this year of more destinations participating who are motivated more than ever to engage with members and keep them up to date on reopenings.
It's part of the commitment TL Network has to its members; early in the pandemic, the company recognized the financial hardship of the entire retail industry and deferred their billing cycle and forgave one quarter of dues. They also continued to host virtual events.
"Our focus was in how to deal you know, not only with the pandemic itself, but in terms of taking advantage of all the financial assistance problems that are out there, how to get prepared. We had probably the highest enrollment in our specialist programs than we ever did, because number one, the advisors had time to invest in updating their skills. And number two, they wanted to be prepared."
One big part of that is their lead generator, a free key benefit on their website for consumers to find advisors and specialists. The leads generated for this year are currently short just 10% of 2019 numbers, meaning clients are wanting to travel post-pandemic.
"We had an advisory council meeting this morning, and one advisory council member there specializes in cruises. Since the pandemic she has sold three world cruises, for clients she didn't know existed," explains James. "There's a definite uptick on the leads being delivered. And when we calculate the leads, the average price on a sale that we deliver is about $6,000. So it's good, quality leads that we're delivering."
TL Network keeps advisors up to date on COVID restrictions and protocols via their member-only intrasite, Agent Universe, created during the early stages of the pandemic. James says information was flying in from multiple sources as destinations, hotels and countries were changing and all the information agents need is compiled in one portal for easy access.
"People want to travel. And they're looking for deals, they also want safety. They're looking for an agent who knows the ins and outs and all the protocols."
TL Network recently joined The Travel Agent Next Door (replacing Ensemble), something James is excited about.
"If TTAND isn't the largest host agency, they're definitely close and that's a huge win for us," she says. "I have to say that in the US as well as Canada, our biggest members are our host agencies. So our whole value proposition, all our solutions, and even our marketing is all set up very much aligned with the host model."
"I've been in the business a number of decades. And the host agency model and reputation has really progressed to be very professional. It gives both experienced agents as well as those new to the industry an opportunity to earn a good living doing what they like to do."
James held their Canadian Council meeting that morning and asked members what they are seeing for 2022. She says it's looking "very, very good."
"Everybody is reporting, even over just the last month, that bookings have increased significantly, even for the winter. So, we're getting back to 2019 levels, we're really close to being back to pre-COVID numbers. Europe bookings are through the roof. Travellers and advisors are doubling down for that pent up demand.
The future looks bright."
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