It was almost like old times (but with masks) as some 320 travel advisors and suppliers convened at the Delta Marriott Toronto Airport on Tuesday. Attending the 2-day Travel Market Place East 2021, participants were clearly enjoying the chance to meet, mingle, and get psyched up for the days to come.
As emcee Doug Patterson put it, “Everyone here is committed to getting the industry back.”
Certainly if the presence of industry heavy hitters was anything to go by, the Marketplace East was a definite success. ACTA President Wendy Paradis opened the general session, with a thoughtful speech indicating that “We will focus on building a better future together – it will be 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, but recovery is near.” As she told me later, regarding the Omnicrom variant, “So far, we are fortunate in Canada in that our government is taking a measured response to the new variant and waiting for the science.”
A panel included senior industry execs such as David Harris of Ensemble, who reiterated a common theme: “Keep calm. We’ve seen frustration and even desperation. But it’s important to have a plan, to communicate with your clients and stay optimistic. Remember what it was like to recover from 9/11?”
Steve Phillips of TRAVELSAVERS agreed, adding that the immediacy of today’s media can be a challenge. “But this is a part of our near future, if not for years to come. Listen to the science: your clients’ fears are real. Guide them through the process and be there for them when they want to commit.”
“You can’t just deliver the information, they need you to interpret it for them,” he added.
Louise Gardner of The Agency Solution by The Travel Agent Next Door had the audience chuckling as she recalled the early days of Covid, taking delivery of her groceries in her garage and wiping them down with Clorox wipes. As she put it, “we all know this business is not the business it was 20 months ago. But we will and are adapting.”
Nexion’s Mike Foster suggested communicating with clients the way they want – email, phone, whatever they want. But do stay in touch. And be calm. “And remember, agents who are travelling are the busiest agents.”
The theme of travel advisors travelling came up again and again. Clearly if you yourself are hesitant to travel, how can you expect your clients to commit? Those I spoke with who have ventured out into the world tell me their clients are inspired by them and feel confident about taking the plunge themselves.
When asked who is charging service fees, about ¼ of the room raised their hands. Louise Gardiner’s reaction? “You are doing so much work you are not being paid for. Clients today are ready to pay service charges.”
“This will be the best time ever in our industry,” echoed Mike Foster. “We will be valued more than ever before. We just need to get where we are going.”
