1000 Mile Travel Group, a member of Helloworld Business Travel, is the first Australian travel company to hold a conference since the pandemic started 23 months ago. Let’s hear it for the #ArrivalRevival with real drinks in real life!
At 1000 Mile Travel Group’s 4-day conference held in tropical Hamilton Island over the weekend, 40 travel experts from around the country, their partners, and families joined them to reflect on the rollercoaster ride of the last 2 years.
They celebrated their resilience and survival, and focused on the rebuild of their businesses in 2022 and beyond.
Director People & Culture 1000MTG, Craig Southee General Manager CTM
Queensland, Ben Ross CEO 1000MTG.
CEO, Ben Ross, Director of People & Culture Nicola Veltman & COO Craig Constable on Saturday made 5 big announcements to their network of corporate business owners.
Starting with that they had secured 1000MTG’s first investment partners, plans to launch into the U.S in the second half of 2023, a new technology partnership with Corporate Travel Management (CTM )an exclusive 1000MTG famil for 5 of the network, and the unveiling of next years conference in Las Vegas, as well as their movement to refocus their culture to work from anywhere.
It’s safe to say it was an actioned packed day and weekend of learning, collaborating, and celebrating.
It was 1000MTG 7th birthday this month and the theme was 7 pillars for 7 years. Two of these pillars were focused on technology & the future of travel.
It’s safe to say Ross and Veltman didn’t sit still during the pandemic forging a strong partnership between 1000MTG & CTM.
“(CTM) can see that we’re pretty innovative. They see a really great synergy in the entrepreneurial way that we operate and they’re also extremely entrepreneurial,” Veltman, said in an interview with Travel Weekly.
“CTM is a great partner for us and has the expertise in technology that allows us both to benefit from this.”
Among the new travel tech includes CTMs exclusive Fare Forecaster, COVID Hub, carbon emissions offsetting solutions, travel analytics, and more.
While the group operates primarily in Australia and the U.K, by 1 July 2023, 1000MTG says it plans to be established in the North American global superpower.
“We want to continue what we’ve done in the UK, focusing purely on small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and we’re going to continue our partnership with CTM,” Ross said.
“Greg McCarthy added that we are excited to see what 1000MTG has achieved and look forward to supporting them as they continue their expansion across the globe with the CTM Agency Partnership Program.
1000 Mile Travel’s announcements came alongside the reveal of its first private equity investment.
Before and throughout the pandemic Ross & Veltman had been approached by several travel management companies who were interested in a sale.
“These didn’t feel right at the time,” said Ross “They either didn’t have the same focus or entrepreneurial spirit as 1000MTG so we said no”.
“As of this week, we have confirmed private equity into 1000 Mile. We’ve got investment, and what we’re doing is putting back into the company and getting new roles to support the network’s growth and success into the future,” Veltman said.
Among these new roles include Veronica Curran, the group’s new travel acquisition manager, as well as plans for 15 new travel experts in Australia and 10 in the UK.
“It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality travel experts who share our vision and values,” said Veltman.
1000 Mile Travel is also set to bring on another business development manager to support new corporate business into the network and an additional dedicated marketing professional.
The future is bright for 1000MTG. If you are a corporate travel expert and looking to convert your career into a business, click here to find out more.