Club Med held its inaugural Home Based Advisors (HBA) conference, HBA 2024, at the Club Med Bali resort from 4-7 November. A luxurious getaway that doubled as a serious business retreat, the event was the first of its kind in the Aussie travel industry, according to Club Med.
Tailored for Australia’s home-based travel advisors, the innovative conference aimed to equip agents with the skills to enhance their personal branding and business growth – all whilst having a little (or a lot) of fun in the process.
“We were absolutely thrilled to host over 60 delegates from all over Australia for a collaborative journey of growth at the inaugural HBA 2024,” Club Med Pacific General Manager Michelle Davies said.
“The acceleration of the home-based advisor segment of the industry has been paramount and is integral to Club Med’s success, representing 22 per cent of our business.
“Recognising advisors’ unique needs, we designed HBA 2024 to encourage advisors to be bold, dream big and foster a platform to establish connection and a sense of community.
“Overall, we wanted to empower advisors with not just inspiration, but provide tangible skills and knowledge to implement into their business immediately.
“HBA 2024 also provided us with the perfect platform to implement a feedback loop with delegates and understand how we as a brand can better support advisors as we move into 2025.”
Notable keynote speakers included Kikki K founder Kristina Karlsson, who encouraged advisors to “Dream Big” through a motivational session that resonated deeply with attendees.
Applied Sense’s Jorge Fernandez shared practical frameworks for expanding business opportunities within Australian outbound tourism, while Personal Travel Expert Adela Backhouse offered strategies for leveraging social media to excel in the home-based sector.
In addition, Mumpack Travel’s Evie Farrell spoke on building a strong niche brand and maintaining personal confidence, while Mum Central founder Belinda Jennings provided advisors with practical social media tips.
Elsewhere, Club Med’s Chiara Burdo led workshops on digital tools like Canva and social photography, essential for branding and marketing in today’s travel landscape.
The Australian Travel Industry Association’s (ATIA) Director of Memberships, Richard Taylor, also attended, underscoring the importance of connecting with advisors to address evolving industry needs.
“This has been a really special few days for more than 60 home-based advisors, packed with sessions that were thoughtfully put together by the Club Med team,” Taylor said.
“The whole concept has been so innovative, and the advisors have really enjoyed spending time together in this idyllic environment.
“From an ATIA perspective, it’s really important to spend time listening to this segment of the industry that continues to go from strength to strength.”
The creative force behind HBA 2024, Club Med Pacific Head of Sales Lisa Bacon said the event aimed to mix themes with a line-up of speakers that would “inspire, engage and support the unique needs of our valued advisors”.
“We understand every advisor is at a different stage in their business journey however we felt that the line-up we engaged alongside the workshops we crafted and delivered resonated with each delegate,” she added.
“The response for HBA 2024 from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive, with each commenting on how much they’ve learned.
“We look forward to watching our valued advisors apply their new tools and knowledge and seeing what they achieve next.”
A key moment during the conference was the charity session with Bali Life, where 100 local children joined advisors and staff for games and gift exchanges.
The special activity left a lasting impact on both children and attendees, creating connections and highlighting Club Med’s commitment to community involvement.
The first HBA conference comes hot on the heels of Club Med’s win in the “Most Popular Accommodation Group” category at the 2024 National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA).
For more information on Club Med, visit the Club Med Travel Agents Portal.
