Express Travel Group (ETG) hosted its Reconnect Melbourne 2022 conference on Friday, with the event living up to its billing as an opportunity for travel advisors, suppliers and other stakeholders to ‘Reconnect’ after a tumultuous nearly three years.
Held at the recently opened W Melbourne hotel, Reconnect brought together ETG members with nearly 50 preferred suppliers – including a whole room for just cruising – each of whom gave away prizes at the conclusion of the event.
Giveaways included Singapore Airlines tickets to anywhere in the world, a Globus tour, and an Avalon Waterways cruise, among many others.
As if it wasn’t already welcome news that the conference had returned after three tough years, the kicker was just how many of those in attendance were new to the annual event.
In his Reconnect welcome address, ETG CEO Tom Manwaring asked how many delegates had been present at their last conference in Bangkok in 2019. While he welcomed back the many “survivors”, around 70 per cent of the audience, he was also quick to point out that “a hell of a lot of you are new”. Good news indeed for the group moving forward.
‘Inexpectatus?’
Of the buzzwords at the event, perhaps none took on greater significance than “inexpectatus”. Though it could have been coined by JK Rowling, Manwaring explained the term actually means “unforeseen, unexpected and unpredictable”.
“We talked about it in 2019 in August, and what happened in March 2020? So I’m now running a side business as a fortune teller,” the ETG boss remarked in reference to the pandemic that followed shortly thereafter.
And while Manwaring said the pandemic’s impacts were still well and truly being felt, he insisted that opportunities “abound and travel is regaining its position as to where it should rightly be”, which was among the top three import industries in Australia, “if not the top”.
“All Aussies, no matter where they’ve come from, want to travel; we’re one of the most travelled nations in the world. And there’s such an array of choices now, it is mind-boggling. And a lot of the suppliers here today have got a fantastic array of products.
“So learning and finding your niche to sell is key to what you’re doing and key to your future. become an expert.”
Manwaring later said that despite the challenges still facing the sector, “we’re going to have a really good ’23, and probably an excellent ’24”.
Australia’s biggest import
Speaking at Reconnect, Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) CEO Dean Long praised Manwaring, who is also the AFTA chair, for his commitment and contribution to the industry through the pandemic.
The AFTA boss then shifted his tribute to the industry, represented by those present, for their advocacy for support during the pandemic and “efforts to educate government about the role that you play”.
Long went on to say travel was Australia’s biggest importer, and that 70 per cent of that trade was booked through travel businesses.
“That’s something to be mighty proud of.”
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