Embracing a ‘Greatest Brand’ theme inspired by the illustrious world of Hugh Jackman’s musical and movie ‘The Greatest Showman’, Travel Associates staged its one-day Luxury Business Leader Conference on Sunday, 18 June, at The Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.
Cue the rising sun over Singapore, paired with an early Sunday start that dialled up a heady mix of excitement, flashing vivid purple lights, and the resonating echo of Hugh Jackman’s grandiose opener from The Greatest Showman.
On this special Sunday morning, the curtain rose on a dimmed Azalea Room at The Shangri-La Hotel to reveal an orchid-filled stage and a booming opening video to begin Travel Associates’ Luxury Business Leader Conference.
“Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you’ve waited for.”
The moment had indeed arrived, and the purple carpet was rolled out, not just for the glory of the past, present and future of the brand but also for the esteemed delegates who’d flown in from Australia and New Zealand, all 110 of them.
Amidst the distinguished crowd of Travel Associates business leaders and supplier partners were 65 Travel Associates advisors ready to taste the future trends of luxury today and in the days following at ILTM Asia Pacific.
This is a massive milestone for Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG) luxury arm, not only in celebrating its 25th year in business but for notching up its greatest year ever across all of its performance metrics, including record turnover and the highest levels of profit ever seen for some of Travel Associates’ top advisors.
In fact, the needle has shifted so much that some advisors will have tripled their previous profit records by the end of this financial year at the end of this week. A truly exceptional result off the back of what has still been a recovery year for travel in general, despite the luxury boom.
Opening the conference to rapturous applause, Dani Galloway, Global Managing Director for FCTG Independent and Luxury Travel Brands, said proudly, “How true is it that as Travel Associates, we have created the greatest brand over the past 25 years.”
“We could not be more proud of what you have all achieved in the room. You are the leadership group. You are the gems of this brand.”
Emphasising how important it was to celebrate together on a year of record profit, sales growth and the highest dollar per file to the strongest leadership from a hand-selected group, Galloway added, “We have individuals achieving $10 million. That’s more than many little travel agencies make combined and is quite phenomenal.”
Galloway said that the record results would undoubtedly see Travel Associates take out the most productive Global Awards for FCTG Leisure at this year’s annual Global Gathering Awards in Bali from July 14-16.
“This is our year, and this is our time today to celebrate together this huge achievement,” she said.
Emceed by Anna Burgdorf, Global Brand & Marketing Leader, Luxury Leisure at FCTG, guest speakers for the day included Alison Gilmore, Director of ILTM Portfolio with RX Global, who shared her insights on the changing face of luxury travel and the opportunity for travel advisors.
Who knew the Goring Hotel in London was the first to put an en-suite back in 1910? Or that the Hong Kong Hilton started the world’s first in-room minibar in 1974?
As Gilmore stated, “Luxury products have been here for some time. And they keep coming because there are wealthy people who want them.”
The Godfather of luxury travel, as Burgdorf introduced him, Michael Londregan, Senior Vice President at Virtuoso, shared his vision of rewriting the stars for the future by reminding everyone how travellers have hit ‘Control, alt, delete’ since the pandemic by erasing the past and instead shifting their mindsets to value travel experiences over ‘stuff’ and booking trips now rather than later.
Explaining why he believes travel advisors continue to be valued far higher than online travel agencies (OTAs), Londregan said, “We’ve got this real opportunity right now to absolutely change the value proposition of what the market thinks a trusted travel advisor is.
“Because, the truth is, we’ve had a bit of a purple patch because everyone who booked on their own went into the pandemic and then found out, oh my god, this is a nightmare.”
To best seize the moment of opportunity, Londregan reinforced the need for advisors to understand that they must charge fees not because of offsetting reduced supplier commissions but rather, “The reason to charge service fees is that you’re worth it. You’re worth it,” he echoed.
Global Product Manager (Technology) for luxury brands at FCTG, Wendie Lee, shared her take on the latest in tech for travel, including a workshop on ChatGPT and how travel advisors can embrace new tech disrupters to help them in their businesses rather than seeing them as threats.
The afternoon sessions brought more insights. Travel Associates General Manager Rachel Kingswell led a powerful flywheel session on evolving business principles before The Hilton Group’s Richard Todd enlightened delegates on the rollercoaster journey of recruitment, retention and leading with a growth mindset.
Partner roundtables closed out the afternoon with event sponsors Regent Seven Seas, Globus Family of Brands, Oceania Cruises, Ponant and Discova connecting with Travel advisors to share the latest updates.
The luxe evening functions included a lavish welcome dinner and Saké tasting at Japanese concept restaurant KOMA in Marina Bay Sands on Saturday and a stunning cocktail event at the panoramic rooftop bar Smoke and Mirrors at the National Gallery on Sunday.
Discova also hosted a variety of in-destination experiences on Monday morning before 65 Travel Associates advisors left to check in for ILTM Asia Pacific for the rest of the week.
