Travellers Choice’s 2025 national conference, themed ‘Nailed It’, recently wrapped in Melbourne, and phew… what an event. From plenaries to prizes, a busy tradeshow floor to an even busier dance floor, this was a conference that packed as much into 24 hours as Melbourne, the host city, experiences weather changes in a day. Yes, this was a party to end all parties, or more aptly, given the predicted good times for the group, a celebration to start all celebrations. MARK HARADA dives into how the conference really ‘Nailed It’.
Good times roll
In his opening address to conference guests, Travellers Choice Managing Director Christian Hunter stressed the company was in a strong position – and due to the structure of the organisation, that means its members are too.
“The group performed well in the last 12 months, and the vast majority of our profits, which was almost $2 million was distributed to members in September,” he said.
“The average financial rebate that a Travellers Choice member received – this is actual money that landed in their bank account – was around six times the investment in membership costs, with the total return being more than double that, at over 12 times the investment in membership. This is an amazing result.”
Another amazing result is the group’s “100% satisfaction rating” in its most recent membership survey, combined with an “extremely high net promoter score [NPS] of 90”.
“Travellers Choice prides itself on providing members with a low-cost, high-support membership model and our status of being a member-owned business ensures that members retain control at all times,” Hunter added.
The group also continues to earn external accolades, winning its fifth straight National Travel Industry Association (NTIA) award for Most Outstanding Travel Agency Network last month.
“Five years in a row is truly outstanding. I guess we must be doing something right,” the TC MD said.
Panel power
Following the company update, plenaries took centre stage throughout the conference.
Among these were some spirited panels, kicking off with a discussion about strategies for success in the travel industry that focused on a customer-first experience, training and long-term relationships.
“Everything’s got to be around that customer experience,” pannelist and Bunnik Tours Co-CEO Dennis Bunnik said.
Angela Middleton, Director of Sales AUS/NZ at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, emphasised the importance of multi-dimensional sales and marketing plans, including training and group bookings. And of course, she flagged NCL’s deployment strategy, particularly around increased closer-to-home trips.
Adventure World’s Elsa McLean perhaps put it best when she said that “keeping it simple is key” for agents selling their product, underscoring the power of storytelling.
“Sales, after all, is just a transfer of enthusiasm,” she stated.
Another panel discussed the role of Creative Skills Australia in workforce planning and skilling for the tourism and hospitality sectors, with key projects including a digital literacy skills gap analysis and a review of the Cert III in Travel. Travellers Choice’s ProStart program, which provides free training for new staff, was highlighted, with Windsong Travel’s James Cracknell noting its benefits.
And what conference today wouldn’t be complete without a discussion on AI – and the integration of technologies in the travel industry?
During this panel, Air Tickets highlighted its development of intuitive technology, including chatbots and voice-to-text search options, aimed at streamlining processes and saving time for agents.
Meanwhile, Sabre introduced agentic AI, personalising offers and improving revenue management, with a pilot project with Virgin.
Crucially, the panel emphasised the balance between AI advancements and maintaining human interaction in travel services.
ATIA update
A fixture at travel agency conferences, Australian Travel Industry Association CEO Dean Long shared the latest updates from ATIA, flagging the association’s 97.7% membership retention rate as well as the addition of 45 new businesses.
Key metrics included an average consumer complaint settlement of $765 from $4,283.
He also highlighted advocacy efforts focused on airport management reforms and the inclusion of the travel industry on the core skills occupation list for the first time in over a decade.
“What that meant is that our travel agencies can get consultants in,” Long said.
“We can get skilled up, we can get tour guides; we can move them around the world if we want, which is really important for our larger members, but also our smaller members,” he told conference guests.
Top-tier speakers
Among the keynote speakers was Matt Alderton, Founder and CEO of Bx (Business Networking).
According to Matt, just 4% of business owners regularly engage in planning and goal-setting – and that needs to be addressed.
The most memorable moment, however, came when he introduced the concept of the “BHAG” (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).
During this, Alderton urged the audience to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound goals for 2026, using an “accelerator goal ladder” to break down long-term objectives into manageable tasks.
Another keynote was Amantha Imber, an organisational psychologist and founder of behavioural science consultancy Inventium. Imber emphasised the importance of changing daily habits for both personal and professional growth.
Suppliers star
In between plenaries, preferred partners showcased their products and services at the bustling preferred supplier exhibition.
Some pulled out all the stops (TTC with their darts game and APT with their roulette table) while others kept it simple. A special mention goes to The Africa Safari Company, which took out the official award for best supplier stand (its face-in-hole board was a real winner).
And the award goes to…
Everyone’s a winner… not quite. But Travellers Choice know how to bestow awards. And lots of them.
Based on members’ support for its suppliers, the prestigious Choice Awards recognised 30 Gold, Silver, and Bronze award recipients, who each won their choice of three exclusive trips to Alaska, Iceland and Zanzibar, courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line, Collette and The Africa Safari Company, respectively.
A trophy is nice. A tour is better.
Check out the full list of award winners here.
Song and dance
From the welcome reception at Melbourne Park’s St Andrew Beach Brewery to the National Awards Gala Dinner (and its dancefloor) at the Pullman Melbourne on the Park, celebrations were in full swing throughout the event.
Led by charismatic MC (and snappy dresser) Tim Campbell, the festivities captured the overall mood of the conference. But it was MD Christian Hunter’s rendition of the Hunters and Collectors classic Holy Grail (with alternative lyrics that reflected Travellers Choice’s NTIA successes) that perhaps won the biggest applause. Perhaps you’ll need to have two songs ready next year Christian, in case the audience demands an encore!
2026 host venue
For the first time since 2017, the Travellers Choice conference returns to its hometown of Perth next year.
Expect the group to roll out the red carpet for its members in 2026. And expect some participation by Tourism Western Australia too, as it looks to showcase its beautiful capital city. See you next year!
Karryon was on location at the 2025 Travellers Choice conference, themed “Nailing It”, in Melbourne. Read more from the event here. The writer was a guest of Travellers Choice.
For more info on Travellers Choice, visit its website.
