Signature Travel Network’s CEO and President, Alex Sharpe, was in Australia last week from USA, meeting with members and partners together with newly-appointed Managing Director AU/NZ, Lisa Harrison. Karryon Luxury sat down with the pair for an update.
It was an unseasonably grey day in Sydney when we sat down with Alex Sharpe and Lisa Harrison at Park Hyatt Hotel. It was Sharpe’s first visit to Australia post-Covid and since the appointment earlier this year of Lisa Harrison as its Managing Director AU/NZ, with the two conducting trade meetings in Melbourne and Sydney.
Since Lisa’s commencement earlier this year, Signature Travel Network has made inroads with its growth plans locally, launching its cruise program in August with 12 partners; Harrison attending the conference of partner TravelManagers in Cairns last month; and placing a focus on growing its current member base.
New cruise program
The growth of luxury cruising in this market was seen as “compelling”, says Sharpe.
“We are the biggest seller of luxury cruise in the world, even though we’re itty bitty in terms of number of agencies – so we got intrigued by the opportunity,” he says.
“Luxury advisors and agencies, they can’t piecemeal it everywhere. They might like our luxury hotel and resort program, but then where do they get luxury cruise? So we started with a limited number of partners.
“We identified the cruise lines that we had the greatest advantage with and we have started with 12. Will there be more? Absolutely! We have 39 partners, which means 27 are upset they’re not here with us. But we only want to add partners that add value here,” he says.
Sharpe said his visit was about meeting and talking to a lot of different people – some members and some prospective members – and gaining different perspectives from people in the industry that Harrison knows and admires, seeking feedback on what may or may not work.
Aside from access to its “one-stop-shop” cruise booking technology that has live APIs to all of the partners, Sharpe says at the end of the day, key benefits for members are centred on offers.
“It comes down to what they can offer their clients that they don’t have. As the leading luxury cruise sellers, we have good relationships and we have good offers – we’ve earned them and our members have earned them. The opportunity to deliver those in this market is confirmation of the kind of partner we are with our cruise suppliers; and a confirmation of the opportunity that they believe we have in this market, as they see huge opportunity here as well,” says Sharpe.
Progress and growth
While Harrison’s appointment was announced back in late April, she officially began in the role in mid July. Since that time, she’s had a lot of conversations with the existing seven members as well as focusing on recruiting new ones.
Sharpe says when looking at Harrison’s pipeline, there are “dozens of agencies” that are interested to learn more.
Harrison says she has been actively talking to the members, listening to their needs and training them. While she is conversing with potential new members, there is a “process and you don’t just get approved straight away,” she says, with the shareholders having input.
For Sharpe, he says growth here is ultimately about finding like-minded individuals and agencies who align culturally, rather than aiming for a particular number.
“I love this market because there’s a lot of really sharp business people. But it’s also about culture and how do we fit together? This isn’t like we put an ad in the paper, you apply and you’re in. I don’t know what that number looks like, but heck, if it’s a dozen or a couple dozen more, that’s fine. I just want the right folks,” says Sharpe.
Travel Elevates: the growth of Signature’s not-for-profit
Starting just after Covid, Travel Elevates was established to raise and donate fund in the form of grants to global charities and NGOs.
“We focus on childhood education and sustainable women businesses,” said Sharpe.
Travel Elevates has just assisted in the eight-month building of a school in Cambodia for 420 children, donating half the funds with the other half coming from Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy. Other recent projects include the building of a school in Cape Town out of recycled tires and plastics; and a computer centre in Mexico.
“Particularly in this market, I’ve heard loud and clear that people want experiential travel. And impact travel is a big piece of how we experience that in a unique way and how we get under the surface of the product to the people is critical,” said Sharpe.
“I think it’s critically important if you’re going to recruit good people, if you’re going to have good customers, customers want to do business with companies that do the right thing,” he said.
“As a cooperative, the idea is that it’s not our charity, it’s not Signature’s charity – it’s our members’ charity,” he said.
At its recent shareholder meeting in September in Montreal, Signature Travel Network raised USD$620,000 through a live auction for Travel Elevates.
Looking ahead: 2025 and beyond
“The main priority is always growth. It’s how we’re judged, it’s how we’re measured, it’s how we’re compensated. Volume is important, but growth is the driver.
“The way we get growth is to serve our members better, understand what they need, connect them to each other, to the partners, and to our team in a meaningful way,” says Sharpe.
“Ultimately, when we talk about growth, I don’t get credit with partners for adding agencies. I get credit for the agencies growing year on year. That’s what we’re focused on and we have to have the right partners,” said Sharpe.
Its most recent published figures reveal that Signature Travel Network generates USD$11 billion in annual travel sales from its 208 agencies in the U.S and 15,000 advisors. Its 2024 figures are forecast to be higher.
He says with its long term strategy, growth here in Australia and New Zealand will likely materialise later in 2025 and in 2026.
“But right now in the US, we’re up 10 per cent for 2025, which makes me a little kooky, because I like big, big numbers. But what I have to remember is the overall number has gotten a lot bigger. It’s more than double what it was back in 2019 and we’re coming off our very best year in 2024 – so to be up 10 per cent on your best is pretty damn good,” he says.
Harrison reiterated that in relation to growth, her role is very much to work with the members and increase member engagement.
“It’s absolutely to support advisors and the members in their growth, grow the member numbers, as well as build the awareness of Signature Travel Network in both Australia and New Zealand. It’s all growth-focused,” said Harrison.
Just over 20 local members will be attending this year’s Signature Travel Network conference in Las Vegas in November.
“It will be loads of fun for us to get to know them a bit more. We’ll have 3,000-odd people there so they’re not a big percentage – but they’ll add a lot of flavour, I know!” says Sharpe.
For more information visit join.sigtn.com
