TravelManagers Australia expects to have a larger presence of frontline personal travel managers (PTMs) at next year’s Signature Travel Network Conference, based on positive feedback from its advisors at this year’s event in Las Vegas.
Speaking exclusively with LATTE while on the floor at the 2023 Conference at The Venetian Resort, TravelManagers’ CEO Joe Araullo and COO Grant Campbell believe there’s immense value in having PTMs present at the multi-day conference, from the insightful workshops on member offerings and services to one-on-one conversations with suppliers that don’t travel to Australia to promote their companies.
This year TravelManagers has a team of five in Las Vegas for the Conference, including for the first time, two PTMs, Julianne Gazal-Rizk and Dana Brown. It is also Araullo’s first Conference. Campbell and Troy Coelho, Operations Manager, made the trip in 2022.
Araullo and Campbell told LATTE TravelManagers started initial discussions with Signature several years ago, but at the time chose to align with Ensemble. Campbell said Ensemble, at that time, was a “better fit” than the other consortia available, and having people on the ground in Australia with Trish Sheppard and Katy Muyt was a plus. Signature Travel Network also had an exclusive partnership with Magellan Travel at that time.
“Our partnership with Ensemble worked well for the first year or two and gave us what we wanted,” Campbell said. However, Ensemble’s head office in Toronto chose to shutter its Australian operation a few months into the pandemic in April 2020.
TravelManagers aligned with Signature in early 2022. Araullo likened Signature Travel Network to CT Partners in Australia, which as a co-operative, gives all the money back to members. Campbell added that Signature is “all about its members.”
One of the appeals of Signature for TravelManagers was the scope of its luxury hotel portfolio.
A case in point was explained by Jordin Greene, Vice President of Hotel and Preferred Partnerships with the consortia, who during a workshop this week highlighted the range of luxury hotels the group offers. Greene used New York City as an example, where prices for a two-night stay in November ranged from US$2,400 at the new Aman New York, to US$1,695 at The St. Regis, US$1,095 at The Equinox, US$675 at The Langham and US$389 at The James Nomad – with other options also listed in between.
“If you have clients that want uber luxury with no expense spared, we’ve got them covered. We’ve got the best of the best and all the top brands for to-die-for experiences.”
“Every single destination, we try to have a mix of lots of different options for all your client’s needs,” Greene said.
On the subject of workshops, Araullo said he was impressed with how informative and in-depth they were for members.
“The workshops were very useful and the feedback we’ve had from the PTMs we have here this week, and how professional they are, is very encouraging.”
Araullo said TravelManagers was excited by the positive vibe sparked back home based on social media posts the PTMs at the Conference had shared on the travel company’s internal pages.
The TravelManagers CEO added that the size of the Signature Conference gave PTMs much greater access to suppliers they wouldn’t necessarily reach at home, or at their own conference. “It’s much bigger and they are meeting a bunch of suppliers they would not normally meet, and the workshops are very valuable.”
“The access to product and to be able to recommend product, and they are coming away much more informed to look after their clients,” Campbell added.
In a meeting with Alex Sharpe, President/CEO of Signature Travel Network, Araullo said he was keen for the consortia to expand its presence in Australia, and not necessarily limited to TravelManagers, or Magellan.
“We want the whole Australian industry to be aware there’s a choice. Do you want to go Signature, or do you want to go Virtuoso? A lot of people in Australia still haven’t even heard of Signature,” Araullo said.
Meanwhile, Campbell added that TravelManagers is also talking with Signature about how to leverage their marketing assets in Australia, which they send on behalf of the agency member, with no Signature branding.
“They’re promoting the individual member and not their own branding,” he added
Lead image: On the floor at Signature Travel Network’s 2023 Conference at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, from left are TravelManagers’: Grant Campbell, Chief Operating Officer; Dana Brown, PTM; Troy Coelho, Operations Manager; Julianne Gazal-Rizk, PTM and Joe Araullo, Chief Operating Officer.
