Comment: AITO delegates reflect on the recent overseas conference

AITO delegates Polly Davies of Marco Polo Travel in Bristol and Diane Denney of Somewhere2travel2 give their thoughts on this year’s AITO overseas conference in Dubai

Denney: Dubai was not a destination that was on my personal must-do list because of the usual pre-conceived ideas but I actually really enjoyed it.

Delegates stayed at the Sofitel Jumeirah and I was impressed with the rooms and excellent food. At the moment there’s a lot of building work taking place by the hotel to create ‘The walk’ – a leisure complex of bars, restaurants, shops and cafes. I heard complaints about the noise levels and traffic the building work is causing but I didn’t think it was too bad – it was no worse than being in London on a heavy traffic day.

Some of the highlights from the business sessions included hearing there is hope for the high street agent when Radha Patel of The Futures Company said that people want relationships with people, not brands, and that trust is becoming a very important factor. And Jeff Strachan of Insight Management Consultants said that 90% of hotel bookings still come through the trade and that generation Y (those born between 1977-1994) prefer to buy from people they trust.

Evo Hannan, a Dubai-based teacher, also revealed exactly how he turned a struggling art department in an English speaking private school into a thriving success by applying business strategies and creativity – reminding us to think ‘outside of the box’, which was the theme of the conference.

I enjoyed a ‘camels in the room’ session, where delegates debated the most burning issues they face. This included the way consumers use specialist agents and operators for their expertise only and don’t make a booking with them, the fact that airlines offer little support to members and how to work out the ROI of social media activity. It was comforting to learn that we are not alone in our worries! It also affirmed our ‘can do’ attitude and our commitment to each other as agents and operators.

I also found a speed dating session with agents and operators worthwhile. This time, the agents sat at the tables as the operators rotated – which is different to the usual format, which usually sees the agents rotate. It was a simple, yet very effective change. I came away with new relationships and some great new opportunities.

Ted Wake from Kirker gave an amusing and relevant talk about really getting to know your customer, and that it is important to remember our worth as specialist independent agents and operators.

AITO Affiliates also offered useful words of advice including Linda Alliston of The Travel Advice Centre reminding us to listen, remain objective and manage expectations if dealing with customer complaints and Barbara Kolosinska from C&M Recruitment highlighted the importance of involving all of our team in various areas of the business. Sunil Bali of Sunil Bali & Associates then closed the business session with his simply inspirational talk about ‘How to have more success by drinking, swearing, stealing and lying’!

I have returned to the office with so much food for thought about how I can incorporate some simple changes, use technology to become part of the conversation and really make a difference. It has really given me hope for the future of businesses like mine and it’s great to be reminded that knowledge and service are still key to success and that this doesn’t look set to change in the future.

Davies:  Having heard from Ian Scott, UK director of Dubai Tourism, and Saleh Mohammed Al Geziri from DTCM Dubai, about their vision for the future when they intend to increase visitor numbers to Dubai from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million in 2020, it inspired a feeling of dynamic change and optimism which was the perfect metaphor for the AITO conference as its theme was ‘Travel – thinking outside the box’.

When they realised that the Dubai oil was running out, they did not sit wringing their hands and whinging – instead they assessed the situation, discussed the opportunities available by thinking outside the box and, while keeping their strong traditions, are moving forward to re-invent the destination – a process that could be helpful to many travel agents in the UK if they also tried reflecting, innovating, pursuing and perfecting.

Kerry Baggott, an ex-pat freelance journalist living in Dubai described how she loves the phenomenal pace of development in Dubai but that visitors should be aware of the traditional Islamic codes of behaviour and Sunil Bali, MD of Sunil Bali & Associates inspired us to move forward and said that the past is a point of reference not a place of residence, encouraging us all to set goals each year and have a purpose so we enjoy our lives with integrity and passion.

We also heard from a travel trade panel about diversity in adversity and how some members have overcome a negative event, including Mark from Inside Japan – now also Inside Asia – talking about how they have adapted their business model after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan decimated their bookings and Paul Cusack from Cockermouth Travel who maximised his opportunity for positive publicity when his shop was completely flooded and he managed to open a new shop from scratch within a few days.

During the panel discussions we were able to share our concerns and information in a supportive, uncompetitive and positive environment.  Many agents were concerned about finding good staff and it was agreed that it is vital to invest in current staff with ongoing training and personal development, incentives and particularly engaging with the younger staff to give them opportunities to contribute their ideas.

The face-to-face discussions with tour operators during the AITO Marketplace, over drinks or dinner or while sightseeing, cemented our business relationships and we go forward with a great sense of optimism.