Communication needed to beat brochure wastage – TTA conference report

Operators need to cut down on their number of brochure editions and communicate more effectively with agents to reduce wastage of programmes, delegates were told.

In a debate entitled ‘Brochure Dilemma’ the conference heard that despite improved technology, there was still an enormous number of brochures wasted.

Lee Harrison of Select World Travel in Malvern said the current system was inefficient and he often received too many or too few programmes.

“Sometimes you need 45 minutes to check that you’ve got the right bundles and the driver can’t wait that long. So we can end up with brochures that were meant for another agency,” he said.

“Also, the large operators don’t have any flexibility. Sometimes I’ll have a client in front of me and I’ll ring up saying I just want five brochures to be sent as soon as possible and they can’t do it, they just direct us to the distribution company who direct us back to the operator.

“There are also far too many brochures – sometimes four editions of the same programme – and we are getting next year’s brochures before we’ve sold this year’s holidays.

“Then some operators have brochures which are a ridiculous size and can’t fit on the shelves. ITC Classics is a typical example. It’s a beautiful brochure but nobody wants to take home something that size.”

Steve Martin, from distribution company BP Services, admitted there needed to be better communication by all parties, but said it could only act on instruction from operators.

“We can only send out brochures if an operator wants us to, not if they are requested by the agents,” he said. “When we arrive at travel agents, we have to deliver them if that’s what the operator wants.

“We try to get signatures from agents to make sure they’ve got them, but it’s not always possible. For example in central London it’s difficult to deliver between 9am and 5pm.”

Mr Martin agreed better communication was essential, but said agents also needed to get their houses in order.

“We asked agents to fill in forms about the programmes they needed but they wouldn’t count up the numbers they already had because they said they didn’t have the time to do it.”

Despite the availability of e-brochures on the internet, panellists Trudy Redfern of Silversea Cruises and Chris Edwards of Complete Caribbean said they had upmarket clients who wanted to read brochures at home.

Ms Redfern said that UK laws which insist operators have correct pricing and information in brochures was frustrating.

“We have done some restructuring which means we have to withdraw brochures and make amendments and it doesn’t look professional,” she said. “In the US they just have coffee-table programmes which state they reserve the right to change the prices and information. They don’t understand why we can’t do the same.”