Consortium to focus on tech and ‘mischief’ at Man & Machine-themed event. Ben Ireland previews next months forum
Consortium members at this year’s Advantage Conference will hear how travel brands can learn from other industries, with a focus on technology and ‘mischief’.
Organisers hope leisure agents will go away from the Man & Machine-themed conference with fresh ideas on how to stand out from the crowd to boost sales.
Guest speakers include Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, The Gadget Show’s Jason Bradbury and Féilim Mac An Iomaire, who is “head of PR and mischief” at Paddy Power, the bookmaker known for its Twitter antics.
Mac An Iomaire – who will be speaking to Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley at the conference – rose to prominence when he spent his life savings on a billboard advertisement that said ‘Save me from emigration’ to help him find a job. He became known affectionately as Jobless Paddy.
He said: “You don’t have to be a big company to gain media coverage, it just takes a bit of different thinking. If you can do that and stay relevant, then the risk often pays off.
“There’s every chance things might not go to plan, but it’s well worth rolling the dice.”
Julia Lo Bue-Said, managing director of The Advantage Travel Partnership, said the conference sessions had been designed to inspire members and to give them ideas of how to use technology in a language that traditional agents could understand.
She said: “There’s a really strong focus on technology in the travel industry, but the human touch is crucial too. We’ll be exploring how they’re both compatible and work alongside each other.”
Lo Bue-Said added that members need to know what they want from technology and don’t necessarily need to understand how it works. About 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference at Club Med Opio en Provence, France, on May 12-15.
Club Med seeks digital-savvy partners
Club Med is looking for “digital savviness” in its new agent partners.
The resort operator, which is hosting the Advantage Conference 2017 – themed Man & Machine – said its focus was on strengthening ties with existing agents, as well as looking for new partners.
It said it is seeking tie-ups with more agents to keep its balance of trade and direct sales as it continues to grow its long-haul offering.
Club Med saw a 12% increase in long-haul sales globally last year, driven by a 50% growth in the UK. UK managing director Estelle Giraudeau said she wanted to hear from agents with clear digital strategies. She said: “We select our
partners really carefully. We like them to have digital savviness. You can do a lot with companies who are willing to embrace the digital world.”
Keynote speakers
Sir Chris Hoy
Six-time Olympic gold medal‑winning cyclist.
Jason Bradbury
Technology expert and presenter of The Gadget Show.
Alistair Pritchard
Deloitte’s lead partner for travel will discuss cyber threats and security.
Other speakers include:
Feilim Mac An Iomaire
Paddy Power head of PR and mischief: he’s the first line of defence if the company causes controversy.
Ben Sauer
UK strategist at Clearleft: specialises in research and product strategy.
Liam Reynolds
Managing director at Johnston Press, will talk about newspapers moving into digital.
Tony Roberts
Princess Cruises vice-president: has overseen line’s participation in ITV documentary The Cruise.