Urbanweb managing director Steve Endacott has signed a deal with the Ministry of Sound to start selling clubbing holidays via the trade.
Endacott said the move would cash in on the strong brand of the Ministry which will use the newly created Clubbers Guide to Travel name to promote the holidays.
Urbanweb plans to sell branded summer sun holidays to clubbing destinations such as Ibiza and Palma Nova by contracting suitable properties from all the major operators and youth specialists.
Some operators will be offered exclusive deals for selected resorts and hotels which will be branded with the Ministry’s Clubbers Guide to Travel logo within operators’ brochures.
Weekend breaks to short-haul clubbing destinations and long-haul holidays to destinations such as Miami which have a large club culture, will also be offered.
Part of the club package will include a wrist band which will give customers guaranteed entrance to some of the top clubs in the resorts as well as discounts on resort activities and in bars and restaurants.
The product will be targeted at the estimated 750,000 young people who take a non-branded or unpackaged young people’s holiday every year and the millions of peoplewho go clubbing every weekend.
Endacott said: “We are not trying to target the 250,000 people who already buy a branded package. There is a huge potential market out there which is not being tapped by the existing operators.”
Within three years, Urbanweb plans to be selling 200,000 branded packages with around 40% of the business expected to come via agents. “We are targeting the 18-24-year-old market which is exactly the same profile of many agents,” he added.
Ministry will use its magazines, radio station, Web site, record company and database of 500,000 customers to promote the club holidays. It now operates an £87m turnover business since its launch 10 years ago.
“We will be able to promote to our customers year-round using the Ministry’s literature, Web site and record company,” Endacott said.
Ministry director of brand development Ashley Peniston-Bird said: “Our customers already trust the brand because they are prepared to buy our records. It makes sense for them to trust us to book their holidays.”
He said it was a potentially lucrative market to start selling clubbing holidays to its existing clientele.
“Our target market have money and are prepared to travel anywhere to go to a Ministry event.”
Exact details of the packages will be unveiled at an official launch on February 22.
Clubbers Guide to Travel to sell clubbing holidays to summer sun destinations
clubbers guide to travel
n Promotion of holidays through travel agents using selected properties from tour operators brochures for summer 2000.
n Urbanweb’s Manchester call centre will fulfiltelephone response under Holidays by Phone.
n Agent promotions will include events at Ministry of Sound and nationwide roadshows.
n Potential customers will also be targeted via the Ministry of Sound’s magazine, radio station, Web site and record company literature with inserts planned in CDs.
n A premium will be charged for the bolted-on club package.
n Launch date: February 22 when full details of the venture will be announced.