MEET THE TRAINER:

MEET THE TRAINER:

Drew Stewart, Travelscene

Education and career path: in 1967 Drew started as an office assistant in Mackays Travel Agency, Glasgow. He joined Blacks Travel Agency, Greenock, in 1974, where he worked up to manager and started an inbound Scottish Tour operation, Scotscene. In 1976-77 he passed the SNCBS Travel and Tourism, and went on to complete the ITT Fellowship exam. In 1987, Blacks was taken over by A T Mays and he joined their group and conference department, becoming general manager before starting up A T Mays City Breaks operation in 1988. In 1997 he joined Travelscene as sales manager responsible for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man.

Outline your training programme: “It is two-fold. We offer in-office training, using a PC-based presentation to show our product range, unique product differentiation and how easy it is to sell city breaks with expert assistance. We then offer educationals aimed at giving agents a feel for the atmosphere of the cities and some of our properties.”

Favoured training style: “To be relaxed, allowing my enthusiasm for the product and love of city breaks to come to the fore. This encourages agency staff to ask questions more readily and engenders enthusiasm.”

Top training tips: “Keep the trainees involved and participating, particularly with city breaks where there can be a fear factor about selling a lesser-known product than a beach-type holiday.”

One thing agents should take away from a training session: “Confidence, so that they will feel comfortable the next time they come to sell a city break. I hope they will see that it is as easy to sell a city break as it is to sell a beach holiday.”