NEW Sandals boss Tony Cowles says the operator’s first agents conference is vital to keep the company’s name front of mind in the trade.
Sandals is due to unveil its latest plans at the conference, the Ultra Convention, which is being held in Birmingham on November 2.
Up to 300 agents are expected to attend and trade partners will have stands at the event, which will include seminars on Sandals’ new developments.
Cowles, who became UK and European managing director in August after holding the same role at Air Jamaica, said the conference and a marketing project launched earlier this year were part of a concerted bid to ramp up agent training.
He added: “We have to keep the momentum going. We are 100% committed to the trade.”
The company hopes to sign up more agents to the Sandals’ Marketing Bank project, rolled out in January. This allows agents to run local Sandals marketing campaigns targeted at customers using money earned in commissions from previous Sandals’ bookings. Agents determine how the money should be spent with their Sandals’ representative.
Meanwhile, Cowles said Sandals aimed to improve its products further. “We want to take all-inclusive to another level,” he said.
Central to the strategy is investment in suite accommodation, with over half its inventory now either suite or concierge service. Its new 180-room, all-suite Meditteranean village opens in Antigua in February with construction of the new 170-suite Italian village at Beaches Turks and Caicos, starting in January.
The Beaches resort hosted last month’s Sandals’ Ultra and Star awards where UK operators and agents were able to experience innovations, including its Sesame Street entertainment, butler service and premium wine range from Beringer, for themselves.