Charging a fee for fam trips would help get “the right agents on the right educationals”, a round-table discussion heard.
Speaking during a discussion hosted by Travel Weekly, Celestyal Cruises business development vice-president Janet Parton said the line does not currently have plans to charge agents for attending fam trips, but argued it could be beneficial for cruise lines because it “shows a commitment” from the trade.
She said agents should become “ambassadors” for a cruise line once they have been on an educational by sharing their experience with their colleagues and customers and by charging a fee, agents will “buy into that work piece” from the outset.
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Parton’s comments echo calls made by Clia chair Ben Bouldin for agents to be held accountable if they are invited on fam trips.
“We want agents to become ambassadors for our brands once they have been on a fam trip, so I think having agents apply for trips is a really good way of doing it because it shows a commitment,” said Parton.
“I always ask agents what they’re going to do in return for the place on the trip and how they’re going to share their knowledge after they have come back because having them buy into that work piece from the outset is really important.
“We haven’t charged for fam trips in the past and I’m not saying that we’re going to do that in the future, but there is something to be said for charging a small fee as that would help in terms of getting the right people on the right trip.
“There could be a rule that agents would be charged to go on the fam but then if they made a booking they would get their money back, or something along those lines. But the key is to have a commitment from those agents that are going.”
Riviera Travel channel director Stuart Milan said the operator monitors the performance of stores after an agent has been on a fam trip to ensure there is a return on its investment.
Milan echoed Parton’s comments on agents becoming ambassadors for a brand and said Riviera Travel encourages the trade to utilise any digital content they get during a fam trip by sharing it with colleagues.
“Once an agent has been on a trip, we look at their store and see if their booking levels increase to ensure the experience was a success,” he said. “If sales have not gone up, we know that we need to go in and do more training.”
He added: “Fortunately for us, we see a relatively instant return so we’re not in a place where we need to charge for fams.”
Karen Farndell, UK & Ireland director of sales and marketing at Holland America Line, added: “We encourage agents to share the knowledge they have gained once they return from a ship visit or fam trip because, within their own networks, their experience resonates more than the materials we provide them with.”