The Midcounties Co-operative’s homeworking business The Personal Travel Agents is gearing up for its first in-person conference since 2019.
More than 100 homeworkers will attend the X Together event in Malta from October 17-20 as the company celebrates its 10th year of trading.
The group started with six homeworkers in 2012 and now has 160 agents.
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Sheena Whittle, head of The Personal Travel Agents, said the event would focus on the current opportunities for agents.
She said: “We’re delighted to host this year’s conference in Malta and could not be more excited about the prospect of being together again. Whilst virtual conferences have worked well during the pandemic, Malta will provide an incredible venue for us to reconnect, revive and rediscover all the great things we love about the travel industry.
“We’ll be firmly focussing on the significant opportunity that experienced travel agents have right now in the market.”
The conference is being held at the Dolmen Hotel Malta, St Paul’s Bay, and will be attended by Clayton Bartolo, minister of tourism in Malta, and Carlo Micallef, chief executive of the Malta Tourist Authority, alongside other representatives of the tourism board.
Whittle added: “We’ve worked closely with the MTA to curate an itinerary that showcases Malta at its best and our homeworkers will really experience the destination and, I’m sure, fall in love with it. We also have a few surprises up our sleeves that will provide incredibly memorable moments to share together.
“It’s been a rollercoaster couple of years for everyone in the industry, but we have emerged knowing that our homeworkers are more resilient than we ever imagined, and it’s time to celebrate our first decade as a business.”
Co-op Holidays as well as 22 further tour operators have confirmed their attendance, including Jet2holidays, Celebrity Cruises and Do Something Different.
The conference includes a full day of sessions, including business updates on the homeworking division and The Midcounties Co-operative Society, workshops and keynote speech by Geoff Ramm, customer service and customer experience speaker and creator and author of Celebrity Service and OMG Marketing.
The second day will give agents the chance to take part in speed dating, a trade fair and networking along with an Insta Moments of Malta tour with a local photographer and marketing and social media manager Kiri Dulay to provide tips on getting the best shots and content to drive Malta sales using social media. The farewell evening will be held at the Café del Mar, in partnership with Vibe by Jet2holidays, a brand aimed at millennials.