The Travel Network Group is adding elements of artificial intelligence (AI) to its technology set-up as part of a drive for growth, which has been described as the company’s “obsession”.
Chief executive Gary Lewis told a Travel Weekly webcast that training on AI would be offered to members this year, with CRMs increasingly making use of the technology.
“The next 12 months is about how we can take some of the opportunities with technology,” he said.
Members are being encouraged to focus on small details, he revealed, while pushing for “continued growth”.
A training academy launched around 18 months ago has proven successful, with the online version also enjoying strong take-up.
“We’ve got huge engagement,” Lewis said. “We’ve got 550 members engaging with the online portal and that’s got training on sales and customer service, as well as all our massive product range.
“We’ve also invested in offline [training], where we run seminars with experts coming in front of our members.”
The conference in Bucharest in June is already sold out, he said, with members feeling positive about their prospects this year.
The membership currently stands at about 1,100 after a total of 153 joined in 2024.
Asked whether the group was considering acquiring any competitors, Lewis said “never say never” but suggested that the main focus was organic growth.
“Growth is the obsession and the speed of that growth gives you better things to do right now than if you’re taking 10 years to do that growth,” he said.
“A perfect example of that is the homeworking businesses that have come into the market in the last five years.
“They’ve scaled up incredibly quickly because of their ability with technology and there’s a real focus on helping our members do that, so they can also scale up.
“The next 12 months is about how we can take some of the opportunities with technology.”
Homeworking accounts for most of the group’s growth at the moment.
“We’ve seen it with our homeworking proposition and across our members. Instead of one or two shops, they might have one or two shops and five homeworkers,” Lewis said.
He added that the delivery of personalised magazines to supermarkets would continue this year, with 300 members signed up for the twice-a-year service.
“Members absolutely adore it,” he said, adding: “It’s worked really well. It’s driven sales into our members.”