In the view of Vicky Garcia, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Cruise Planners/American Express, travel agencies, no matter the location or experience level, "should not go it alone" without an industry partner, whether it be a host agency, a marketing network or a franchiser.
"I can't scream that loud enough," Garcia said.
Cruise Planners, a franchiser and an American Express rep agency, has an interest in attracting worthy affiliates, but Garcia asked, "Why reinvent the wheel?"
Delegates to Travel Weekly's CruiseWorld and Home Based Agent Show, set for June 18 to 20 in Seattle, can expect to hear this message from Garcia and her fellow panelists in a session titled "Whom Do I Make My Business Partner?"
Joe Jiffo, Ensemble's vice president for business development, allowed for the exception, saying an agency with a specific market that "does tremendous volume and receives the highest commission and good marketing support from suppliers" could succeed without a support system.
But that agency is the rarity, Jiffo said.
Garcia, Jiffo and others have agreed to help delegates choose their partners wisely -- or how to select a new one. Their two-hour session is slated for the trade show's opening general session on June 18.
Speakers are prepared to share numerous questions that travel agents should ask themselves and prospective partners.
Scott Koepf, vice president of sales for host agency Avoya Travel/American Express, said agents shopping for a new affiliation or a change should write down questions to ask prospects and also ask themselves what they are looking for in a potential partner.
"The more questions asked, the more likely [the agent is] to get a partnership that works," Koepf said.
The panelists expect to offer delegates a lot to ponder. Jackie Friedman, president of the host agency Nexion, said she will urge retailers to ask themselves how flexible they want to be when operating their businesses and how willing they are to attach themselves to another brand.
Similarly, agents need to consider if it is important to them to maintain visibility with suppliers or if they are willing to see their sales volume aggregated in a host or franchise arrangement, Friedman said.
But to her mind, she said, the "ultimate question" that an agent should ask himself or herself is, "What do I need to truly be successful in this industry in terms of training, support, marketing, technology and more," and what companies can best provide those services.
Stephen McGillivray, chief marketing officer for Travel Leaders Group, turned to the matter of earnings. The Travel Leaders Group embraces the Vacation.com consortium and three franchise brands: Cruise Holidays, Results and Travel Leaders.
He said agents need to ask if their businesses require the support a host offers or if they can thrive with the kinds of services offered by an agency network.
"Clearly the host relationship does a bit more TLC than the agency networks do," McGillivray said. "But the revenue-sharing earning opportunities may be greater joining a network directly."
Apropos of the complexity of the choices and the variety in travel industry affiliations, Nexion is a V-com member. Depending on needs, an agent may affiliate with the Nexion host business, or it may seek the same kind of support Nexion seeks, at V-com.
Central to all the questions and deliberations, Koepf said, is the home-based agent's biggest challenge, which is "marketing to find leads. Everything else pales by comparison."
The session will be structured as two back-to-back panels, followed by a Q&A segment. Friedman, Garcia and Koepf will sit together to offer advice from the standpoint of host agencies. They will be followed by speakers representing consortia, franchisers and ARC. For this segment, Jiffo and McGillivray will be joined by Bill Smith, Virtuoso's vice president of cruise sales and performance management, and Lauri Reishus, vice president of operations for ARC.
Reishus will discuss ARC's Verified Travel Consultant program, which serves a category of travel agents who don't sell air.
Preregistration is $125, and on-site registration is $150. The event will be held in the Washington State Convention Center. Host hotels the Crowne Plaza Seattle and Westin Seattle are offering special delegate rates.
Delegates can sign up for two ship inspections on a space-available basis, from among six ships during the trade show.
Two Vancouver fams also are available to agents with a Vancouver Specialist certificate. The deadline to earn the certificate and book a fam is May 15. Register at www.travelweeklytradeshows.com.