Ensemble and Virtuoso, two of the travel industry’s largest consortia, are embarking on new business strategies this year.
Virtuoso introduced a new strategy last month at its annual Symposium, this year held in Madrid.
Virtuoso President Kristi Jones described it as a "holistic sales and marketing strategy that engages the network's fourth constituency — clients and prospects — in a unique, shared exchange of information with Virtuoso member advisers and suppliers."
Called "Collaborative Commerce," the strategy will result in "increased sales and higher client satisfaction and loyalty," she said.
Jones said the strategy combines Virtuoso’s successes in sales campaigns (where it has had a 67% increase in production for participating suppliers); consumer brand preference (Virtuoso had 1.1 billion media impressions in 2010); and adviser development (member agents completed more than 11,000 professional development courses in 2010).
Virtuoso is rolling out three beta tests in May and June involving members, advisers, clients and suppliers and will report on results at its Travel Mart conference in August.
Among the changes at Ensemble are a focus on building up the group’s smaller agencies and helping all members focus on building their own brand identities rather than the Ensemble brand.
Joe Jiffo, Ensemble’s new vice president of business development, said, "One of the strong messages we are communicating to the members and potential members is that Ensemble is an industry brand, not a consumer brand."
"The brand means nothing to the average consumer but has a strong recognition in the industry, and therefore we are helping our members build their brand. Our competitors in most cases try and build their brand to the consumer."
Ensemble will also change the ways its business development directors, or BDDs, call on member agencies. Jiffo said that the group’s BDDs previously had no consistency to the way they called on members.
He also said the BDDs were giving most of their attention to top-producing members and only contacting Ensemble’s smaller agencies once or twice a year. Jiffo said smaller members would now be contacted no less than six times per year.
"The goal of our sales organization is to grow our smaller or midlevel agencies," he said. "We feel that more personal contact by the Ensemble Travel Group business development directors and other Ensemble staff will help members become more profitable."
BDDs and agencies will discuss issues such as supplier products and conduct business reviews, Jiffo said. Visits will also include training.
Ensemble also plans more official cross-border sharing of best practices between the U.S. and Canada.