Almost 400 participants from around Australia have gathered in the “sunniest capital city in the world”, Perth, for TravelManagers’ 2019 National Conference.
Some delegates were playing in the pre-conference golf tournament at Wembley Golf Course yesterday as others headed out to various pre-conference events including optional tours of Margaret River, Rottnest Island and Perth.
The conference itself get underway this morning.
In total, 395 participants are attending this year’s conference, an annual event that has become on a major occasion on the company’s calendar since the first one was held in Sydney in 2008.
The theme for this year’s conference is ‘customer’, which executive general manager, Michael Gazal says is a natural progression from last year’s focus on ‘success’.
“In Honolulu we spent a lot of time discussing the tools, skills and innovations required to help our PTMs and industry partners achieve success in their business and personal lives – from improving work-life balance to developing functional and personal skills,” Gazal said.
“This year it’s about applying all of that to our already-obsessive focus on our personal travel managers’ (PTMs’) customers – how we connect with them and how we can further enhance their travel experiences to deliver on their travel needs, hopes and dreams.”
Gazal points out that with participants from all over Australia, a lot of TravelManagers PTMs and suppliers don’t get to see each other often during the year, “so the pre-conference activities are a fun way to reconnect with colleagues and friends before the serious business gets started”.
Amanda Stevens, a passionate advocate of customer experience who is widely regarded as one of the best speakers in Australia, will deliver the keynote address this morning.
Also set to speak during the event are Peter O’Donohue, who heads Qantas’ Boeing 787 program, and Samuel Johnson: actor, big brother and accomplished unicyclist who created the ‘Love Your Sister’ charity with the support of his sister, Connie.
“By Friday morning there will be a real buzz in the air,” Gazal says.
According to Gazal, one of the most important and anticipated components of TravelManagers’ annual conference is the opportunity to give back to the community by partnering with a local charity. In previous years this has involved a range of activities, from renovating a school in Fiji to building bikes for under privileged children in Sydney.
In 2019, the company has chosen to join forces with Ronald McDonald House Charities Western Australia, who provide a ‘home away from home’ for regional Western Australian families of seriously ill children receiving hospital treatment in Perth.
“When families have to travel far from home to receive specialised medical treatment, seeking accommodation in an unfamiliar place only adds to their fear and uncertainty,” Gazal explains.
“To support them in providing a safe, happy haven for those families, our PTMs, NPO team members and supplier and media partners have been invited to donate an item to one of two programs: Books on Beds, which provides a new book for every child that stays overnight, or Arts & Crafts, contributing much-needed supplies to their learning centre.”
Additionally, the night before the conference starts, a small team comprised of suppliers, NPO representatives and nine PTMs who have attended all twelve previous TravelManagers’ conferences will participate in a Ronald McDonald House initiative known as “Home for Dinner”.
They will provide a home-cooked dinner for the families staying at Ronald McDonald House, as well as co-ordinating decorations, entertainment and a few surprises for the kids.
Gazal says the decision to support Ronald McDonald House this year was an easy one, given that key values of the charity (Family, Excellence, Integrity, Inclusion and Energy) closely align with TravelManagers’ own values.
“The opportunity to work together each year in helping another amazing organisation connects us as a group and remains as a lasting memory of the TravelManagers conference experience. If we can make just a small difference in families’ lives, it makes our conference experience that much more meaningful.”
TravelManagers’ 2019 conference concludes on Sunday night with a gala awards dinner in the Crown Perth’s Grand Ballroom that Gazal describes as a glamorous, fun-filled evening with colleagues and friends, celebrating an inspiring weekend and honouring the achievements of the past year.
Achievements this year have included notching up a record-breaking first quarter for 2019, when three strong months produced overall growth of more than 7% for the first quarter, thanks largely to strong sales for long-haul destinations.
Then, last month, the group performed exceptionally well in the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) in Sydney.
TravelManagers Australia was named Best Mobile Travel Advisor Network, and Kathy Millett, a TravelManagers PTM based in Claremont, Western Australia, won the title of Best Mobile Travel Advisor.
Written by Peter Needham
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