The Latest: Top News From Ensemble Travel Group’s 2016 Conference

ensemble 2016 conference

Ensemble Travel Group Co-Presidents Lindsay Pearlman and Libbie Rice have kicked off the organization’s 2016 conference, which will run through October 22 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA

In the opening session Pearlman and Rice spoke to an audience of approximately 900 members, suppliers and guests on new initiatives at Ensemble. 

New Navigate Booking Solution

One new initiative on the agenda was Navigate, a new integrated booking system for Ensemble’s global membership. The new platform will offer members access to all Ensemble content via the platform, as well as the ability to add their own groups and special offers. 

The technology integrates marketing, training and new-hire development with preferred partner goals and objectives, said Rice. 

Several Ensemble members are currently beta testing Navigate. The product rollout will happen in phases, with the Revelex-powered cruise booking engine as the first business line to go live. 

New “U of E” Educational Offerings

In terms of education, Ensemble announced the early 2017 launch of the University of Ensemble (U of E), a new training and professional development initiative. 

Describing the new offering as a “go-to source for all things related to training at Ensemble,” Pearlman said that U of E would include resources for product knowledge, business intelligence, fams and partnerships with leading organizations. 

While Ensemble’s current educational efforts will continue, U of E will expand in scope to offer a variety of live and online trainings, specialist and certification programs, and more effective learning efficiencies, including:

Take 30 Thursday” webinars are weekly 30-minute trainings exclusive to Ensemble’s supplier partners across all product lines, and feature a new “Partner Specialist Program of the Month” with an expanded training focus and agent incentives.

The Ensemble Expert Certification Course is a new 22-module training that’s self-paced, interactive, and designed to totally immerse the learner into the Ensemble culture, products, and services. 

Specialists Courses – both supplier and Ensemble – will be a major component of U of E, with several new Ensemble-specific certification programs added to the mix next year, in addition to the current Destination Vows and Bon Vivant in Canada

E-Perks, a new “learn to earn” rewards program, will enable members to earn points for engagement in all U of E training. Although details are still being finalized, members will be able to redeem points for various educational, experiential, or personal items.

U of E will also offer discounts, scholarships, and other special promotions from valuable third-party training and certification organizations in the coming year.

The password-protected learner dashboard will allow travel counselors to select from a multitude of courses, and track progress, participation, and perks. They also can be part of a “secret” U of E Facebook Group allowing for “peer-to-peer” interaction and best practice share. The administrative dashboard for owner/managers will allow tracking of their agents’ progress and provides the foundation for creating individual learning paths for their staff.

University of Ensemble will begin with a soft launch in a few agencies this fall with full rollout expected first quarter 2017. Ensemble national training managers Kim Specht (U.S.) and Cathy Varrecchia (Canada) will oversee much of the training in their respective countries.

Survey: Europe Travel to Rebound in 2017

The conference also saw the release of the new Ensemble Insights Survey, which points to a “banner year” across all travel segments and a strong rebound for travel to Europe. The questionnaire, conducted in September, reflects the input of nearly 200 members across the U.S. and Canada.

For overall bookings in 2017, 62 percent of the respondents expect sales to increase when compared to 2016 activity, with Europe rebounding for 46 percent of the participants in the year ahead, compared to an anticipated decrease expected by 49 percent of respondents for Europe bookings in 2016. Supporting the resurgence: Members chose Croatia, Iceland, and Ireland as their top spots in a list of international destinations that clients are showing a new or renewed interest in (other than traditional favorites such as Paris and Rome). 

In the cruise category in 2017, 65 percent of the respondents expect bookings to increase compared to 2016, with 42 percent indicating the premium segment to have the largest gain, followed by contemporary (30 percent) and luxury (28 percent). New itineraries, new ships, and cruise line loyalty programs are the top three features that keep veteran travelers returning to this type of popular vacation experience. In addition, river cruises continue to be popular as 49 percent of survey respondents forecast an increase next year compared to 2016. 

Cruising also was the clear choice by Ensemble members for the product generating the most customer loyalty at 66 percent, followed by air (17 percent), tour (11 percent), and hotel (6 percent). Driving much of cruising’s popularity was “consistency of product” and “loyalty/rewards” programs. 

In the land segment next year, 61 percent of the respondents report bookings to increase compared to 2016, with FITs reporting the largest gain at 57 percent, followed by groups (26 percent) and escorted tours (17 percent). Looking ahead, domestic travel in both the U.S. and Canada, which gained momentum in 2016 due to world events, will remain a solid travel option in 2017 as 35 percent in the U.S. and 20 percent in Canada expect continued growth closer to home. 

In other survey results:

In the travel insurance category, 65 percent of the respondents forecast an increase in 2017 compared to 2016. According to survey results, the top two reasons for purchasing travel insurance are general medical concerns/accident-illness (61 percent) and older age of traveler or companion (36 percent).

According to respondents, the top four ways clients are avoiding paying incremental airline fees are by opting for carry-on baggage rather than checked (56 percent); avoiding traveling on certain airlines (51 percent); using affinity airline credit cards (50 percent); and paying more to go non-stop (32 percent).

When asked for what are the two biggest changes in the travel industry or consumer demand that have impacted the job as a travel agent in the last ten years – excluding technology and OTAs, Ensemble members cited the impact of world events on bookings (42 percent) and number and complexity of travel products (36 percent). 

New Preferred Partners

Finally, at the opening general session Ensemble officially welcomed three new preferred partners to its lineup of suppliers: 

Boutique Journeys of Europe – Specializing in central Europe, Boutique Journeys has been arranging exclusive and customized travel for the past 10 years. Its focus is to showcase all the developments in the local area, while maintaining and promoting an understanding of its rich history. Boutique Journeys of Europe is Ensemble’s newest partner in the On Location program.

Oceania Cruises – As Ensemble’s newest partner in the Ensemble Hosted Cruise Program, Oceania will offer 15 departures in 2017. (Oceania has been a preferred cruise line of Ensemble’s for more than 12 years.) Guests will enjoy an Ensemble host onboard, private cocktail reception, and a complimentary Ensemble Experience event. In all, Ensemble’s Hosted Cruise Program offers more than 300 departures each year with 13 cruise partners. 

Select Registry – Select Registry is a collection of hundreds of independent properties across the U.S., from New England to Napa, and the Pacific Northwest to Key West. The upscale properties range from classic B&Bs and full-service inns to stately mansions and manors, mountain lodges, desert ranches, boutique hotels, historic castles, and luxury cabins. Founded by travel writer Norman Simpson (Country Inns and Back Roads), Select Registry properties reflect the integrity and values of yesteryear with the modern services and amenities of today.

In addition, Ensemble welcomed the following preferred partners to its network earlier this year:

Tour: Apple Vacations, Contiki Vacations, Insight Vacations, and IsramIsrael;
Specialty: Oasis Luxury Rentals and Ted Turner Expeditions;
Destination: Northern England;

On Location: Authentic California Vacations, Linara Travel, SPB Tours, Touch the Artic, and Ya’lla Tours;

In the hotel segment, the Ensemble Hotel & Resort Collection added more than 100 new properties in 2016, including SUMAQ Machu Picchu Hotel (Lima, Peru), Rosewood Castiglion Del Bosco (Montalcino, Italy), Le Mas de Pierre (St. Paul de Vence, France), Conservatorium Hotel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Gansevoort Playa Imbert (Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic), Montage Kapalua Bay (Lahaina, HI), and Beau-Rivage (Genève, Switzerland). New properties in its 2016 “Off the Beaten Path” collection include PER AQUUM Desert Palm, a 160-acre polo estate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; A&K Exclusive Mobile Safari Camp in Nairobi, Kenya; and Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia.

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