This summer you organized a very resounding FAM trip across Slovenia in collaboration with the Slovenian Convention Bureau. Would you care to describe it shortly?
The Fam trip was organized as a pure incentive program, as an example of what agents can offer their clients. During the three days the participants could see, experience, taste, and get to know the locations in Slovenia that are the most interesting form the meeting industry. They visited some hotels, talked to the proprietors of different services, experienced Slovenia, tasted our vines, relaxed at top quality evening events and generally truly enjoyed every moment of their stay in Slovenia.
Why do you think the FAM trip was so successful? What is the secret to a successful FAM trip and how to organize it?
It is not hard to claim that this was a successfully executed project. The participants had praised the program, the organization, and the execution from the very beginning. After their return home we kept getting heaps of thank you notes; many said it was one of the best FAM trips they had ever taken part in. And good agents usually take part in a quite a number of a trips.
The main “secret” to the successful planning and execution of a good fam trip must be a detailed knowledge of this segment of tourism. The meeting industry is probable one of the most complex and demanding part of tourism. As a DMC we deal with inquiries from all of Europe, even the US and Asia; clients come from different countries where everyone has their own perception of what such an event should look like. Each client also has their own wishes, budgets, preferences. It is important to prepare a great selection and execute a number of events with excellence to extract from that certain facts of that life and some “secrets of the trade”. The more contacts you have established, the more people you know, the more “mileage” you have, the better you can understand the wishes of agents as well as end-users.
Besides that, successful organization means having extremely good relationships with providers: hotel managers, catering services, transport, restaurants, outdoor service providers, musicians, visual effects providers, etc. If there is a lack of that, the provider will consider a fam trip as a nuisance and everything can head in the wrong direction from there. Experienced agents quickly see whether there is trust, respect, and genuine relationships between the DMC and the suppliers.
The planning itself requires a lot of creativity in order to prepare a program that is full of surprises, wow-moments, and services that cannot be found on the internet. In short, to create a program that is completely custom made with a specific purpose.
How difficult is to convince top quality companies to send their representatives on a fam trip precisely to our destination?
Good agents are extremely spoiled. They get asked to the most beautiful corners of the world, the highest category hotels fight for them to stay there, in short, they have experienced a lot of the good and beautiful things in the world. This is exactly why we consider it an honor that such a large number of them responded to our invitation. There was a total 32 participants, which is a lot for a fam trip within the meeting industry.
Agents in principle like to visit new destinations, because new propositions will make it easier for them to retain their clients. Obviously that means that Slovenia is becoming an interesting location.
Getting good agents is a special story. Difficult, ungrateful, even bitter. To get confirmations the name Slovenia is nearly not enough. Good agents are very busy, everyone wants them. That is why lobbying is important. The more renowned the DMC, the more successful events it has carried out, the more people from this circle know about it, the more options there are for the agent to be convinced to take part in the fam trip. Here, DMC representative from specific areas represent a great deal of help because they take care of the connection between the DMC and the agents.
How to select hosted buyers? What are the criteria?
A so-called hosted buyer is one of the key figures to any successful fam trip. It is not enough for the person who comes to be employed at the agency, if he does not make any decisions and has no client contact. Unfortunately it quite often happens that agencies send low-level employees to destinations that have not created a name for themselves yet, just to respond to the invitation.
There are very many good agencies in Europe, of which we only know a small part and in them only one specific person. It is the DMC representatives who play a crucial role here, because they know the market, the agencies, and if they are good, also the decision-makers. Unfortunately it is absolutely not the case that choosing a hosted buyer means that buyer will confirm their participation. Quite the opposite, there is very little chance the agent will confirm attendance based only on an invitation. Without diligent preparation, lots of effort, convincing, and quality participant even the most well-organized fam trip loses its purpose.
The criteria of who to send an invitation are quite clear: what is the size of the agency, what is its ranking on the local market, who are their clients, what is the position of the targeted person, what (if any) experience does that person have with Slovenia, have we met the person before, etc.
However, a list of those people is mostly wishful thinking for most and not a realistic expectation of attendance confirmation. We should follow there criteria when sending out the initiations but I believe that without the mentioned activities, rules, and lobbying we would get a confirmation rate of approximately 5 % of the invites.
How fast can the successful execution of a fam trip be measured? Can they actually boost business agreements?
The effect of a fam trip is impossible to measure in the short term. Of course, everyone likes to be invited, but one cannot live off promises from people that they will actively promote Slovenia. It is also unrealistic and “immature” to expect short-term effects. Acquiring clients is a long process and there are many beautiful destinations around the world. After a good fam trip the agent has a clear concept about the destination and the quality of the services. The next step is to include, for example, Slovenia in his location specter, which he decides to offer to the client. Then there is usually some time before he gets an inquiry, for which Slovenia would be appropriate. This can last a year or two. And when such an inquiry arises, the agent will offer at least two other destinations besides Slovenia, because such are the client’s demands. Then the whole process is in progress. Collecting offers, presentations, the inspection trip,….and so half a year quickly goes by before the event taking place in Slovenia is confirmed. And events are usually confirmed half a year to a year before the event itself. So, a very long process.
How important do you think these promotional events are for the destination and its providers? Do you think there should be more such events?
I think events of this kind are the most important marketing tools. Of course, the rule “the more, the merrier” applies. However, financially these fam trips are a considerable endeavor. The organizer can carry out only a limited amount and, for other reasons, the service providers as well.
How do you estimate the interest of service providers in a destination to organize fam trips?
The interest of service providers exists in principle. They are beginning to see the need for such events. However, many things have to coincide for a successful organization like this: the service providers must have the capacities at the disposal of the trip, the participants must take the time and the weather has to be nice.
Why is a fam trip one of the most powerful marketing and promotional tools of a destination?
I think that fam trips are the best because only those really interested in the destination and those who want to explore it take part in the trip. OK, someone who is interested in a destination will also attend a workshop, but on a fam trip he really experiences the destination, preferably intensely and positively. After that he will usually not forget it easily.
What are the most important differences between a fam trip for agents in regular tourism and for meeting industry agents?
The difference is immense. With us, it is about creativity, enthusiasm, a passion, if you will. It is about tailor-made programs, big budgets, accountability to the client (the incentive is a financial investment for them). The goal is versatility, something different.
Leisure is more and more dominated by global tour operators, all somehow intertwined and unified. In this way, the main factor for a tour operator becomes the price, big contingents and the shortest possible announcement deadlines. There is no room anymore for creativity and everything else that makes our business wonderful, because everything ends up being too expensive. A leisure fam trip usually means seeing 10 hotels a day, standard meals and copy-paste programs.
What marketing tool has proven to be the most efficient in your company: fam trip, sales call or workshop?
For us the fam trip is the best tool for reasons I have already stated.
This is followed by the sales call. There you mostly find yourself one-on-one and if you are good, you keep the agent for more than the set half an hour. Luckily, this happens quite often. With time it becomes a kind of test of knowledge, experience, credibility, and certainty in a destination.
Workshops are the next challenge. Besides the fact that you are face-to-face there, your time is very limited and here different approaches (experience) really show themselves.
Workshops are the worst option for us. Mostly because of the poor quality of attendance. As hard as the representatives may try, different, very realistic reasons (location, availability, absence, etc.) on a given day and for that short period of time make it nearly impossible to choose good participants.
