TORONTO — Over 800 owners, managers, travel advisors and preferred partners converged at Paris Las Vegas for Ensemble’s annual Horizons conference, marking the first time the entire consortium has gathered together since being acquired by Navigatr Group in 2022.  

With the theme of ‘Level Up,’ the conference includes partnership networking sessions and professional development breakouts with topics such as leveraging social media to grow business, ADX labs and how to build your own packages.

Michael Johnson, President of Ensemble, opened the conference by sharing four fundamentals that represent Ensemble’s foundation. Chief among them is the core principle that people make travel better. Addressing the threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Johnson stated that the time advisors put into their craft is something technology cannot replicate.

“The craft is the advisor’s advantage – the combination of art and science, expertise and empathy that turns a trip into an experience and is the magic that allows travellers to collect memories instead of souvenirs,” said Johnson.

Building on that is the second fundamental that connections matter, with Johnson emphasizing that while other consortia often refer to themselves as the glue, he views Ensemble as an active connection.

Ensemble Leadership Team 2023

“Rather than merely sit in the middle, we are a real-life example of an information highway connecting buyers with sellers, connecting agencies with solutions and partners with sales driving opportunities,” he added.

The third core principle is that agencies require business partners rather than mere affiliations. Johnson stressed that while Ensemble’s role is to facilitate, the travel advisor is the one who truly makes the magic happen. 

“Our primary role is to support our members, standing behind them in a deliberate and quietly effective manner. They are the ones who have spent years building their businesses and nurturing client relationships,” said Johnson. 

The fourth fundamental is that Ensemble can also be a force for good by contributing positively to society.  With a long history of working with organizations like ‘Make-a-Wish Foundation, Ensemble is launching a new giving platform called Spark. Through this program, members can choose from over two million charitable causes to support.

In addition, Ensemble announced a one-to-one matching program with an initial group of nine charities including Doctors Without Borders, World Central Kitchen, Make-a-Wish Foundation and others. Each agency will have its own dedicated page where they can choose from a range of activities to participate in, create their own branded giving campaigns, and show their support for these organizations.

THE TOOLS TO SUCCEEED

In her remarks, Kristina Boyce, SVP of Operations, focused on the tactical aspects of Ensemble’s growth strategy.

“I see our role at Ensemble as being in service to the travel professional by providing not just knowledge, but practical solutions for you to obtain that knowledge and put it in action,” she said. “We are doing that by delivering access to all of Ensemble’s preferred partner information, member marketing tools, updated travel information and exclusive promotions on the new Member Portal; learning through all of the new training and educational programs; tools such as the ADX platform that makes booking travel easy and seamless while also offering opportunities for higher yield and increased commissions; and depth to ‘level up’ across all areas.”

Boyce also referenced Ensemble’s focus to create tools that build efficiency and productivity. Among them are the newly revamped Universe of Ensemble, the learning management system that includes all training and development programs, and ClientSites, a tool that enables members to build a fully customizable site that highlights their knowledge and expertise. Coming in 2024 is a new Member Portal that will serve as the central source for everything from partner information to data analytics and reporting. 

TRAVEL SURVEY RESULTS

In a presentation with Johnson, Arnie Weissmann, Editor in Chief of U.S.-based Travel Weekly, provided a sneak peak of the results of a travel survey conducted by Travel Weekly and Phocuswright for which Ensemble was also a top sponsor.

Among the most notable findings are that many advisors new to the industry, as well as the bulk of advisors, are home based. The survey revealed that more than one-third (36%) of advisors began selling travel in the past five years, and 1 in 10 have been selling travel for less than a year.

Johnson also noted that it takes nearly 11 years for most advisors to achieve the median income of around $60k. “We shouldn’t need a threat like AI to come to terms with the fact that the economics of selling travel are a travesty. We have to do better, and that is our core focus at Ensemble,” he said.

The survey also found that ICs and agencies account for 72% of the advisor population; less than half (47%) of agencies charge clients a service fee; ocean cruises, all-inclusive resorts and air are the most booked products by advisors; and nearly three-quarters of agency revenue comes from commissions/overrides.

THE BEST OF THE BEST

The four-day conference culminated with a Moulin Rouge-themed gala where Ensemble recognized members and partners with awards. Partner winners included:

•  Partner of the Year/Adventure – Lindblad Expeditions
•  Partner of the Year/Tourist Board – Jamaica Tourist Board
•  Partner(s) of the Year/DMC – Titanium Tours and Egypt & Beyond
•  Partner of the Year/Land – Globus Family of Brands
•  Partner of the Year/Ocean Cruise – Viking
•  Partner of the Year/River Cruise – AmaWaterways
•  Unchartered Award for Best Presentation at Ensemble’s virtual Unchartered event – G Adventures
•  Partner of the Year – Celebrity Cruises

Member winners included:

•  Innovation Award(s) – Larissa Lognay, Groupe Voyage Montreal and Diana Hechler – DTours Travel
•  Rising Stars – Megan Duncan, Travel Gurus and Susan Jasnoch, Custom Cruises and Travel
•  Member Excellence Award – Goldrush Travel
•  Outstanding Commitment to the Travel Community Award – Fareconnect

LOOKING AHEAD

Ensemble also unveiled the dates and locations for the 2024 series of annual branded events, including:

•  March 27: Unchartered, Ensemble’s virtual event for owners, managers, and advisors where Ensemble partners bring their brand/destination come to life virtually
•  April 28-30: Summit, a high-level executive retreat for owners and managers at the Biltmore, Arizona
•  June 17-21: Beyond, which celebrates top performers at Half Moon in Jamaica
•  September 16-19: Horizons, an annual network-wide event at Resorts World Las Vegas

To watch a recap video from the Horizons conference, click here. For more information about Ensemble go to https://ensembletravel.com/.