TORONTO — Flight Centre is on track to achieve Associate numbers of over 1,000 and an annual turnover of over $500 million by the year 2023, said Lee Zanello, FCA Brand Leader.

During his opening speech at the FCA annual conference and Gala Awards at the Hyatt Ziva, Los Cabos earlier this month, Zanello praised the Flight Centre business model, and later admitted that initial numbers may actually be achieved earlier than expected – by 2020.

“Without a doubt we are the most supportive host agency in the marketplace; there’s no other company set up with our infrastructure and access to support teams,” he said. “Our small team structures break down our bigger business, allowing us to grow without sacrificing that hard-wired, emotional connection to belonging to a team. Our Associates can leverage off of the same support network that supports the entire Canadian Flight Centre business.”

Those in attendance at this year’s conference learned about Flight Centre Associate’s new direct-to-consumer marketing platform, making it easy for Associates to directly communicate the sales and deals that Flight Centre puts on every month. Other highlights included training on the importance of creating unique product and the launch of a new airfare booking tool that takes full advantage of Flight Centre’s global relationships with airlines.

The Gala Awards recognized and rewarded Associates for both their sales and for the work they have done to improve the overall support structure within the business, further adding to that sense of community.  The team was also very generous in their donations to a trio of local children’s charities in Los Cabos, filling a truck with much-needed school supplies, clothes and toys as well as donating over $650 towards the causes.

“It’s hard for people to believe that our Associates feel they matter,” Zanello concludes.  “From the outside, Flight Centre seems like a giant company where it’s easy to just be a number and be ignored; however, our culture is built around these small teams, meaning we will be the largest Home-Based Agency in the country before too long and never, ever, lose the heart or the caring for the individual.”