13 November, 2024

‘I’ve loved it!’ Club Med’s first Home Based Agent conference a winner across the park

By Zach Havard

Travel Weekly was exclusively invited to attend Club Med’s inaugural Home Based Agent (HBA) conference in Bali last week and it was a major success!

From stellar reports given to us by travel agents to industry support from ATIA, HBA 2024 was something new for the home-based agents that sell over 20 per cent of its trade bookings.

Speaking with Club Med GM in the Pacific, Michelle Davies (at the beach bar!) on the first day of the event, it was clear that the delegate experience was front of mind.

Club Med GM (Pacific) Michelle Davies welcomes attendees. (Supplied)

“There’s been a lot of businesses that have turned to home base, but there’s also a lot of businesses that have boomed via their home-based agency model,” Davies said.

“You have to have a very different relationship with home-based agents, so one of our motivations behind this was around creating a conference that was purpose fit for them. It’s really about empowerment, so this was about cultivating all of these like-minded agents and building a conference that was purpose fit for them.”

Digital focus clear for agents

One thing is for sure, agents certainly left HBA 2024 with plenty of digital skills to put into practice.

Whether it was the social photography skills and Canva workshop with Club Med’s Chiara Burdo, or the inspiring story from Mumcentral founder Belinda Jennings who gave tips on using AI Tools for success, there were plenty of discussions around the bar each night about who would post the first Instagram Reel.

For some, these sessions were an introduction to new opportunities and ways to grow their business, while others who already use some of the platforms were given the chance to bounce questions off experts in the field.

Agents say Club Med is a booking you can trust

Another key takeaway from the event was the way agents talk about the ease and trust that a booking with Club Med affords.

Queensland-based travel planner Adela Backhouse spoke at this year’s event about her success in booking Club Med ski packages.

Adela Backhouse living it up in Bali. (Supplied)

“I just know that I’m setting my clients up for a successful travel experience, and for me, it means I’m 100 per cent comfortable with endorsing that product,” she said.

“I could go and book another resort, but there can be a lot of unknowing’s, and when my clients are trusting me with their hard-earned money, I feel like I owe it to them if I can, and it’s the right destination to really set their trip up for success.”

To agents considering attending the next HBA, Backhouse gave the event rave reviews.

“If you have a genuine interest in increasing their sales of building a relationship with Club Med, I really feel like it’s so beneficial to their business,” she said.

“Apart from an amazing product that is Club Med, I met so many fantastic people, and I would have never met those people and connected with them if it wasn’t for Club Med investing time and the financials to put this event together.

“I’ve loved it.”

First of its kind event chance for agents to directly engage with ATIA

HBA 2024 broke new ground for conferencing in the Australian agent landscape and ATIA’s Richard Taylor made it clear he was up to chat.

The director of membership and industry affairs said the event was ‘a brilliant gathering’.

ATIA’s Richard Taylor at HBA 2024. (Supplied)

“I may be wrong, but I’m personally unaware of a supplier bringing together more than 60 advisors (with families in tow!) across all brands for a gathering like this, and the content has been terrific,” Taylor said.

“A conference purely for home-based advisors is a really smart move – Club Med have told me that 22 per cent of trade bookings were made by home-based advisors in 2023, a number they’re expecting to climb to 33 per cent by the end of 2025.

“From an ATIA perspective it’s great to be here, explaining some of the work we do, why it’s relevant to them, and in turn increasing our understanding of what’s important to these attendees in 2024.”

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Adela Backhouse Club Med Home Based Agent conference Michelle Davies Richard Taylor