14 TRADE TALK What
14 TRADE TALK What It’s Like To Be The Best Delphine Decle, winner of the 2016 Travel Agents Cup, still can’t get over winning… Delphine Decle of Jancarthier travel in Aix en Provence has been named “France’s Best Travel Agent 2016” at the annual Travel Agents Cup (TAC) at IFTM Top Resa. Delphine was selected out of eight finalists, each of whom had to “sell” a destination over a period of five minutes to a jury of eleven travel industry professionals – as well as to their peers, as the agents that didn’t make it to the grand final became part of a greater jury. In Delphine’s case, the destination was California – and the “scenario” was for a family of four travelling in summer. We asked Delphine how she felt about winning the prize. I still can't believe it! I'm proud of myself, as I gave my best and I am delighted that the jury recognised my professionalism. I really didn't think I would win, so the surprise was even greater! I was well prepared, but up against other candidates it was not enough just to do well; I had to do better than the others. I had the chance to defend something that was close to my heart, so I "sold" my subject with passion. I wanted to be professional and effective in my proposal. Your theme was "California summer holiday for a family"... It appears you have already thought about this before and had a lot of information easily at hand. Why is California so interesting for you, and what are you most looking forward to with your next visit (prize)? California is so rich in activities, I find that it is really a beautiful region and it allows us to offer trips really adapted to the expectations of each customer. I love dealing with requests for travel in California at the agency, because we're working “à la carte” and I'm always looking for an original or unusual activity. We have basic itineraries, but nothing is set in stone, and it’s up to us to build the ideal trip. For my next trip, I think I'll bring my family along for my kids to discover the route that I presented in the final! I already know California a little bit, and I am really delighted to be able to go back and discover more of this wonderful region. It was interesting that you thing (the spectacular) Lake Tahoe have a point of call, which is less popular for foreign tourists than Yosemite, for example... How important is it to help people discover "different, but amazing" places like this? It’s through offering different places that we bring to the fore the business of being a travel agent. It is how we add value to a trip, by proposing places that will enable clients to discover the country in a different way. I love also recommending a restaurant or a bar, and I often ask my clients to talk to me when they come back about what they liked the most; it is rewarding for me and it allows me to give tips to the following travellers. Proposing Lake Tahoe seemed appropriate, since the proposed subject I had spoke of the willingness of the customers to discover American culture, and Lake Tahoe is really a place that Americans love. We thus find ourselves at the edge of a sublime lake in California for water sports activities. It’s a stop-over that people don’t necessarily think about, that is not part of the "classic" fly and drive; a touch of originality that makes a trip unique, and it is really what customers are looking for when they enter a travel agency. What does winning the TAC mean for your agency's business, and how will you be "exploiting" this? Frankly I still don't realize the impact it might have. I have received many emails of congratulations and I am very touched! My participation in the TAC was above all a personal challenge… and now I am the France's best travel agent! Amazing! I will put my trophy on show at the Agency, and I will continue in any case to work in the same way, with the same passion I OFTEN ASK MY CLIENTS TO TALK TO ME WHEN THEY COME BACK ABOUT WHAT THEY LIKED THE MOST; IT IS REWARDING FOR ME AND IT ALLOWS ME TO GIVE TIPS TO THE FOLLOWING TRAVELLERS IFTM Daily • Monday 3 rd October 2016 www.iftmdaily.com
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 15 The Show That Was A look back at IFTM Top Resa MAP Pro 2016 by Frédéric Lorin, the organisation’s Director Frédéric Lorin draws a first analysis of the latest edition of IFTM Top Resa MAP Pro, which closed its doors last Friday. We asked him how he felt about his “first show at the helm”. For my first ever event, I can say that it has been a very enriching experience. Because you cannot realise how much work and energy it needs as long as you are not plunged yourself into the building up of the event. It is so fascinating to see what looks like a terrible mess at the beginning turning step by step into a trade show with an international audience. I would say that our entire team is satisfied with the results of IFTM Top Resa MAP Pro 2016. Despite the difficult time faced by our industry, I realise that the industry remains extremely resilient because tourism continues to be a fabric for dreams and a way to foster people’s mutual understanding. WE ARE NOW MULLING OVER THE OPTION TO CREATE A “DIGITAL VILLAGE” WHICH COULD REGROUP ALL ACTIVITIES AROUND I.T. AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES How was the attendance? Were exhibitors and visitors satisfied? Attendance to the show reached this year 30,929 professional visitors. I personally went around many times to talk, meet with people and see for myself how the show went during the four days. The perception from exhibitors was that IFTM Top Resa was pretty busy. But above all, most told us that they found the visitors were very “qualified”, which means they brought added value to the exhibitors. Most said that their meetings with visitors were constructive and successful. What could be improved? We are conscious that we are not perfect, but we learn and adjust consequently. We know about the noise due to ongoing construction at Viparis, which manages the exhibition spaces at Paris Porte de Versailles. Meanwhile, I want to already stress that next year, the show will move to Hall 1, which offers more light as well as more space. This was your first IFTM Top Resa experience. How do you evaluate the current format of the show? Are there any other things that you would like to change? The format works well and everyone feels satisfied with the principles of theme or activities zones (“Villages”) which positions IFTM Top Resa as THE hub for the entire industry. The “Cruise Village” received plaudits as we redesigned it in a more attractive way. The “Tour Operators' Village” now works perfectly and is a major feature of our offer. The “Travel Hub” is growing in importance. We had 22 start-up companies in 2015, 32 this year. We are now mulling over the option to create a “Digital Village” which could regroup all activities around IT and digital technologies. And finally, our Wine Tourism Pavilion was a good initiative, although we will need to further work on the concept. We will have a meeting with the participants of the wine tourism section to see how to improve it next year. How about the MAP Pro area? Are there any ideas to further improve its visibility? MAP Pro became part of IFTM Top Resa only in 2014 and we can already see improvements compared to the first time we had both trade shows together. But we can further improve the synergies between both exhibitions. We will talk to participants of MAP Pro and ask them about their feedback and what kind of evolution they would like to see for the next edition. I know that MAP Pro participants are very faithful to the brand name and we must of course evaluate it with our exhibitors first. One potential initiative would be to give more exposure to the destination France. But I want to stress again that we will not take any decision without consulting the exhibitors Frédéric Lorin Director, IFTM Top Resa MAP Pro IFTM Daily • Monday 3 rd October 2016
