With a crowd of nearly 800 attendees, Ensemble’s 2024 Horizons conference went off with palpable excitement at Vegas’ Resorts World last week. And the message was a bold one for the attendees and supplier partners who came together with a brimming energy around the theme of this year’s summit: “The Power of You.”
The consortium has had a lengthy history in the industry since its 1968 launch in New York as “Giants,” – a group of competing travel agencies that understood that survival meant standing as one and leveraging that unity as a core business proposition. That concept continues as advisors have faced all manner of disruption and rise like prize fighters to stay in the game. It takes a village, it takes a consortium, and Ensemble today is stronger than ever.
“We learned from among you, the best part of your job are your clients. We also learned that, at times, the worst part of your job are your clients,” said Ensemble president Michael Johnson during the 2024 Horizons keynote. “And, all kidding aside, you told us the top three reasons to work with us are training, marketing and our relationships with our different partners. Most of you are selling travel on a daily basis and – news flash! – it’s getting harder and harder.”
But, he added, "There's never been a better time to be an advisor.”
Surveys conducted by the Ensemble leadership identified the complexity of booking travel these days to be the biggest pain point for member advisors. It found that half of the advisors use multiple platforms to book a single trip, and 74% juggle various tools for hotels, cruise insurance, and other travel needs. This fragmentation creates inefficiencies and frustration, hindering an advisors' ability to focus on what matters most: selling travel. The survey also shed light on advisors' growing awareness of generative AI, with only 14% said they were unfamiliar with it, while 45% are aware but haven't used it. A promising 41% of the advisors surveyed noted they have already employed it, primarily for marketing and content creation.
“Think of us as your travel iPhone,” he added, showing a variety of apps in one place arranged on an iPhone screen. “Our apps are based on your feedback.”
ADX Enhancements
Ensemble is simplifying things by enhancing its Agent Digital Experience (ADX) platform in three key areas: training, marketing, and preferred partners. New this year is an emphasis on booking air within the platform, allowing advisors to see commission rates and add in overages and discounts as needed toward a complete one-stop package. As air is often the most complicated piece of a booking and subject to forces that can leave clients hanging, the consortia introduced Air Concierge this year.
This new optional feature brings in a team that takes on the air work for the advisor, streamlining the flight bookings, handling disruptions, and giving both client and advisor peace of mind all through the booking process and trip. And it works seamlessly through the ADX platform creating a complete itinerary advisors can forward to clients. The advisor gets 20 percent of the air commission and the client is charged a small separate fee for the service. However, Air Concierge notes it’s a valued service given the increasing complexity of air travel, with fluctuating fares, changing schedules, and the daunting array of airline options.
As Ensemble continues to refine and expand its robust ADX platform, it has now integrated hotel reservations and Travelex insurance into the booking process and is about to go wide with a cruise booking feature. Ocean cruise bookings are set to enter the beta testing phase by the end of 2024. Plans also call for NDC air content to be introduced within ADX later this year, further expanding the range of options available to users.
As the ocean cruise component proves successful as a model, 2025 will likely see beta testing for river cruise bookings, followed by the integration of specialized activities and tours powered by DMCs by summer.
Smooth Cruise Transfers
Perhaps most notable as a breakout program is an amenity Ensemble is offering to advisors booking cruises, and that is scheduled transfers for clients from hotel to cruise ship. Through arrangements with member hotels in port cities, the service is the only one of its kind and received applause from advisors for the pain points it addressed. Initially, the perk will be tested in the key port cities of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Seattle and Vancouver.
“For us, ADX is the solution. It’s one place for ease-of-use booking. It’s user-friendly, and backed by a 24/7 support team so the client experience is better as well. And like your iPhone, everything is on it,” said senior vice president of operations Kristina Boyce. “And for advisors this year, this hotel/cruise amenity is a really big deal. No one has a hotel amenities program with private transfers to the cruise port. Nobody else is putting these perks together.”
Easy CRM
Also new this year is Ensemble’s partnership with HubSpot for an all-in-one CRM tool. Advisors can consolidate customer information inside the platform and take part in broad marketing campaigns with a single click. Or the can white label their own campaigns and mailings using Hubspot’s drag-and-drop automation, all freeing up time for advisors to focus on sales.
Certification programs are also front and center this year. Advisors can receive specialized training in various travel areas, adding to their market credibility and showcasing their expertise. Currently, a luxury cruise certification is in motion, requiring approximately 60 hours of coursework.
The conference addressed the ongoing challenge of achieving a living wage in the travel advising profession. The fact that advisors work an average of 35 hours per week suggests many are supplementing their income with other jobs. Ensemble's efforts to boost efficiencies in operations, enhance marketing capabilities, and provide specialized training aim to address this issue by empowering advisors to focus on sales and increase their earning potential.
A Travel Weekly survey showcased during the event showed family travel topped the categories of focus by most agencies. It also showed that price was not the top consideration for clients when it came to booking travel with an agency. In fact, price is only 3% of the pie. The majority of clients book travel through their travel advisor due to a personal relationship with that advisor (38%), the service they provide (30%) and an advisor’s expertise in a certain area of travel (26%).
The issue of Artificial Intelligence was also addressed throughout the conference. Some 41% of the membership noted they had used one or more of these platforms as a tool. Johnson emphasized that the technology would not supplant advisors. Rather, it could assist in building itineraries and sparking travel ideas. Ensemble relationships and the ADX booking platform could then do the rest.
“Disrupting things is part of our DNA,” said Johnson. “You add a little imagination and confidence and you become a force for change.”
Ensemble Horizons 2024 Partner Awards
Hotel Collections: Hyatt Inclusive Collection
Hotel Chain: Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Ocean Cruise: Oceania Cruises
River Cruise: AmaWaterways
Expedition Cruise: Silversea Cruises
Luxury Cruise: Explora Journeys
Family Cruise: Royal Caribbean International
Top partner, Land, Canada: WestJet Vacations
Top US Tour Operator: Apple Leisure Group
Top Tour Operator North America: Globus Family of Brands
Travel Insurance USA: Allianz
Travel Insurance Canada: Manulife
DMC (Destination Management Company): Titanium Tours & Travelive
Adventure partner of the year: Winner: G Adventures
Fastest (15) Growing Hotel Partner: Omni Hotels
Top Air Partner – Delta Air Lines
Tourism Board: Jamaica Tourist Board
Overall Partner of the Year: Royal Caribbean
Ensemble Horizons 2024 Member Awards
Social Impact Award – USA – Ross Spalding, Crown Cruise Vacations
Social Impact Award – Canada – Chris Rollinson, Escapes.ca
Outstanding Contribution to the Travel Community Award: Travel Masters
Member Excellence Award - Canada: Departures Travel
Member Excellence Award - USA: Brentwood Travel
Genius Award (earned most points in UofE learning platform) – Lydia Crawford, Pura Vida Global Travel
ADX Superuser – Tammie Brownlow, Roblin Travel and Cruise
Innovation Award – Canada: Romantic Planet Vacations/Boutique Travel Service
Innovation Award - USA: Mayfair Travel
Rising Stars - Stormy Barbara, Travel Edge and Tina Steeves, Fareconnect (Travel by Tina Marie)
Ensemble Life Ahead
Uncharted – Virtual event; January 29, 2025;
Uncharted Expo – Virtual expo; February 2025
Uncharted SE (Summer Edition); August 20,2025
Beyond: Elevated Experiences – For top performers – Summer 2025; Mystery location and experience to be revealed.
Summit – For owners/managers - October 26-29, 2025; Fairmont Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City
Skyline – Regional events across the United States and Canada
Chicago; April 7-9, 2025
Winnipeg; April 10-11, 2025
New York City/Tri-State; April 23-25, 2025
Ft. Lauderdale; April 28-30, 2025
Montreal; May 1-2, 2025
Toronto; May 5-6, 2025
Edmonton; May 8-9, 2025
Vancouver; May 12-13, 2025
Newport Beach/San Diego; May 14-16, 2025
Horizons – Consortium-wide event; May 4-6, 2026; Resorts World Las Vegas
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