Is Now the Time to Join a Travel Consortium?

Should you join a travel agent consortium? Our Head of Business Development, David Moon, outlines the benefits and why, after a busy start to the year, you may want to think about joining.

I hope you have had a successful start to the year and are all prepared for the summer months ahead, so you can take a step back and gather your thoughts about what the rest of the year may bring.

Like many industry sectors, travel business owners will be looking at the bottom line, what with rising costs and pressures on margins.

It’s a bit of cheesy cliché, but the old saying to “work smarter, not harder” will really come into play this year. Increased costs will kick in with the rise in employer national insurance contributions and living wage increases. Although inflation has slowed, prices are still going up!

The importance of maximising your income is going to become increasingly important, and being part of a consortium could be the difference between making a healthy profit or simply getting by!

Joining the right consortium could instantly add thousands of pounds to your bottom line. A consortium with a large collective buying power will be negotiating on your behalf. For many Advantage members, the main reason they joined is access to the commercial deals we have in place. A consortium should be able to offer a wide range of suppliers, tactical offers, and incentives to help you increase your margins. At Advantage, we have preferred deals with 250 preferred suppliers.

Like any other business, consortia have had to evolve their offering beyond just the commercial terms.

Customer acquisition and retention are important for any business, and a consortium should be able to offer you marketing programmes which help you achieve both. At Advantage, we like to innovate through the marketing programmes we offer our members, whether that is through viral marketing, Advantage TV or our direct marketing programmes. A consortium should be able to make business life easier for agents to trade and, in many cases, take away the hard work to run a successful marketing campaign.

The third reason you should consider joining a consortium is the support they offer. Being a business owner can be a lonely experience, particularly if times are difficult. A consortium should be able to offer you a dedicated point of contact. Someone you can meet with to share ideas, provide you with some inspiration or help you plan the next stage for your business. One of our members told me they considered their Advantage Business Development Manager as another member of their team; such was the impact they had had on the member's business. A great compliment and testament as to how a consortium can support a travel business. Our preference is to deliver our support face to face, which helps us really understand a member's business.



It never ceases to amaze me how open and helpful people in travel are, even towards their fellow travel agents, with whom they may be competing! Our members tell us a crucial part of being a member of Advantage is the opportunity to network with other like-minded businesses, either at regional events, various conferences or training events we organise. A consortium can really play an active role in developing this sense of community and provide a platform for businesses to learn from one another and flourish.