I recently questioned the value of travel trade events and in this piece I am asking you to consider the value of FAM trips.
FAM trips can of course take different formats: there are the ‘mega’ trips involving dozens if not hundreds of agents blitzing a destination; the more traditional FAMs involve smaller numbers say 10-20 travel agents escorted by a representative from the host organisation(s); and then there are the low-key options like subsidised holidays.
The purpose of a FAM is of course to introduce a travel agent or tour operator to a destination and/or product and to give them first-hand experiences to help them sell more effectively.
The headline question, “Are FAM trips really worth it anymore?”, is aimed at frontline people like travel agents, call centre teams and tour operators. Host organisations will have their own way of measuring FAMs’ effectiveness.
The reason I am posing the question is because, with ready access to so much information via the Internet, do you really need to be away from the office for a week or more when everything you require is just a Google search away?
You can garner customer opinions and reviews on sites like TripAdvisor, watch customer videos on YouTube, take 360 degree tours of hotel rooms and attractions and even experience these and more in a virtual world. All from the comfort of your home or office. Who needs the hassles of a transport hub?
All of these tools are also available to your customers, and potential customers. Thanks to the net, your customer can find out the current visa requirements, they can ask fellow travellers whether or not it is worth going to such-and-such a restaurant, they can even get an up-to-the minute report on the local weather via social media so what is the benefit of a FAM? And anyway, at the end of the day, haven’t FAMs just been glorified holidays dressed up as work?
I am sure you have heard that one before and as someone who has been fortunate enough to have been on a variety of different FAMs I can answer that one with an emphatic “No”. They can be very intense and while they are fun (usually!) they are also full on, packing lots of experiences and hotel bedrooms into a very short space of time.
By actually seeing places first-hand I know from my experience that I can convey to clients subtle nuances that a camera lens cannot capture. Do all rooms have a similar sea view, how long does it really take to walk to local restaurants, and does that local attraction live up to the hype?
For me FAMS are definitely still worth it for being able to reply in the affirmative when asked that inevitable question “Have you been there?”. Not only can you immediately put your prospective customer at ease and give them confidence in your ability to help, but you are also in a good position to give advice based on your personal knowledge.
I would be very surprised if anyone within the industry cannot see the benefit of a FAM trip but it would be great to have your opinion and to learn about your FAM experiences in the Comments section below.
Yes, yes, yes, they are invaluable. Fam trips are without a doubt, worth it. I won some nights at a hotel that I had no knowledge of at all and had never sold it so used this for my own holiday. I travelled earlier this summer, returned on Friday night and by Sunday morning had booked clients to the hotel and will continue to do so. However, I do believe there is a difference between a fam trip (familiarization) and a reward trip (being sent to a destination on the amount of bookings made) A fam trip is just that, To familiarize an agent with a location/hotels that they have not visited in recent years, if ever, and can do with first hand knowledge to help them sell more confidently. A reward trip is for the amount of bookings that an agent puts through to destinations and hotels and has no trouble selling whatsoever and needs updating once in a while.