A record-breaking global turnover of £800m for 2022 was announced by Steve Byrne, CEO of leading independent travel company, Travel Counsellors at the company’s first annual conference in over three years, held this past weekend in Liverpool.
Steve Byrne opened the Travel Counsellors Global Annual Conference declaring – “We made, it didn’t we.”
He gave “a massive thank you” to all Travel Counsellors and their partners for how they reacted and supported one another during the pandemic.
Reflecting over that period, he said: “It’s been a rollercoaster. We have seen drastic decline and then one of the most rapid recoveries and that’s all down to the care we give to our customers. It’s not about the numbers, it is about our people and it is you that have all been incredible.”
More than 1,600 delegates including Travel Counsellors, their partners, support team colleagues and over 300 suppliers attended the ACC Liverpool event, the first one to be held in three years.
The ‘All In’ theme was significant in that it reflected the power and commitment of the TC community to one another and their customers, working together with a ‘one team’ mentality.
Delegates discovered more investment would be made in 2023 to further aid their work. This included £10m worth of investment into the Travel Counsellors proprietary booking platform, Phenix – a 45% increase on 2019’s investment; attracting more talent from diverse backgrounds into its Academy programme and a brand refresh.
Customer Director, Dave Callan, wowed delegates as he gave a sneak preview of the new branding that will be unveiled in the first quarter of 2023.
He said: “The evolution will mature our brand and sharpen the brand experience. This is not a vanity project but an enabler to deliver growth strategy and value for everyone involved in the business.”
Delegates were also treated to talks from author and well-known hypnotist, Paul McKenna, Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington and former apprentice star and entrepreneur, Bianca Miller-Cole.
At a gala dinner hosted by Lenny Henry, the top performing Irish TC’s were announced; Jamie Thomas, Mandy Walsh, Lorraine Lawless and Sarah McCarthy, with Sarah winning the overall award for top performing TC Ireland.
The Irish contingent including the Cork Head Office team attending the conference came away motivated and positive for the year ahead.
For further information about Travel Counsellors, please visit: www.travelcounsellors.ie
