ALL IN - Travel Counsellors Conference 2022

In November I attended my first ‘big’ Travel Counsellors Conference in Liverpool. Last year there were a series of ‘mini’ conferences across the country due to restrictions and I attended in Manchester and back in 2020 the conference was online due to lockdown. I’d heard so much about Conference from other Travel Counsellors and it didn’t disappoint.

The theme of the three days was ‘ALL IN’ and we certainly all were. There was a jam-packed agenda of sessions and keynote speakers throughout the conference.

On Friday we heard from other Travel Counsellors who shared their knowledge and experience on a whole range of different topics such as time management, maximising your margin, digital marketing and going for Gold.

Travel Counsellors Travel Market (TCTM) was a brilliant opportunity to meet a whole range of fantastic suppliers from around the world and a wide range of products – cruise lines, hotels, destinations, airlines, DMCs etc. It was so nice to be able to meet them in person having spent months emailing or talking on the phone.

Throughout the weekend we enjoyed keynote speeches from a range of different external speakers. Paul McKenna kicked off on Saturday with a session about positive psychology and visualisation and shared a few techniques to enable us to put problems into perspective.

Next, we welcomed Rebecca Adlington OBE, the Olympic gold medallist swimmer, who shared her story about growing up and competing on an international stage as well as life after retiring from swimming and the work she is doing to give opportunities to others. Work hard and be kind to yourself.

Later that day we met Bianca Miller Cole, an entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. Again she shared her story including a whole range of very impressive business achievements. Focus and determination are key.

My personal highlight of all the external speakers was Sir Lenny Henry CBE on Sunday morning. He shared his story and journey from growing up in Dudley to achieving international success and recognition as a comedian, actor, presenter, singer and writer in a very honest and articulate way. He’s also, as you can imagine, incredibly funny. Be kind and be a radiator not a drain!

There were great updates from the Travel Counsellors Head Office team outlining priorities and plans for the year ahead. We heard from CEO Steve Byrne and others on the senior leadership team including announcements of the big investment in technology and the ‘back end’ systems that I use every day to find all the different elements of proposals that I put together for my customers. In addition, the Travel Counsellors brand is undergoing a re-fresh to highlight our proposition and values and this will be rolled out in the new year.

In terms of entertainment, Friday night was ‘TC World Showcase’ and featured an array of fairground rides, food and drink stalls and entertainment hosted by Vernon Kay. It was a lot of fun with a buzzing, lively atmosphere. Saturday was the more formal evening with a drinks reception, Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony followed by music and dancing. It was lovely to be able to talk to other Travel Counsellors, Head Office staff and suppliers on my table. Sir Lenny Henry CBE hosted the Awards Ceremony and we had the opportunity to collectively acknowledge and celebrate all those TCs that won awards.

I came away from the conference feeling tired but most definitely inspired! ALL IN!