What:
During its annual conference, held Oct. 25-28 at Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate in Florida, Ensemble Travel Group announced the formation of the Ensemble Affiliate Division — a membership category designed to serve travel agencies that are small, midsize or niche.
Why It Matters:
Ensemble’s new division will cater to agencies known for being underserved in the market and will offer these businesses major consortium benefits. For an annual fee of $199, smaller affiliate agencies will have access to technology, marketing and training resources. Additionally, while affiliates will not be considered full shareholders with Ensemble, they will have the opportunity to earn full member status as their businesses grow. It seems like a modest price to pay for the potential to expand and develop within this growing community.
Fast Facts:
- Although the new affiliate division will provide agencies with a non-shareholder option, agencies will have the ability to become shareholders as they expand (full members are all shareholders, as there is no tiered membership plan).
- Affiliate members are not able to vote, host Ensemble’s hosted cruise program or serve on the consortium’s board of directors.
- The consortium also welcomed 37 new member agencies during the annual conference in Orlando.
What They Are Saying:
“We expect this new membership option to appeal to agencies currently not affiliated with a consortium to ‘test the waters’ or for those doing their ongoing due diligence of what’s available in the marketplace that might better suit their needs. It’s a total win, win, win … for members, Ensemble preferred partners, and our organization.” — Don Kennedy, vice president of business development, North America.
The Details
Ensemble Travel Groupwww.ensembletravel.com
