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With three MegaFams to her name, Brand USA’s annual trip has become an indispensable event in the annual planner of Wendy Donné, senior sales consultant, Hart Travel, Fleet. She shares the benefits with Katherine Lawrey.
Wendy Donné has been in travel for 28 years, and she rates Brand USA’s MegaFams as the best she’s done. She has taken part in all three annual fams since the first in 2013 and credits her participation with boosting her USA business by 750% in three years.
“Florida was always a favourite of mine,” she says. “But three years ago, that first fam was such a brilliant trip that I decided to specialise in the US, and people now recommend me within local circles. My ambition is to see all 50 states and I’m well on my way with 19.”
Booking British Airways and American Airlines flights is a prerequisite to earning a place on the fam. Donné says that one or two bookings was enough to secure her place the first time, but now that awareness has grown among the trade, places are in demand, and the competition has intensified.
“One or two bookings doesn’t cut it any more. Last year, I made 14 bookings to qualify.”
Now that Donné is locally regarded as a destination specialist, bookings are easy to come by. A harder task is switch-selling clients on to BA. “They usually want the cheapest fare,” she admits. “But BA does have the network, and it is competitive for California, which is a big chunk of my business.”
In 2013, Wendy took part in East Coast Hotspots (Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC); in 2014 she did Southern Charms (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia); and in 2015 it was Parks & Peaks (Wyoming, Idaho and Utah).
“You do whatever itinerary you’re given,” she says. “But Brand USA will ask for a shortlist of three and where you have been before. I’ve done Las Vegas about 10 times, so I don’t think they’d send me there.
“The fams are great because it’s not just about hotels. I’ve been on educationals where they cram in days of site inspections, but with Brand USA you get to experience the country.”
They also offer a chance to make contacts with ground handlers, which Donné makes ample use of. “Just recently, I spoke to a contact in Jackson Hole to sort arrangements for my clients. It’s all about the little extras that personalise the holiday.”
Beacon Hill, Boston
Depending on the client’s brief, she sometimes books the hotels herself using her agency’s in-house system, or she uses preferred suppliers Travel 2 and Vacations to America. The Brand USA MegaFams are a mix of tour operators and agents, so she’s found herself on trips with reservations staff who have since lent a hand with her bookings. “Between us, we create the perfect bespoke package,” she says.
Donné has set her sights on winning a place on the fourth fam this year. Now that she’s made a name for herself as a US specialist, she sees a bright future in aligning herself with the destination. “All the signs I’ve seen point to the US only rising in popularity,” she says. “With the worry of terrorism in places such as Turkey and Egypt, families that would normally stick with the Mediterranean are becoming braver and looking further afield, and the US is perceived as safe. Yes, there are lunatics with guns, but these incidents are usually confined to the non-touristy parts of the US.”
Pricing is also working out in the US’s favour. “I’ve just advertised a two-week California roadtrip for a family of four on Facebook. It worked out cheaper than two weeks in a decent hotel in Majorca in the summer.”
Without the help of Brand USA’s team, she wouldn’t have the tools to be able to become a destination specialist, and she finds the Discovery Program’s online forum particularly useful. “I leave it open on my PC every day, and if I don’t know a destination personally, I’ll ask for help. There are a few of us who use it regularly, but I’d really encourage more agents to get involved because it’s a great resource.”
