by Robin Amster
Last updated: 4:00 PM ET, Mon October 26, 2015
PHOTO: Ensemble Travel Group Co-Presidents Lindsay Pearlman and Libbie Rice. (Courtesy of Ensemble Travel Group)
ORLANDO - The Ensemble Travel Group rolled out a host of new initiatives at the kick-off Sunday of its 2015 international conference at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate here.
Co-Presidents Lindsay Pearlman and Libbie Rice called the developments in the air, cruise and technology space-along with several marketing and business development initiatives-new "points of differentiation" for the consortium.
The pair said the new developments will help Ensemble members stay competitive given the evolution of both travel agents and their clients during the past decade. The internet "has gone from e-commerce to e-influence" when it comes to travel, said Pearlman, while baby boomers "are acting a lot like millennials," according to Rice.
The new "points of differentiation" include:
• Aviate-a new global agency air ticketing platform that Rice called "a game changer." Its features include user-friendly functionality (regardless of an agency's GDS and ticketing experience), the ability for agencies to house their own air agreements as well as Ensemble's for one-stop-shopping, maximized commission levels on published fares, and robust reporting capabilities detailing the booking history of the agency, user, GDS and, IATA.
• Guaranteed Hosted Cruise Departure Program and Elite Excursions-a series of confirmed hosted sailings and excursions. With this, Ensemble members can book clients on about 20 confirmed hosted cruises in Europe starting in spring 2016 with six preferred cruise lines. The hosted sailings will feature "private, over the top, elite" excursions in six cities: Barcelona, Belfast, Dubrovnik, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Valletta.
• MyTripRoute-a web-based itinerary builder. Advantages of the tool include the ability for agents to create itineraries in a fraction of the time it takes now with an easy-to-use Trip Publisher functionality; live connections to Sabre and ClientBase (and other GDS providers can be imported); Ensemble cruise and hotel amenities that are already loaded into the system; mobility, as the tool-with member's brand front and center-is accessible on the web, as an app and as an emailed PDF; and increased profitability, enabling members to upsell throughout the trip, not just on the front end.
• Ensemble Affiliate Division-a new membership level for underserved travel agencies; those that are small, niche or mid-sized organizations. The division will provide a non-shareholder option with access to all of Ensemble's technology, marketing and training programs. The annual cost is $199. Agencies can become shareholders as their business grows.
Ensemble welcomed 37 new member agencies at the conference, which drew more than 900 members. Rice and Pearlman noted that in the U.S., 46 of its member agencies have been with Ensemble for more than 25 years and in Canada, that number is 52 member agencies.
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