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Chief Executive – Joe Araullo
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TravelManagers dominance continues in the home-based consulting market with Chief Executive, Joe Araullo, describing 2011 as being another “outstanding year” for the company.
“Our growth and development as a company has been first-class, I’m rapt with 35% growth in sales and pleased with the number of personal travel managers we now have but particularly their calibre, experience and professionalism. Our depth of marketing and IT sophistication is constantly improving and is backed by strong physical support though the business partnership managers in each state. While every year we exceed our sales targets I am keen to increase our rate of recruitment. I am convinced TravelManagers offers travel consultants, agency managers and even agency owners a profitable and sustainable business model for the future making my job a very satisfying one.”
TravelManagers sales grew in 2011 by 32.3 percent from 2010 with personal travel manager commissions up by 38.7 percent from 2010. Araullo says the growth across every state in Australia has been significant with growth in sales from individual states at:
- New South Wales: +16.6%
- Queensland: +27.6%
- South Australia: +79.1%
- Victoria: +56.5%
- Western Australia: +25.6%
Mr. Araullo says technology enhancement, training and education will remain an absolute priority for 2012.
“These, together with recruitment, will continue to be area of utmost importance for us. Again in 2012 there will be significant investment and commitment around constantly offering opportunities for our personal travel managers to be informed and educated by us and suppliers. We also regularly bring in people from outside who are experts in their field where it will assist our personal travel managers.”
In 2012 45 preferred suppliers participated in 25 physical (class room) training courses which were attended by 148 personal travel managers and 58 preferred suppliers participated in 75 TravelManagers operated webinars attended by 526 personal travel managers. This was in addition to supplier direct training courses, webinars and ship and aircraft inspections. TravelManagers’ state based business partnership managers organized the following additional training:
- WA/SA- 50 cluster groups attended by 239 personal travel managers and involving 27 suppliers
- VIC/TAS- 45 cluster groups attended by 330 personal travel managers and involving 30 suppliers
- QLD/TAS- 35 cluster groups attended by 220 personal travel managers and involving 25 suppliers
- NSW/ACT 40 cluster groups attended by 350 PTM’ personal travel managers and involving 30 suppliers
A summary of TravelManagers’ milestones for 2011 were as follows:
January – The appointment of a second business partnership manager for NSW/ACT giving TravelManagers a grand total of five based in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
February – Commissions generated by TravelManagers’ personal travel managers reached $1M in a month for the first time, a level achieved a further eight times throughout the course of 2011.
February – TravelManagers made its 100,000 booking since the commencement of TravelManagers Australia in August 2005.
February – The first exclusive dedicated familisation trip for 2011 took place with the support of Viva Holidays and Hawaiian Airlines.
March – TravelManagers highest month for sales since its inception.
March – The second exclusive dedicated familiarization trip for 2011 to Turkey and supported by Globus and Qatar Airways.
March – TravelManagers continued its strong presence at Australian Travel Awards with 12 finalists in 11 eligible categories collecting five category wins and three highly commended awards. They only missed out on a placement in one of the nine categories of which its 12 personal travel managers contested.
March – The ultimate tribute at the Australian Travel Awards went to personal travel manager Maria Piliouras who was announced “Travel Agent of the Year”
May – Highest week for sales since TravelManagers inception, with the previous highest week for sales being in February 2011.
May – Perth based personal travel managers organized an official “Biggest Morning Tea” event and raise in excess of $3,000 for the Western Australia Cancer Council.
June – A ‘Business Planning Kit’ was produced as a resource for personal travel managers to use with support from their state business partnership managers.
June – The Operations Department was expanded with the appointment of a specialist corporate support role.
July – The Marketing Department was expanded with the appointment of second marketing specialist.
July – TravelManagers signs its personal travel manager number 300!
July – TravelManagers is a finalist at National Travel Industry Awards in Best Retail Agency Multi-location for the third consecutive year.
July – Personal travel manager Cathy Moir is a finalist at the National Travel Industry Awards for “Best Travel Consultant – Retail”.
August – The appointment of a Corporate Business Development Manager to assist personal travel managers with acquiring new corporate accounts.
August – Two personal travel managers (one in Victoria and one in West Australia) are recognized as Qantas Holidays’ Global Achievers.
September – A recruitment video is launched on You Tube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeIaFiRofMM
September – The third exclusive dedicated familisation trip for 2011 was to Mauritius with support from Club Med and Air Austral.
October – TravelManagers participates as retail call to action at European Travel Expos in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne for third consecutive year.
October – Personal travel manager Corinne Heyman holds a ‘Seniors Travel Expo/Information Day’ in Townsville.
October – The fourth exclusive dedicated familisation trip for 2011 was to Mauritius with support from Beachcomber Holidays and Air Mauritius. More than 125 personal travel managers took part in familisation trips during 2011.
November – Commissions paid to personal travel managers reached $10m in a single year for the first time.
November – Personal travel manager Daniela Tatonetti was one of five finalists at the AVIS scholarship of Excellence. She was TravelManagers second finalist in three years.
November – Record sales were achieved for a new personal travel manager in their first month of operation.
November – The Accounts Department expand with the appointment of dedicated support executive to assist with individual personal travel managers queries (without day-to-day processing or reconciliation responsibilities).
November – The fourth TravelManagers National Conference was held at the Crown Promenade Hotel in Melbourne.
November – TravelManagers receives invitations to hold its 2012 conference in Fiji and Singapore.
December – A video explaining personal travel manager consumer benefits was published on the home page of consumer website at: www.travelmanagers.com.au
December – Queensland business partnership manager is inspired by success of Queensland personal travel managers that she decides to become a personal travel manager commencing January 2012.
December – Eight personal travel managers celebrated their fifth anniversary with TravelManagers during 2011. |
