Travel Counsellors welcome British Columbia to Manchester

At the end of July, we bought a slice of Canada to our Manchester head office, as tourist Board Discover British Columbia took over our third floor.

The event involved training sessions in the morning with the tourism board, learning about all things British Columbia – from the culture and cuisine of Vancouver to the world-class slopes at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. There was also lunch at Travel Counsellors’ head office, Venus, followed by an afternoon of ski and snowboarding at next-door neighbours, the Chill Factore.

The Discover British Columbia day was attended by 30 Travel Counsellors, who were able to get valuable face-to-face time with the tourism board, with plenty of opportunities to strike up a conversation and build personal relationships, while also networking with their fellow agents, helping with team building and allowing them to share their knowledge.

Attendee and Travel Counsellor Alex Connolly expressed his thoughts: “Before the event, I had limited knowledge of British Columbia. I had sent several customers to Vancouver and Whistler, but I wasn’t aware of all the other mountain and ski resorts in the area such as Revelstoke and Big, which offer different experiences.

“I’m a firm believer in investing time outside of your businesses to attend these fun events as it helps it to grow. Attaining product knowledge allows me to provide the best possible service to my customers and make sure that their decisions are well-informed.

“It’s also a great opportunity to meet other Travel Counsellors and discover how they develop their businesses and offer useful advice to one and another.”

The morning training sessions also gave the Travel Counsellors a chance to expand their destination knowledge, which enables them to sell new destinations to customers, as well as provide them with greater insight and offer them informed recommendations.

Gold Travel Counsellor, Bob Peters, hailed the value of such sessions saying: “Attending the training day at Head Office to learn all about British Columbia was a fantastic decision.

“I find these days extremely useful to gain a basic understanding of an area I am unfamiliar with and this was no exception. The sessions were highly informative, and the use of digital technology made it easy to understand. I certainly feel more inclined to sell this area with confidence after today.”

Sarah Holmes-Siedle, who was at Venus representing Discover British Columbia, said: “The event was a great success! It was a fantastic opportunity for me to spend time with the Travel Counsellors and go into much more detail about everything that British Colombia has to offer – everyone was so engaged.”

Following the event, the Discover British Columbia team and Travel Counsellors headed over to the Chill Factore for some skiing and snowboarding. Among those who took part was Travel Counsellor and accessible travel champion Nick Markham, who recently scaled Snowdon in his wheelchair.

He said: “I found the British Columbia training event very informative and, although a lot to take in, it has given me a lot more knowledge about the region than I had and it will allow me to share this knowledge with clients who are looking to visiting this destination.

“I also enjoyed the skiing we did at Chill Factore, as these events also allow us to meet and learn from other Travel Counsellors who have been in the business for a long time.

“With only being with the business for 15 months this it was a great help and gives you another contact to go for advice.”