30 Under 30: Meet Alex Catton
Alex Catton, head of sports at Spectate, talks to Abra Dunsby about his career successes and passion for sports travel
From meeting the Red Bull drivers at the Monaco Grand Prix to watching the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year alongside 70,000 spectators, Alex Catton, head of sports at ITC Travel Group’s sister brand Spectate, has had some incredible sporting experiences during his time there.
And while sports travel has been “decimated” by the pandemic, with the company unable to run any sporting event departures since January, Catton remains upbeat, explaining that his team have been busy supporting and engaging with clients while preparing for a post-Covid future.
“One saving grace for the sports travel industry is that we were able to make our clients’ decisions much sooner, and were proactive with calling them to let them know about events being cancelled,” he says.
The vast majority of clients were able to claim refunds, while by being upfront with clients, Catton says Spectate was able to secure many rebookings for next year. “We’ve been honest with clients and even turned down bookings as there’s so much uncertainty. They’ve really respected that and rolled business over. We hope 2021 is going to be a busy year.”
While selling product is on hold, Catton’s team has focused on marketing, producing a digital magazine at the start of lockdown that’s been nominated for an award.
“It provided a recap of what we’ve been doing and included sporting insider knowledge such as our top 10 sporting books, movies and destinations. It also had Q&As with celebrity hosts we’ve worked with. It did so well we republished it four months later,” he says.
Sporting chance
Catton joined ITC Travel Group in May 2016 as brand manager to oversee the launch of Spectate, now the company’s sole sports brand.
After being promoted to head of sports and smashing his targets two years running, Catton is now looking to widen the brand’s demographic past its largely retiree audience to appeal to both a younger clientele and the corporate market. “We’ve been selling the same product in recent years so I also want enhance the product to offer new experiences,” he adds.
Pre-Covid, Catton’s job also involved hosting clients at large sporting events around the world, something he was also very used to at his previous company, Complete Sports Solutions.
“My job involved running football tours and academies in Europe and North America for teachers and school kids, and I hosted 200-plus tours with the company. I’ve been lucky – I’ve travelled a lot.”
His passion for travel began as a student, when as part of his Sports Management degree at Manchester Metropolitan University he spent a year in the US coaching football. “That was my first taste of travel and I got the bug,” he says. “Since then I’ve never looked back.”
Winning mentality
Being part of TTG’s 30 Under 30 has helped Catton reflect on his career so far – and his ambitions going forward.
“I’m not normally one to look at own achievements but the accolade has made me look back and realise I’ve done an incredible amount in my working life so far and had experiences some people could only dream of.
“[The 30 Under 30 accolade] means the world and it makes me want to push forward – not just for me, but for Spectate and sports travel in general.”
The next challenge is to get Spectate back on track post Covid and to “re-establish [it] as the leading sports travel industry tour operator.” And with such a determined and positive outlook, it seems inevitable that Catton will do just that.
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