Stephenson was part of the Class of 2015 when he was busy launching Your Travel with co-founder Sam Cassem, and the 30 Under 30 experience helped to give him “very good foundations” for establishing their business over the past 10 years.
“When we set up with just two desks in an office, I had never even been to an outside event for the travel industry,” he tells TTG. “I had no real experience of the industry outside of making bookings every day when I worked for the Lotus Group.
“30 Under 30 gave me something to bring back to Sam. It helped give me core values by talking to peers in the industry and making great contacts. It gave me a solid foundation in how the travel industry works.”
Fast-forward 10 years and Your Travel has just undergone a major rebranding, which sees it now using the abbreviated YTC (Your Travel Corporate) name and launching a new website.
“We’ve come a long way since we started, and our previous branding just didn’t reflect the energy, innovation and responsibility that defines us today,” explained Stephenson.
While the agency has always primarily focused on business travel, it also sold holidays during its first 10 years. Although YTC has now largely moved away from selling leisure travel as part of the rebrand, explained Stephenson.
Maidstone-based YTC is also focused on growing its team and two recent recruits to the business means it’s now back to its pre-Covid staffing level of around 16 people, with plans to add another five to six employees by the end of this year.
Stephenson said he was “expecting big things from 2025” following the rebrand as YTC looks to target more SME clients in the finance, media, creative and legal sectors.
Co-founder Cassem added that YTC’s success has been based around offering clients “the real expertise of our travel team backed by technology”.
“If you want the tech, we have an online booking tool. But it’s about giving them that next level of service – offering high levels of service and attention to detail are our biggest USPs,” said Cassem.
“We speak to many clients who don’t like the booking tools and want to speak to people instead, that’s where our niche is.”
Stephenson added: “A booking tool works well until somebody’s late for a flight, then you need to speak to somebody.”
As well as growing the team and client base this year, YTC is also developing several environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, including a “comprehensive roadmap” to achieving net-zero emissions and a new charity strategy to “give back to the community”.
“We’re not just talking the talk. We’re fully committed to making a real difference in the world - starting with ourselves,” said Stephenson. “We want to show our clients, our employees and our community that we are here for the long term, not just to make bold claims.”
This work will also encompass a new sustainability programme to help clients meet their own sustainability goals, with the promise that it will go “beyond traditional carbon offsetting”. Full details of these plans will be announced later this year.
The future looks bright for YTC – thanks in part to the helping hand of TTG’s 30 Under 30 all those years ago.
