Linda Pyle, director of the Barrhead Travel-owned brand, told TTG that Brilliant Travel members were using Barrhead’s technology platforms and its Atol to put together their own packages.
“We have more homeworkers coming onboard who can use our product to put together dynamic packages,” she said during Brilliant Travel’s annual conference in Glasgow.
“They can earn higher margins by using net rates and also know that Barrhead will protect that holiday. It can only be a win-win. The homeworkers are already doing a lot of dynamic packaging without having to worry about Atol.”
Brilliant Travel is currently looking to double its number of homeworkers from the current 26 members to more than 50 by the end of this year.
Around half of Brilliant’s current homeworkers attended the two-day conference, held at the Radisson Blu hotel last week, alongside Brilliant staff and key suppliers.
“Our homeworkers are mostly one or two-man bands so we wanted to give them the chance to talk to tour operators and also give updates on how Brilliant Travel is performing and the latest industry trends,” said Pyle.
Brilliant Travel changed the format of this year’s conference, which used the tagline “All about you”, by spreading it across two days instead of holding it on a single day.
“Previously we had a one-day conference and people would drive up just for the day,” explained Pyle. “This year we started at lunchtime and held a dinner in the evening so there was more networking time.”
Part of the conference included breakout sessions for homeworkers focusing on different sectors such as cruise, long-haul and luxury.
“We had three non-conflicting suppliers in each breakout session,” added Pyle. “Sessions were interactive and allowed agents to ask questions.”
Delegates also attended presentations on using Barrhead’s technology platforms including its CRM (customer relationship management) system, quote creator and online portal. Issues including GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and how to improve margins were also addressed.
