Are you factoring travel into your guest experience?
Long gone are the glamorous days of air travel. Today’s flying experience is starting to feel more like an overcrowded greyhound bus with wings.
It started with smaller seats, then we had to pay for checked bags, next came the long TSA lines, and now airlines are starting to consider aisle seats as an upgrade for frequent flyers. What’s next?
For Event Organizers, the increasingly unpleasant flying experience poses a challenge for our programs. First impressions are everything and for out of town guests their first impression is the airport. Just think about it, travel is part of the guest experience, and when things go wrong, it can set the tone for their entire trip.
There are so many elements out of our control when it comes to flying; this is why it is important to find the right partner to help you and your shareholders navigate through the many challenges that can arise, to ensure the best guest experience you can.
For example, we had a group flying from all over the world to a program in Arizona. Many of the attendees were traveling through Dallas, where the impending inclement weather had all flights grounded for the following day. Despite the weather conditions, Debbie Masters (our travel partner with Uniglobe VIP) worked through the night booking people on multiple flights and was able to make sure every attendee made it to Arizona on time, all while keeping the group’s travel under budget.
The reality is when flights get delayed the airline is dealing with the 200+ passengers on that flight, making you and your guests just another face in the crowd. By working with a travel partner like Uniglobe VIP you are no longer just a number. You and your guests now have a representative, an advocate, on the inside looking out for your best interests.
In another scenario, we had a situation where one of the attendees accidently submitted the event registration with his wife’s maiden name instead of her married one; this left his wife with a boarding pass that did not match her passport. Somehow she managed to get through US security and into Panama, but when it came time to head home, they wouldn’t let her leave the country. Julie, our VP of Operations, made one phone call to Debbie and explained the situation. Debbie was then able to contact the airline, get half of the ticket refunded, and rebook the seat under the correct name.
These situations could have left our travelers stuck in an airport for hours, forced to hold on the phone for a representative, or worse, without an option to arrive for the program on time, or at all.
While you may not be able to control the obstacles your shareholders run into during their travels, with the right partner you can provide them with a resource that can make their guest experience soar.
Until next time!
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