In her opening conference address, Lo Bue-Said alluded to what she sees as Advantage’s increasingly important role as a travel industry voice of authority, one that advocates for how agents are uniquely equipped to help travellers navigate an increasingly complex world, facing new geopolitical challenges, political instability and regulatory change.
“We see ourselves as a one-stop business hub with multiple lenses,” says the Advantage chief executive. “The first is that we’re a membership organisation, so we have to make sure we are delivering products and services that our members need.
“Then there’s how we make sure we get the consumer messaging right, and that our PR and corporate activity reflects that as well. So we’re business champions but also consumer champions as well. We will stand up for things when they’re not going right.
“Finally, there’s corporate affairs, such as our government lobbying – it’s a perfect triangle that encompasses all of that. These aren’t all areas we were looking at before so to be able to deliver that strong, robust membership organisation, we believe we have to be performing in all these other areas as well.
“This has all evolved, it’s not something we had before. The plan is about Advantage being this voice of authority, championing agents, growing the membership and our brand values – it’s all part of the strategic direction of the business.”
