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You need to create an engaging and informative pitch which inspires a travel distribution partner to want to sell your business to their customers. It’s important to first understand the travel distribution market and the benefits and considerations of selling your product through a partner.
Find out how to prepare all of the information about your business including your unique selling points, net zero and inclusive features and target market. Before your first meeting, you’ll need to have your trade rates, availability, and audience and research on the partner you are pitching to. There are also questions to note down that you might want to ask the partner.
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4 minute video
Now that you’re ready to work with a travel distribution partner, it’s time to prepare a pitch that tells the story of your business. Your pitch should showcase what you offer, who your ideal customers are, and, most importantly, inspire your partner to want to work with you. Watch this video to get tips on what to include in your presentation.
Watch the full travel distribution video series.
You should create an adapted pitch for every individual travel distribution partner you meet. You can also develop a basic template such as a one-page product factsheet, a presentation deck and a webpage which is only accessible to partners through a direct link, so that it will be easier to update the information and tailor it for your next partner meeting.
Top tip: remember to keep any presentation documents consistent, professional and easy to access. Limit the number of slides to 5-8, use high-quality optimised imagery to keep file sizes small, and check them for spelling or grammar errors when finished.
What basic information do you need to include?
Why should they contract your business out of all the others? Make it clear what experience you offer, and why it is authentic.
The people behind the business are what bring it to life. Tell a story about their passion and experience, and the heritage of the business.
What is your business aiming to be, and what do you want to achieve?
How do you work with your local community, and how has that impacted your business throughout its history?
Show off your product through high-quality imagery and video. Showcase what makes you special.
Where are you in relation to the country’s major transport hubs, and how easy is it to arrive by public transport? Help your partner picture how their customers are arriving, and what else they could do in the area by mentioning nearby key attractions and locations.
Size of groups, seasonality, timings, language provisions, physical buildings, car and coach parking, and any other details that may be relevant to this partner.
Talk about how far you’ve come and what you’re planning next.
Accessibility of the building, and what catered experiences you offer for different groups of people.
This might include the information you need on customers (ie dietary requirements), when you need the information, who is allowed onsite (eg over 18s only), cancellation fees and policy, changes to bookings and access requirements.
Once you have compiled your product overview document together, there are a few other things to prepare before you attend your first meeting or event.
Separate prices for fully independent travellers (FITs) and groups and an overview of what that includes. You’ll need a minimum and maximum number of people and may want to have a “from £” price to allow negotiation for bespoke requirements.
What is your current audience, and where are you looking for growth? This could be a particular country, or a type of visitor such as large groups or luxury travellers.
Before you approach anyone for a meeting, you’ll have researched the travel distribution partner to make sure their customer market matches what your business needs. Make sure you tailor any conversations or pitches to that specific partner – show them you’ve done your research and understand the size of their market and the type of product they sell.
Is there an opportunity to create a bespoke version of your product or service that this partner could sell exclusively for you?
As well as providing information, you want to understand your potential travel distribution partner, how they work and what their partners or customers are looking for.
It’s useful to ask about the size of group or number of customers they are looking to bring, and any specific requirements they have that you might not have covered already.
The most important question is to ask what time of year they start their planning. This will let you know when you should contact them again to take the next step in working together and begin to confirm a contract.
Sign up for our new bitesize webinars this September. We'll be running two sessions:
Discover how travel distribution can help you reach more potential visitors and grow your business. This session will introduce the key travel distribution partners from tour operators to online travel agents.
Get tips and advice on how to pitch your business to a travel distribution partner, and create a handy product sheet. Learn how to focus on the key selling points of your product, tailor your message to different audiences, and create variety in your delivery for maximum impact.
Each session will have a 15 minute presentation and time for questions. The sessions will be recorded so if you can't make it on the day, you can watch the recording later.
See all of our upcoming webinars and sign up now.
Now you’ve got your pitch presentation, you’re ready to find and make contact with the right travel distribution partners. Read our article on how to find the right partner and start building a business relationship.
