Download - Increasing Membership & Revenue Through Travel Jo Brownlie Director, OLLI of SVSU April 11, 2013
What I’ll Cover
Background on the SVSU OLLI travel program
Examples of the good, bad & ugly experiences
Some insights and tips Travel partner options
The SVSU OLLI and Travel
Program started in 2001 - no trips Currently 1,500+ members Offered 250 classes and 29 trips in
2012-13 (no cancellations) Of the 29 trips: one international;
four overnight domestic; and 25 day trips
Our Travel Program is Growing but Stabilizing
2009-13: 25 – 29 trips 2007-09: 22–24 trips 2005-07: 10 – 15 trips 2002-05: 3 or 4 trips 2001-02: 0 trips
Who Does What
SVSU model is “strong staff” Travel Committee’s Role Director’s Role Marketing Coordinator’s Role Use of Travel Partners
The Good
You can make Money! Establish a break even point you
feel comfortable with We made over $50,000 on 27 trips
in 2011-12 (after expenses)
More Good
You can build a sense of community with travel
Good way to draw in new members Single members feel comfortable going
alone Many trips do exceed expectations! Members are full of good ideas for trips
The Bad
Planning trips is time consuming The devil is in the details Make sure people know the “activity
level” Matching up room mates is tricky Always count heads Food can make or break a trip Cancellation policies are tough to enforce
More Bad
Sometimes you must cancel Minor accidents will happen – have a plan
& emergency kit – and a nurse on board! Some sites aren’t “bus friendly” Members are full of good (and not so
good) ideas Make sure you understand the
cancellation policies – especially hotels You can waste a whole day on the
Internet!
The Ugly
Two feet of snow Emergency gall bladder surgery 21 hour motorcoach ride Guns! Motorcoaches do break down
Our Day Trips
The vast majority include motorcoach transportation
About 2/3 are to a show Good food is important! Most are mainly social Budget to break even at 30 Most of our trips fill the bus and have
waiting lists Have created a sense of urgency
Day Trip Risks
Cancelling motorcoaches Show ticket considerations Restaurants Coaches can break down Double check every detail
How to Tackle International Travel
Be brave – do it yourself Partner with another office at your
school – alumni office, international programs, etc.
Partner with another LLI Partner with another organization or
company
Day Trip Examples
Museums: Arab American, DIA, GRAM, Holocaust, Native American
Plays: Broadway, other House Walks Art Fair, Bridge Walk, Eastern
Market Lilac Festival, Wine & Food Festival Boat Cruises, Carriage Ride
The SVSU International Travel Model
We used to find a faculty trip leader & destination first – now just destination
Identify potential travel partners – ask for a quote if more than one
Price & market the program Offer a pre-trip themed dinner and pre-trip
class Travel provider leads the trip, SVSU
employee represents University Conduct your own evaluation Post trip meeting to share photos &
memories Post pictures on website and Facebook
Contractual Partnership Options
Non Profits: Road Scholar Private companies: Grand Circle,
Go Ahead Tours, Globus, etc
Road Scholar
They can provide many of their trips for just your members - charters
Your OLLI has the option to add transportation or not
Consider some customizing
Partnering with Private Companies
The possibilities are endless Consider: Where to go for how long
Exclusive to your members or not Your itinerary or theirs “*” Level Ratio of structured to free time Pricing and trip min/max And of course, much more Some have FAM tours!
Tips When Partnering
Don’t assume anything Talk to others who have used the
company Ask other LLIs who they are using The least expensive isn’t always the
best We will ask for your input later!
We’ve Been To
Italy twice Ireland twice Vietnam Costa Rica England, Scotland and Wales Canadian Rockies – August French River Cruise - May
And Domestically
Historic Trains of California Southern Coastal Washington D.C. New York City Southwest National Parks New Orleans San Antonio
Other tips
Almost everything is negotiable Food is important! Communicate the details Count heads Have a leader and co-leader Take lots of pictures and show them
at large gatherings
More tips
Differentiate yourself from the competition
Get creative Don’t be afraid to copy a little – but
kick it up Try not to cancel trips – even if you
have to lose a little Clarify tipping expectations
Even more tips
Don’t over pack the day Ask for suggestions from your
contacts Do some purely social trips Smile - and don’t let them see you
sweat! We will ask for your tips later
Marketing – Filling Seats
Your best marketing is a reputation for offering reasonably priced quality trips
You may not have to spend a lot of money
on advertising – you have “members” the competition doesn’t
Our Marketing Strategy
Day trips - listed in our catalog and then promoted in newsletters
Long term trips – four page, full color brochure which we design
Reproduce trip brochures in B & W in our newsletter
Drop hints about upcoming trips to build excitement
Recent Travel Survey Results
Europe destinations most popular River boating is big National parks have strong interest 71% very likely to travel with us
again and were 27% somewhat likely
No one was somewhat or not likely and one person was unsure!
Finally: Boomer Traveler Trends
Smaller groups Hands-on, experiential learning and
behind the scenes access Accomodations and meals “on theme”
where feasible Plenty of free time, including meals on
your own Active programs Shorter programs with accessible pricing
Discussion Question #2
Describe a successful partnership. (It could be with one or more other lifelong learning program or a corporate travel partner.)