The golden rule for organising any type of group travel is Give yourself enough time! Many a great idea has fallen over because of a lack of time to do the right advertising, book the best accommodation and flights for your group.
Decide on what type of Group trip you would like to offer:
• Talk to teachers at local secondary schools, is there any special sporting event coming up? Or ask the languages teachers if they have ever taken their classes to any of the countries that speak the language being taught.
• Approach the local university, are they perhaps looking for someone to organise a group of history students to Rome?
• Ask a local yoga teacher if they have ever thought about taking a group to India for a yoga retreat?
• Approach a community interest group (wine-lovers, opera buffs, history enthusiasts etc) and suggest destinations they might like to visit.
• If you have a large rural community find out if there might be any interest in an annual farming/horticulture trip to another country e.g. Argentina to visit beef farms or France to visit vineyards.
• If there is a popular personality in the community, for example a radio host (or even the local minister), ask them if they have ever wanted to travel to a particular destination. You can offer them a free place to act as the group leader.
• Do some market research in your area and find out if there is any one country people are really interested in travelling to - you can then put together an itinerary with us, and secure interest through promotional evenings and advertising.
Gather the information required for a group quote:
• Type of group e.g. school, sports, photography, history, cooking, yoga.
• Maximum/minimum number of people expected to be in the group.
• Departure dates.
• Duration of organised trip.
• Airline required (or if there is no preference).
• Standard airline class e.g. economy, business or first class.
• Standard of accommodation.
• Meals required.
• Transfers.
• Sight-seeing and excursions if required.
• Budget.
• Deviations from the group itinerary.
Planting the seed (advertising ideas):
• Get the local radio station involved. Can you work out a special prize they could advertise as well as your group trip?
• Tell everybody you meet, from the local butcher to the real estate agent.
• Advertise on your shop window with a big display of the area to be visited.
• Promo evenings and flyers (Adventure World's marketing department can help with these).
• Try to create the opportunity to present/speak to groups of potentially interested people.
• Newspaper advertising and editorial and put notices up at local events.
• If your group is based around a special interest, put together a list of relevant clubs and societies and do a mail-out of information to them, following it up with a phone call.
• Look out for events, movies, festivals etc that would attract the right type of person for your group, and find a way to promote your group to them there.
• Do a mail-out to your database of clients.
For more information contact our Groups Department on 0508 496 753 or email groups@adventureworld.co.nz.