BC agency ready to put down roots in Ontario
Expanding... in the middle of a pandemic? You bet! BC-formed Personal Travel Management is now operating in Ontario as well.
PTM’s owner Rikki Hepburn talks to Travel Courier about expanding into another province, the secret sauce to what sets the agency apart, why their team is optimistic about the future and much more.
Tell us about what led you to expand to Toronto?
We have been thinking about expanding to Toronto for several years. Honestly… In past years the time involved with the process of obtaining TICO always kept Toronto on the back burner. I guess you could say COVID allowed us to finally make the dream a reality. In fall of last year we put some feelers out on social platforms saying we were looking for Canadian independent agents. Our latest team addition, is based in Toronto. When she responded to our post, we knew we simply had to make Toronto happen. Our new addition is the perfect fit for our team; the kind of person you simply move mountains for!
Will the team be remote or will there be an office?
Currently, Ontario is a remote office. However, with continued expansion a bricks and mortar location would be considered.
Rikki Hepburn
Agents are responsible for creating memories. We are not just booking trips from point A to point B. Looking through the lens of being responsible for creating memories makes us function as a team as we only want to produce the best possible memories for our end clients.
Can you provide a bit of overview of the history and growth of the company over the years?
Personal Travel Management was born in 1993 when Barbara Mitchell and I opened on 17th and Dunbar out by UBC. We opened our office in a location with no walk by traffic, which in 1993 this was unheard of. However, without walk-ins we only attracted a certain type of agent. An agent with an established clientele whose primary desire was to have a solid operating supportive structure and the freedom to market themselves as they chose. We still have three agents with us today that joined us back in 1993! It really is like a family here. Nobody leaves unless they retire. We have a 98% retention rate.
Barbara eventually opened a branch office on Bowen Island where she resides and I became sole owner moving the office to the current Burnaby location in 2014. We now have 35 agents working with us. For several years we grew simply by word of mouth. Due to current industry changes we recognize that many travel professionals are looking for a new host agency. We believe we are different from other agencies and want other Canadian agents to know that such an atmosphere exists within the travel community.
What do you think sets PTM apart and why do you think this will be successful?
Our passion! We are independent, passionate, fun, entrepreneurial and accomplished. We like to think our ourselves as the WestJet of travel agencies before they were bought: independent, mid-sized, fun, successful and personal. At Personal Travel Management we are only looking for a certain kind of agent. Someone that understands the importance of the career path they have chosen.
Agents are responsible for creating memories. We are not just booking trips from point A to point B. Looking through the lens of being responsible for creating memories makes us function as a team as we only want to produce the best possible memories for our end clients. Agents that join Personal Travel Management must have a shared passion and want to be part of our professional travel community. I always say “my agents are my clients” PTM supports and showcases their agents. It’s up to individual agents to support their clients. I believe this agent focused approach from management provides a more enjoyable workplace, creating community allowing the agency to grow as a collective unit. We are supportive not competitive.
It’s great to hear positive stories amidst a pandemic. How are booking going right now? Are you optimistic for the future?
We are VERY optimistic about the future. Bookings may not be as abundant but the quality of booking that is coming in is phenomenal. It’s back to what we said earlier. We are responsible for creating memories and right now people have the time to sculpt these memories and really create something special. We encourage our agents to map out life plans with their clients. Not simply discussing the ‘next trip’ but mapping out the destinations and experiences they want to have over their next decade! Travel therapy — a journey of experiences and our agents intend to take step by step with their clients. My role as an owner is to listen to my agents and support them making sure they have the tools and resources to have these conversations with their clients.
