Universal’s Fernando Flores on theme park investments and outreach to the commerce: Travel Weekly

Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX) is making vital investments in its merchandise, from a brand new park in Orlando, Epic Universe, to 2 smaller themed experiences in Texas and Las Vegas. The firm has additionally invested within the Travel company gross sales channel over the previous decade, launching an agent certification program in 2015 and a customer support staff in 2017 in addition to introducing U-Preferred, its program for prime producers, in 2020. This yr, it expanded its staff of enterprise improvement managers. Fernando Flores, vp of customers gross sales and head of Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations, shared insights on the corporate’s relationship with advisors with senior editor Jamie Biesiada.

Fernando Flores

Q: How helpful are companies to Universal?

A: UDX’s model DNA is rooted in partnerships — from the world-renowned mental properties that come to life in our parks at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, to the distinctive merchandise, occasions, experiences and providers provided throughout each locations, to the steadfast relationship we now have with Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando. Our partnerships with journey advisors present visitors with a trip expertise not like anyplace else on the planet. As such, we strongly worth our journey trade gross sales companions and respect how important these relationships are to the success of our enterprise.

Q: Have your investments within the commerce helped develop bookings? What has been efficient?

A: In 2020, we launched the U-Preferred Travel Agency Program to acknowledge, reward and empower our top-selling journey companions. We have seen great progress inside this program and within the journey company channel in the previous couple of years. To construct on this momentum, we welcomed company house owners and executives from throughout the nation to Universal Orlando for the inaugural U-Preferred Conference in June. Attendees heard from inspiring audio system, together with Mark Woodbury, chairman and CEO of UDX, and Alice Norsworthy, president of worldwide advertising and marketing for UDX, in regards to the happenings in our parks around the globe and engaged in actions and workshops to use new management abilities of their particular person companies. Attendees additionally had the chance to fulfill with their favourite characters for social media moments throughout the convention and luxuriate in VIP excursions of the parks and different personal nighttime occasions.

We firmly consider that the extra we have interaction with our journey companions and equip them with the assets and instruments essential to do their jobs, the extra our enterprise will proceed to evolve and thrive.

Q: What’s your plan to teach journey advisors about tasks like Epic Universe and your regional leisure plans within the U.S.?

A: During the U-Preferred convention, we introduced thrilling adjustments coming to our current instruments and assets to enhance the road of communication between Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations and our journey companions to make it simpler to do enterprise with us. For instance, within the close to future, we’re launching a brand new electronic mail platform for journey advisors to obtain the most recent updates and information about our parks, consolidating and enhancing the Universal Partner Community and VAX VacationAccess into one seamless web site, and rolling out a brand new month-to-month income report for brokers to see their gross sales progress in actual time.

We have additionally just lately expanded our journey trade gross sales staff in preparation for the continued progress of our locations. The staff will probably be internet hosting a sequence of webinars, fams and regional trainings throughout the nation by the autumn and into 2024. We extremely encourage journey companions to affix the Universal Partner Community to be among the many first to find out about these thrilling occasions as they’re introduced. 

Article supply: www.travelweekly.com

Read the total article