TAAI leverages its business connections to deliver a successful member meeting
There were many firsts for the 62nd Convention & Exhibition of TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India), also known as the Indian Travel Congress 2015.
It was the first time that the event was held in Bali, Indonesia, the first time the organisers chose a destination without a formal invitation from the government and without any bids, and also the first time that TAAI worked primarily with the private sector in Indonesia to organise the event.
The purpose of holding it in Bali was to facilitate networking among agents and suppliers from Indonesia and India, and rally behind the Indian government’s Festival of India in Indonesia campaign to promote inbound and outbound tourism between the two countries.
The congress had to be organised within 45 days – the shortest time TAAI has ever had to put together an event, said Harmandeep Singh Anand, honorary secretary-general and co-chairman of Indian Travel Congress 2015.
At the same time, the organisers had to grapple with the lack of direct air access between India and Bali. Delegates who hailed from small Indian cities had to travel at least 15 hours to get to the resort island. They had to first travel to an Indian airport which had direct flights to Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand, and then head onwards to Bali. Even delegates from major cities such as Mumbai and Delhi took more than 10 hours to reach Bali due to a lengthy transit. To entice delegates from all over India to make the journey to Bali, an attractive programme was needed.
Adding to the challenge was the fact that the event was due to take place during Bali’s shoulder period, when hotels were experiencing strong occupancy and flights from Asian gateways had good loads. Sunil Kumar, president of TAAI and congress chairman, said the event would have attracted more attendees if there were more airline seats available.
The organisers in India received much support from many parties in Indonesia which made the event a success. For instance, prominent Indonesian DMC, RajaMICE.com, helped to reach out to local tourism suppliers who were keen on courting the Indian travel market to participate in the congress as exhibitors.
The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali provided the conference venue for free and helped to coordinate with surrounding hotels to host delegates.
Hotels in Lombok, Yogyakarta and Jakarta jumped in to host delegates for pre- and post-show tours – all complimentary – in a bid to showcase their properties and allow the delegates to experience their services and hospitality.
RajaMICE.com also took care of the ground arrangements outside of Bali. CEO Panca A Sarungu said: “It was an opportunity to show what Indonesia has to offer and by doing this, attract more tourism business from India.”
TAAI also enjoyed special fares from airline partners – Singapore Airlines, Malindo Air, AirAsia, Jet Airways, Emirates and Garuda Airlines – which helped to incentivise delegates to attend the event.
Other tourism partners from Bali, such as Devdan – Treasure of the Archipelago show at Bali Nusa Dua Theatre, also helped by offering complimentary services.
According to Sunil, the success of this convention was possible because TAAI had worked with numerous partners from Bali’s private sector. The organisers also learnt that it was better to hold an event during the low season to make it easier to avail of room and airline inventory.
Event Indian Travel Congress 2015
Organiser Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)
Date March 26-28, 2015
Venue Bali International Convention Centre, Nusa Dua
No of attendees 700
Challenges
A programme that is exciting enough to attract attendees from all over India must be created within 45 days; shortages in hotel rooms and airline seats due to Bali’s busy travel period
