Become a Home Based Travel Agent

An Interview with ARC's Chris Flores
Helix and VTC Program Director
By Joanie Ogg CTC, MCC

(Laughing) Well, I have been a little busy as of late. As you know ARC launched Helix in February, at the Travel Weekly show in Las Vegas. Needless to say, that has kept me and our team busy.

For those who aren’t familiar with Helix, can you talk a little bit about what it is?

Sure. Helix is ARC’s newest program, offered exclusively to ARC agencies – those with ticketing authority, and those without ticketing authority (but can still book air) or VTCs – so you have to be an ARC agency before you can join Helix. Helix was designed to add value to our existing participation. As a member of Helix, agencies will have access to attractive, enhanced, and in some instances bonus commissions from the best suppliers in the industry, covering all segments of the industry. Additionally, Helix agencies will have access to unique education and training opportunities designed not only to help them prosper with their partners, but to aid in their continuing effort to become better businesses as a whole. Lastly, within Helix, agencies will have access to business services offered by some of the best known providers in the industry, like Passport Online, Client Ease, and Travel 42. These business services are a la carte, so agencies are not required to subscribe or pay for services they do not need, AND the pricing is exclusive to Helix.

At the end of the day, ARC participants will have the ability to work independently and directly with some of the best preferred suppliers, optimize agency profitability through business services and education and training, and in a lot of instances reduce operational expenses.

That’s a lot of information there, so I want to focus preferred suppliers. How many do you have and can you name some of them?

Today, we have 23 suppliers representing 35 brands, across 6 segments, with product on all 7 continents and more than 130 countries. Some of the Helix Preferred Suppliers include Carnival Cruise Lines®, Globus family of brands, including Avalon Waterways, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Funjet Vacations, Travel Impressions, Auto Europe, Insight Vacations, Swain Tours, and Travel Guard. I could very well list everyone here, but if your readers are interested in seeing the entire list, they are more than welcome to visit www.arccorp.com/helix.

The Helix supplier list is small by comparison to other agency organizations out there. Why is that?

We made a strategic decision to limit the number of preferred suppliers in our portfolio. This decision was not only made to show our commitment to growing the business for our preferred partners…the decision was also made to help our members understand the value and meaning of the term “preferred supplier.” By presenting our members with a supplier portfolio and product that can surely satisfy the traveling needs of their clients, they (the member) are in the position to maximize their earnings potential by focusing their sales efforts to a limited group of suppliers who are equally as committed to their success as we (ARC and Helix) are.

We continue to review preferred supplier proposals daily and we will welcome more suppliers in the future. However, at this stage we are very happy with the partners we have and do not intend to have a portfolio consisting of hundreds of suppliers. If everyone is preferred, no one is preferred, right?

That makes a lot of sense. Especially, the part about preferred suppliers. How are you going to ensure that Helix members book only Helix preferred suppliers?

Great question. Every agency organization has the goal of ensuring members stay within the network of suppliers. For some organizations it’s a little bit easier, because their supplier portfolios are so vast, it’s kind of hard not to stay within the network. But for us (Helix), we use opportunities like our upcoming Regional Symposium in Philadelphia in July to educate the membership on the importance (and profitability) of working under the idea and focus of preferred suppliers. Our Symposiums will include guest and motivational speakers, peer-to-peer panels, best practice and case study discussions, supplier roundtables, pre/post-FAMs, as well as excellent networking opportunities. And with a great cast of speakers in Philadelphia, including you, Joanie, Nolan Burris of Visionistics Enterprises, and Marty Braunstein, long time industry veteran and former Consortia executive, in addition to a great group of supplier attendees, I feel our members will truly understand just how important it is to work smarter, not harder.

Helix is doing really well. We’re all very pleased with the progress. Agencies have told us that they love the strategy, the opportunities, and our ability to offer a “boutique” type atmosphere for their agency, so they don’t feel like one out of a million. Membership is increasing every day, and I’m pleased to say that Helix has acted as a very favorable acquisition tool for the VTC Program.

It’s hard to pinpoint it, Joanie, but I suspect there are a lot of agents and agencies that have a desire to operate independently. Both the VTC Program and Helix afford them with that opportunity. The ARC Number allows an agency to work directly with the suppliers. Helix provides VTCs access to commission schedules that in a lot of cases they couldn’t get alone. The relationship between the VTC or Helix member and the supplier is a lot more tangible and intimate. The products, services, and education and training offered through both the VTC Program and Helix can (and does) satisfy the needs of today’s agency. And from what we’ve been told by some of our members, it has allowed them to evaluate and assess their other operational expenses.

Helix is completely complimentary in 2011. In 2012 the annual fee will be $179. Depending on what you compare that fee to; Helix will be about the same or WAY less than the alternatives.

I’m sure you could go on and on about Helix and the VTC Program, but where can readers find more information about both?

(Laughing) You’re right. I could talk for a very long time about these two great programs, but your readers can always visit www.arccorp.com/helix and www.arccorp.com/vtc to learn more about Helix and the VTC Program.

If your agency is interested in obtaining an ARC Number to support your independence, has an interest in earning commissions from activities and shore excursions offered through ARC MarketPlace, and has an interest in working with quite possibly the best credit card processing and service fee program (ARC Agent’s Choice), consider the VTC Program.

If your agency is interested in working directly with the best preferred suppliers offering terrific commission schedules, has an interest in intimate education and training opportunities, and could benefit from exclusive (and cost saving) business service pricing, then your agency should consider both the VTC Program and Helix.

If you’re already an ARC participant – a ticketing agency or VTC – join Helix today.

Finally, if you are interested in attending the Helix Regional Symposium in Philadelphia on July 15^th, please click here.

Again, visit our websites, call 703-816-8530, or you can always email me at cflores@arccorp.com with questions.

Joanie Ogg CTC MCC
Joanie Ogg Marketing Group
Editor

Joanie Ogg is a thirty-five year veteran of the travel industry and has been involved with the independent contractor evolution since 1988. She is the principal of Joanie Ogg Marketing Group, which specializes in consulting and speaking on the topic of Home-Based Travel. She also provides marketing and sales for wide variety of products under the umbrella HomeBasedTravelAgent.com.

A demonstrated industry leader, Joanie most recently served as the President of the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA) and TravelSellers. She and her husband Tom acquired NACTA in 1996 and sold it to The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) in 2000. Joanie’s tenure in the travel industry includes owning and operating one of the first successful host agency models. She has owned and operated several storefront travel agencies (both commercial and leisure), as well as a Hawaii wholesale tour company.

Her decades of success have garnered her numerous accolades over the years. Her accomplishments have been recognized by receipt of two Lifetime Achievement Awards from major trade groups, being named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Travel” by Travel Agent magazine on several occasions, voted as “Travel Agent of the Year” by the readers of Travel Trade magazine, and has been recognized by many other industry organizations throughout her tenure in the industry. In 2008 Joanie Ogg was inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame, an honor held by some of the most influential executives in the travel industry.

Joanie is a Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) and a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Joanie has co-authored two popular travel industry books for cruise specialists and home-based travel agents and has authored hundreds of travel trade articles. She has inspired tens of thousands of travel agents attending her presentations at trade events, cruise seminars, international trade gatherings and numerous local educational venues throughout the United States. With a time-honored background and forward-looking vision, she is often featured as a speaker at many of the travel industry’s major conferences and events. Joanie’s speaking talents are widely sought as a travel industry emcee by the most recognized travel organizations. She has emceed such events as Cruise-A-Thons, ASTA’s CruiseFest, The Trade Show, The Travel Institute Forum and all of NACTA’s National and International Conferences.


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