DOs AND DON'Ts for participants on familiarisation trips are set out in a new white paper produced by the Hotel Booking Agents Association.
The paper - Familiarisation Etiquette - is broken down in to the key segments: invitation and acceptance, during the trip and post event. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of both host, whether hotel or venue, and the intermediary on the trip.
"Familiarisations, at their best, improve relationships and understanding between agents and venues, but, at their worst, can damage not only reputations but also ongoing business," says Sue Burgess, HBAA chairman. "We will encourage all agencies to adopt these recommendations into their own company policies, and all venues to plan their familiarisation programme within these guidelines." Angie Mason, project leader on the paper adds: "Fam trips have for some years had negative connotations and the purpose of this document is to clarify the boundaries and ensure that host venues get a return on investment. The report has been well received and has become part of many of our member agencies' working practices."
Among the recommendations are:
- Always respond to an invitation.
- Don't participate in trips that are not relevant to a clients' requirements.
- Once attendance is confirmed, it is compulsory. Should the participant not be able to attend, every effort should be made to find a replacement.
- Employees and their partners must be over 18 years old to be able to attend trips.
- Agency staff less than 18 years old may attend mandatory fam trips under the discretion of the operations manager and agreement with the host. Laws relating to alcohol must be observed.
- Only partners or immediate family are allowed on trips.
- Ensure that staff are insured for overseas trips and for activities.