CEO Today Africa Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 70 CEO Today Africa Awards 2019 south africa GILLIAN ROFFE Owner and Managing Director, XL Bay Travel ABOUT GILLIAN ROFFE “My journey into the travel industry started 16 years ago signing up for a Uniglobe Franchise in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Many in the travel industry at the time believed a non-travel person, with no operational experience in travel did not stand a chance to be successful, many giving the agency six (6) months before going out of business. After numerous awards for the agency, staff and I we became a force to be reckoned with.” said Gillian Roffe. Before opening the agency franchise inSeptember 2003, Gillianworked for Business Partners, a Financier of Small & Medium Businesses (SME’s) and Special Projects in South Africa. Being exposed to so many start-up businesses and as part of the management team the seed was sown to look for business opportunities. Having expertise that spanned across financing, banking, marketing, sales, administration, systems and including conferences and events, Gillian believed that she could venture into her own business”. Being a Sagittarian with a love for travel, her interest lay in the travel industry. UNIGLOBE Group advertised a franchise opportunity in April 2003 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Within a week the franchise agreement was signed with the Global UNIGLOBE Group, earmarking the opening of the agency for September 2003. After being a UNIGLOBE franchisee for 10 years, Bay Travel was asked to join the XL Group Consortium, six (6) years ago and are still a member today. Entering the fast paced travel industry was not an easy task. With the support of travel operational staff who had extensive knowledge and experience of travel consulting made it a bit easier. The travel industry at the time went through many changes, for one, charging travellers with service fees was unheard of, airlines changed their agent payment structures, only to be followed by hotel groups not remunerating agents for their support. The competition from the internet and online travel agents was growing and it was just the beginning of the change. Many people questioned whether the “brick and mortar” agency would survive. Today the industry has come full circle with travellers realising that the internet is not going to assist you in a time of crisis, many a time the airline or airport staff offer little assistance. However your agent is there to assist you 24/7; 365 days of the year. “At the time, together with senior travel consultants we had to ensure that operational systems were in place and that they were effective. Working from the belief that travel, was just another “product”, be it in the corporate or in the leisure market, but essentially in the service industry, the one thing we had to do as a team was to deliver service, with the right attitude, fast and correctly to differentiate us in the market. In fact, as a team we were so confident about service delivery, the agency introduced a six-month service fee guarantee to return said fees if services were not delivered.” said Roffe. Being part of the UNIGLOBE brand for 10 years exposed the agency to regional and international markets, which provided the tools and belief that business activities did not have to be conducted in the Eastern Cape alone, the travel agency can be expanded not only within South Africa, but into Africa and International Markets. Her staff compliment of 15 also had to have the right attitude, be 100% knowledgeable and totally trustworthy. With so many state of the art travel programs and internet facilities large staff numbers are not required. Most of the staff that joined in the first year are still with her today showing that Gillian has the correct recipe. Gillian states that her exceptional consultants and dedicated team have without a doubt contributed to her and the agency’s success. According to Roffe “If your three pillars in business, namely sales, operations and accounting are strong and effective you will have a successful business,” Based on XL Bay Travel’s outstanding achievements their contribution has had a significant effect on the groups sales and volume discounts. Giving them great leverage and bargaining power which in turn offers them negotiated rates with various airlines, hotels and car rental companies. This in turn benefits their clientele directly. Roffe says that this is an ongoing process for her and her staff – getting the client the best deal. Gillian has come full circle again and has this month secured a member affiliation with UNIGLOBE Group. They offer carefully selected agencies around the globe the opportunity of an international affiliation giving them a footprint into Africa and the rest of the world. Gillian Roffe’s vision, hard work, passion, management skills and sheer dedication has made her a force to be reckoned with in the travel industry today. Says Gillian, “the days of being marketer, sales representative and administrator is fortunately over.” FIRM PROFILE XL Bay Travel Offer: XL Bay Travel is a proudly BBBEE Level 1 contributor to the local economy. The agency is in a unique position as an owner-operated Travel Management Company, designed to give clients, no matter how big or small, the best service; whether it is booking accommodation and flight tickets, or providing charter services, car rental, travel to and from meetings, or management of conferences to an incentive trip; the best experience . XL Bay Travel also offers 24/7 emergency services in case your travel plans have to be changed, and with its dedication to balance between control and flexibility, the traveller will not be left disappointed. XL Bay Travel’s dedication to quality service also means being completely transparent in terms of costs and procedures, so there will never be a time where you’re left wondering what the next step will be. XL Bay’s online booking tools and personal travel advice, whether for leisure or business has been proven to reduce travel costs and consistently lower corporate spending, all while maintaining a high level of service and communication with the client. www.xlbaytravel.co.za