COMPANY OVERVIEW KEY CLIENTS. A brief summary

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1 COMPANY OVERVIEW KEY CLIENTS A brief summary Cresta House 32 Victoria Street Altrincham Cheshire WA14 1ET T: E: info@nortravel.co.uk

2 COMPANY OVERVIEW KEY CLIENTS A brief summary This document has been prepared to provide background information about Northenden Diamond Travel and our key current clients. Contents COMPANY OVERVIEW Our Ethos Company History Organisation Structure p2 p2 - p3 p3 p4 - Divisional p3 Management Team p4 - p5 - Departmental p4 Travel Management Services The Application of Technology Accreditation and Licences CLIENT PROFILE Universities Public Sector Client Sector Profile p5 p6 p6 - p7 p7 p8 p8 p8 p9 Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 1

3 COMPANY OVERVIEW Our Ethos Northenden Diamond Travel is dedicated to the provision of a high quality travel management service which will provide the best possible value for money for our clients. We recognise that each customer has its own distinct requirements and we have the necessary flexibility of operation and high calibre of staff to tailor solutions which meet those specific needs. We utilise technology to derive the maximum possible benefit in our standard of service provision, but also take exceptional measures to apply the human touch and gain the benefits of our highly skilled and experienced staff to best serve our clients needs. We owe our success in becoming one of the largest travel management companies based outside the London area to the fruits of the recognition of this approach by our clients. This is evidenced by our exceptionally high rates of client retention and word of mouth recommendation. We also recognise the crucial benefits of establishing exceptional relationships with our suppliers. This brings benefits in the options, prices and terms that we can offer to our clients, and also our frequent involvement with suppliers in the development and testing of product innovations and new servicing initiatives. Company History Northenden Diamond Travel is a trading name of Cresta World Travel Limited, an independent company with its headquarters in Altrincham, Cheshire and a regional office in Enfield, London. The group employs 78 staff across a number of brands operating in the UK travel industry. For over 40 years, the company has been dedicated to offering high service levels with the absolute intention of retaining client loyalty and increasing business by recommendation. Northenden Travel was first established in 1976 and grew to be a successful independent agency with several niche tour operator divisions and a growing business travel activity. This predominately served Universities travel requirements and trade missions from the UK organised by Chambers of Commerce and the UKTI. In 2004, Schofield Diamond Travel Ltd acquired Northenden Travel. This specialist travel management company had grown to become the largest member of the 700 strong Uniglobe organisation outside North America, and served over 400 corporate clients in the UK. With the advantage of enhanced service capabilities, the company was steered through a period of rapid growth. A crucial factor in this growth was the high incidence of personal recommendations from one University to another resulting in an increase in the number of Universities served to thirty. Under the new ownership, the synergetic benefits of the specialist tour operations in Far East markets and elsewhere were utilised to provide exceptional ground support services in the destination which were much appreciated by business travellers, especially by new visitors to Asia. Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 2

4 The company became the second largest travel management company in the North of Britain. It was also generously referred to as The Universities Far East Specialist, although similar derived benefits applied to most long haul destinations due to the range of other tour operator activities in the group. In 2011, all of the trading activities of Schofield Diamond Travel were transferred to Cresta World Travel and the business travel activities then traded under the name Northenden Diamond Travel. This development brought the additional benefit of increased scale, and the resources of the largest independent consolidator of airline tickets in the UK. Direct access to the resources of Jetset Travel, as a sister division within Cresta World Travel, increased the number of major airlines which provided exceptional rates for our customers to more than seventy. Organisation Structure A short description of each brand within the group is shown below: Northenden Diamond Travel provides a full service for all aspects of business travel and also online booking options for air, rail hotels and car hire. Cheshire Travel Centre is a full service retail travel agency which also manages Corporate Leisure Programmes for the benefit of employees of our corporate clients. Far East Gateways specialises in individual tailor-made luxury holidays to South East Asia and beyond. It enjoys the support of the leading airlines and hotel groups serving the Far East and Indian Ocean, and provides access to Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 3

5 preferential rates and essential ground support facilities for our corporate travellers. Fan Fare Events / USA Sportstours is our specialist sports tour and incentive travel division. It organises individual and group tours to major sporting events across the World, and similarly provides access to preferential rates and ground support facilities for our corporate travellers. Jetset Flights is the UK s largest independent consolidator of airline tickets and provides in-house access to exceptional IT fares which can be utilised for corporate travel where this complies with the relevant airline s terms and conditions of sale. The Travel Lounge specialises in tailor-made holidays, competitive air fares, city breaks, cruising and travel related services for independent travellers. Definitive Tours is a dedicated tour operator specialising in Africa, Indian Ocean resorts, Mauritius, Seychelles and Maldives. Jetset Tours & Tailor Made holidays caters for independent travellers to Australia, New Zealand, The Far East, South Pacific, USA, Canada and South Africa, with stopovers Round the World. Management Team Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 4

6 Key members of the Management team include: Nigel Schofield Commercial Director Samantha Ousey-Boland Account Manager Sandra Smith BT Operations Manager Ashley Millwaters Marketing Co-ordinator Lorraine Deeny Business Development Manager Julia Peel Finance Co-ordinator Sue Wall Leisure Operations The dedicated Account Manager provides a direct contact on any issue, adopting a proactive approach to best meet client requirements. Close liaison with the Travel Consultants and other members of the team ensure that the highest possible standard of service is maintained in all aspects of the client relationship. The Commercial Director will also respond to any enquiry addressed to him by a University employee. Travel Management Services Northenden Diamond provides a full service facility which embraces: A comprehensive global reservation and ticketing service for: Airlines Rail Hotels Car hire Ferries other travel ancillaries Full-service Reservations for enquiries by phone, , fax or on-line On-line booking facility with full support on demand Client Profile Management Supplier Negotiations Preparation of corporate travel guidelines Travel Policy compliance and deviation reporting Management Information Reports Dedicated Account Management 7*24 round-the-clock emergency service Ticket Delivery service Testimony to CSR Compliance Information on Government health advice and inoculation requirements for travellers Security notifications Traveller tracking Environmental impact minimisation Carbon emission tracking for product selection Carbon emission reporting Carbon trading options Corporate billing systems including Lodge and Purchasing cards Bill-backs E-procurement solutions Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 5

7 Passports and Visas Incentive travel Travel Insurance Group travel Conferences and meetings Charter flights Personal Travel and Employee package holiday discounts Employee Leisure Programmes Corporate hospitality Ground support services VIP Services The Application of Technology We make full use of the latest technological developments in order to deliver a high standard of service. Through both the Galileo and Evolvi Booking systems we utilise sophisticated fares search technology (including computerised re-iterative search programmes) which permits a rapid search by our Travel Consultants of all available options. - For air travel this includes all published fares, our own negotiated, nett, discounted, promotional, cluster and eligible IT fares, fares on low-cost airlines, creative but legitimate ticketing opportunities and the benefits to be derived from Complete Trip Planning. - For rail this includes all fare options on alternative train services, including discounted, advance and off-peak fares, and creative solutions with the advantage of a full appreciation of the fare rules applied by each train operating company. - For hotels this includes all quoted, discounted and available rates, our own negotiated rates and full access to Government rates where these can be legitimately applied. We also deploy the best rates available through our membership of the largest hotel accommodation purchasing consortium in the world. Comprehensive on-line booking systems offer the ability to book air (including low cost), rail, hotels and car hire. These systems can be configured to highlight and/or ensure compliance with travel policies, catering for either self-authorisation or a formal referral process for approvals. Our ISO9001 QC procedures will address all stages in the reservations process to ensure accuracy, and full support will be available for users of our self-booking facility during our working hours. The back office system produces an exceptional range of Management Information data which details savings, expenditure patterns and policy compliance for all full service and online bookings made through the agency booking tools. The system is Level 3 line item detail compliance for Purchase Card payments. Traveller tracking, mileage analysis and CO2 emissions are all accessible in online reporting. Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 6

8 The 24 hour Emergency Service Consultants can immediately reference any booking and implement necessary changes without delay to resolve travel problems. The changes will be incorporated in the MI reports. By these means we offer maximum choice and flexibility to the client. Accreditation and Licences Northenden Diamond Travel has all the appropriate licences and accreditations awarded by the regulatory bodies for the industry. The details and licence numbers are shown below: The company: - has membership of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) (A9415 and V5018) - holds licences from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) - ( , and ) - holds an Air Travel Organisers License (ATOL) issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (3200) - holds a British Rail licence (ATOC) (BR39) With the above licences, clients can be assured of full regulatory traveller protection and peace of mind. The company is also: - a member of Advantage, the UK s largest independent travel consortium - a member of Radius, the world s largest hotel accommodation buying consortium - accredited to the ISO 9001 quality standard - accredited to the ISO environmental standard. Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 7

9 CLIENT PROFILE We service the business travel management requirements of hundreds of client organisations across a broad spectrum of industries, with individual travel expenditure levels of between 10,000 and 2,000,000 per year. Current clients include over 30 Universities and the following Public Sector organisations: Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 8

10 This wide range of clients provides extremely valuable experience of the particular constraints and ethical standards under which such organisations operate, the very tight cost controls, and in some cases the influence exerted by Government on procedures and practices. We recognise that every private and public sector organisation has its own specific requirements, so we do adopt a flexible approach and tailor our service provision to meet the individual needs of each client. This requires an expansive skill base, broad experience, a pro-active approach to problem solving and a very detailed understanding of all industry developments and how best to derive advantage for each client s specific circumstances. Most of our clients engage very willingly into this approach with productive co-operation, whilst others pass the responsibility to ensure best practice in travel management entirely over to us. We are recognised by many travel providers - hotels, rail operators and airlines, as key suppliers of travel management services to Universities, the public and private sectors. As a consequence, our clients benefit not only through access to a sympathetic hearing by our suppliers on applications for specific client solutions, but also our ability to arrange cluster deals which bring tangible benefits to even those organisations with modest expenditure levels for specific suppliers or on specified routes. Similarly, the recognition of our organisation and senior management as respected voices of authority on travel industry developments by clients, suppliers and Government bodies is both testimony to our exceptional standing in the industry, and also provides an exceptional platform for our intervention on matters to derive benefits for our clients. Client Sector Profile Northenden Diamond Travel Company Overview page 9