Effective famils

Having just returned from experiencing an excellent famil to China organised by Best of Asia Travel marketing and Qantas, it made me realise that there are both good and bad famils and the most important thing is how effective they are for the conference planners. We know that most of the trips are fun-filled and are intended to be of value, but are they the answer for the information needed when sharpening the planning pencil? Do planners have the time to be away for more than 2 – 3 days? We know that time must be made to check out the venues and to experience the destination if a good result is to be got, which leads me to ask “How many planners are asked what is important to them in the need-to-know category?” The industry generally takes it upon itself to set the agenda and assume that the planner will go along with them, but for famils to be truly successful it should be a two-way street with relationship building and making sure all important planning problems are addressed on the spot.Getting a good group together, as in the China famil is extremely important – finding buyers with similar problems and needs. This is not that easy when all is said and done but it will give a much better outcome in the long term. If the relationship is established prior to the famil the planner will be much more likely to say: “No, I don’t want to see another castle or spend more time shopping, let's get down to the nitty gritty”A planner's time is so limited that a shorter famil that is well-planned will have more chance of being accepted than an airy fairy trip with lots of time “at leisure”.By the way, both Beijing and Shanghai are changing so rapidly that I didn’t recognise much of either city after an absence of three years.