UK Market director at Virgin Voyages SJ Walker shares her thoughts on the value of experiencing your own brand
“Working in travel, we spend our days talking about experiences. We explain what makes a product different, help First Mates (travel agents) understand who it’s really for, and try to bring a holiday to life for someone who’s never tried it.
But nothing replaces trying it yourself.
First-hand knowledge gives you credibility the moment you speak about it. That’s true across our industry, be it a cruise line, hotel brand, airline or tour operator – it doesn’t matter. It matters most when you’re sitting across from a trade partner. In my experience, First Mates don’t want just a feature list. They want to know how something feels, which Sailors (guests) it suits, and the small moments they can use to sell it. You only get those from a website or brochure by accident. You get them properly by living them.
I was reminded of that recently, spending a week onboard Valiant Lad during our UK Comedy Fest. I know the product professionally; that’s my job. But experiencing it as my own holiday is a different thing entirely. You start noticing the small stuff. You overhear what other Sailors are actually saying to each other. You enjoy the holiday the same way everyone else onboard does, because for that week, you are everyone else onboard.
For me, there’s a personal thread running through it, too. Four years ago, my partner proposed to me onboard Virgin Voyages, and we celebrated that evening at The Wake. This time round, we got to sit at the same table and order the same wine, and it felt so special. We’ve enjoyed birthday celebrations onboard, and we took our first grown-up break after becoming parents again. It’s stitched into a fair few of our chapters at this point.
It also means I come home with new stories worth telling. There’s something genuinely rewarding about sitting onboard and hearing a Sailor rave about an experience unprompted. From which restaurant they loved and why, to what caught them off guard, and what they’ll tell their mates the second they’re home, it’s fascinating intel. That’s a real source of pride for me. It’s also first-hand insight I couldn’t manufacture any other way, and I bring it straight back into every conversation with our trade partners.
That’s exactly why chances for professionals to experience what they sell matter so much. Ship visits and fam trips already carry huge value, but I’d go further: those of us working for travel brands should be practising what we preach whenever we get the chance.
We ask First Mates to believe in our products. We ask Sailors to spend their precious holiday time and money with us. Being prepared to do the same ourselves gives that belief authenticity – and better stories to tell when we get back.”
