A company’s growth can be gauged by the team they foster, STIC Travel Group; a well esteemed 50-year-old legend is the perfect example of a company that stands for amalgamations and teamwork. Travel Turtle spoke to Isha Goyal, Executive Director & CEO, STIC Travel Group and Abhimanyu Khanna, CEO, Take-A-Break about the launch of their MICE brand ‘StepUp Xperience.’
The tourism sector not only earns international business but also plays a crucial role in supporting the national economy. MICE have become a growing phenomenon to support the expanding tourism industry of developing tourism destinations. The travel industry is buzzing since STIC and T-A-B announced their collaboration for an experience lead venture in the MICE space. StepUp Xperience ensures to enter the industry to create a mode which is highly experiential and led by brilliant brains in the business.
Stepping up the ladder!
A company’s name is its most important founding stone, which acts as an identity for the company. Isha had an interesting story around it where days went by discussing the right name. The industry has many individuals working in a pattern which is very similar to one another. After a much gruelling back and forth both Isha and Abhimanyu were sure to set themselves apart and take the next step, which led to StepUp. “As for the X in Xperience it stands for the X factor we plan to bring to the table in creating a personalised and individualised journey for every client,” shares Isha.
STIC, being the best at what they do, and TAB led by a bunch of young people make a combination that is like a 100 per cent return on your investment. They complement each other, as STIC brings a legacy to the table where they have been pioneers at introducing different brands and destinations to Indian travellers. Whereas, being an event company TAB has seized the domestic market with its exciting rich quality content which they plan to inculcate for the MICE experience.
In a market which is so competitive something which is beyond the run-of-the-mill, off sites or events which are done by every company, StepUp wants to focus on the kind of content they offer and the sort of experience they create for their clients. Furthermore, Abhimanyu adds his thoughts about creating a niche space for the brand and says, “With step up, we don’t want to be big guys of the industry, we are looking to work with quality people and offer quality services to our clients that will only be achieved by being a step ahead. The idea is to remain ahead of everyone and create the market trend rather than being a part of it.”
Branching opportunities
All the big companies in the tourism sector have their MICE divisions, including several individual operators playing the field to grab opportunities. Isha enlightens us with the purpose of a market player that stands out and says, “When initiating the process to create this venture, our basic idea was to come up with some sort of specialised service and solution provider that is different in every aspect.”
The expertise the brand brings to the table adds a lot of credibility which helps the adjoining companies to grow. She further adds, “Coming out of the pandemic into a boom in travel upon travel from India, we were looking for new opportunities our brand can pivot into, MICE was one area that came naturally, as it is one of the fastest and highest growing segment within the travel Industry.”
The segment enjoys high demand from the industry; often what we see is just the tip of the iceberg. It is a segment which is often misconstrued and deserves a lot more than it is getting. The scope of opportunity is much higher when it comes to creating business, StepUp aims to walk in as a structured and organised professional service provider. The idea is to not only provide travel and logistics but to create structured professional help for the clients and venture into new high-growth areas.
Apart from the industry rat race
An industry with multiple players tends to fall into the vicious circle of degraded work quality. The major problem that we are facing as an industry is finding the right people to deliver the job. “It is eminent for the industry to have a level of transparency when it comes to providing services, with the lack of trust clients are unable to find the right agencies or vendors to work with. This leads to a reduced number of conversions, which hampers everyone in the industry,” shares Abhimanyu.
Right now most of the MICE companies that are there in the market are in a rat race; everyone is hiring people and chasing business blindly. They are unable to understand the importance of that personalised experience and touch. He further adds, “TAB has always been about giving that personal attention to our clients, while STIC also believes in giving that special edge to every customer they work with. Prioritizing our common values of transparency and consistency in the service is our intent.”
The process of selection in terms of the partners that they are planning to work with will create the stepping stones for the growth of the company. “We want to control the quality of service or experience that we provide, which entails us to choose the people that we work with very cautiously. We are working with the people that we know and trust to maintain the standard and quality provided by StepUp,” shares Isha.
People make companies, companies don’t make people!
A company’s growth is determined by the growth of its team, to ensure the successful working of any brand it is important to build a team that works hand in hand with a similar ideology. When asked about the future of the brand, Isha shares “Being in the business of providing services it is imperative to build a team that works to provide and deliver the vision we are trying to achieve. Finding people that are aligned with the values that the brand is based on will be our priority.”
Providing personalised and tailor-made services to clients in order to create an authentic reputation for the brand requires the team to step up in their sectors and create a holistic approach. “The human resource is the key resource for any organization, if your team works efficiently and supports the customer’s needs, your business will automatically flourish with leaps and bounds. So, our main focus will be to get the right people and ensure that they carry forward the values and expectations that are the basis of our brand. Our clients should feel the difference in the experience of services and the approach that we plan to put forth while creating a recall value for our clients,” adds Abhimanyu.
Choose the right partners
There are a couple of MICE markets that are relevant and are experiencing a lot of influx, including Thailand, Singapore, and Dubai. Tapping the right market for the growth of a brand is pertinent to selecting the right partners to work with. Isha believes that while choosing the DMCs, fulfilment providers and service providers, they have to go through a filteration process. They plan to work with partners that understand the crux of the brand. Isha mentions, “Both Abhimanyu and I have been tapping into our experience, our resources, and our networks to try and make sure that we have got everything in place and ready for the launch. Quality is something that we don’t want to compromise on, which entails us selecting the local market leaders that provide the same transparent, consistent quality of service.”
There are four or five relevant MICE markets that are appropriate for the MICE business that StepUp wants to service. They are working with the local market leaders that also provide the same kind of transparent, consistent quality of service.
Furthermore, Abhimanyu shares his opinion and says, “While choosing these partners we did not go for whichever partner gives us the lowest price, but with the ones that provide a certain level of quality. When working with Indian clients they expect a kind of flexibility that can only be attained by working with partners that provide quality service that are adaptable.”
Setting StepUp apart!
StepUp has the advantage of a strong backbone with STIC and TAB to facilitate and conduct MICE travel experience that is different, whether it is a corporate off-site or a destination wedding or a conference, they have clear SOPs laid out for the people that they are working with. They already have clear directions and frameworks based on best practices not just in India but globally from other experts around the world who’ve been doing this for years.
Isha shares, “The two organizations behind the brand, the team that we’re trying to put together in terms of experts in their own spaces and the organizational framework to support that team along with the brand promise are the three things that set us apart.”
While the team and the partners are getting into place the next step is the execution for any organisation to which Abhimanyu adds, “I think that we are the doctors to understand the mindset of any customer and provide them with the right medicine in terms of services. If we can gauge the expectations of a client, the job becomes much simpler and smoother.”
The scope of growth in the MICE segment is exponential, when dealt with a meticulous strategy and the right attitude and team, it can create ripples in the tourism sector like no other segment. ‘StepUp Xperience’ is all set to come forth and introduce its tailor-made techniques to take clients on a personalised journey.
