FAM Tours- 7 steps and 3 tables to success

I wrote this blog post about FAM tours in 2009, when I had a tourism consulting company. I posted it on this website about a year ago, and many people commented on how helpful the information was. Since I am working on no fewer than 3 FAM tours at my job this spring, I thought it was a good time to share the information again. Let me know if you have any questions!

FAM tours, or a Familiarization trip, are an important activity in the tourism industry. Even in these days of virtual tours and Google, actually visiting a destination is always better than just looking at photos or reading other’s impressions. The problem is that very few people can afford to take extended time away from their offices so FAM’s have to be worthwhile. Not too long ago, FAMs were a fun, all expenses paid way to visit a destination and be wined and dined. Not anymore. Corporate travel policies, overburdened staff and diminishing CVB budgets have turned FAMs into a business transaction in which all parties have specific expectations.

Here are some helpful hints to make sure your guests have a memorable experience at your facility and will want to use your business.

1.Keep it brief.

Remember that these are not regular visitors who want to spend several hours on a leisurely tour of your attraction. They are usually on a tight time schedule and need to see your highlights in an abbreviated time frame. Don’t spend your precious minutes complaining about the limited time- instead, tell them the 3-5 things that are great and unique about your business.

2.Know your audience.

Meeting planners, tour operators and travel writers are the typical FAM attendee groups. Make sure you understand who you will be touring around – they have different requirements and there is no need to show a tour operator your extensive meeting space that they will never use. Check out the tables below to give you an idea of what is important to each of those clients.

Attractions- Museums, Gardens, Historic Homes, etc

Restaurants

3.Limit your collateral.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience when I tell you that 80% of what is handed out on a FAM as far as sales kits, gifts and other collateral ends up on the hotel room floor at check out. A business card and one sheet of information will be sufficient unless someone asks for more.

4.Remember to follow-up with any requested information.

If someone asks to have information sent to them, it is because they want to do business with you or feature you in an article. Do it quickly and include a hand written note thanking them for their interest.

5.Limit gifts.

The craziest gift I ever got was a blow-up Shamu in my hotel room bathtub when I was a meeting planner and on a FAM trip to San Antonio. It was about 6 feet long! Remember that these clients most likely arrived by plane and have limited space to carry things home. A better idea is to mail it to their office. An even better idea is to mail a basket full of goodies that everyone in the office can enjoy.

6. Remember that you are a part of a whole.

When you are talking about your facility, put in the context of how you partner with attractions, restaurants, and the CVB. Planners, operators and travel writers see so many places that it helps to put the pieces of a destination together if everyone else does it as well.

7. Hosting potential customers at your facility does not guarantee business

and it almost always means business will not appear for a while. International tour operators work 12-18 months in advance of a tour package being promoted. Meeting planners and motorcoach tour operators may be looking at 6 months to a year in advance. And travel writers often write the story and then have to find a publisher; their articles may be published a year after they visit.

If you follow these simple rules, you will look a FAM tour pro: giving potential business partners the information they need in an efficient, simple manner tailored to their needs. Good luck!