By Kathleen Cassedy

The highlight of each ATME conference is during its ATLAS Awards Banquet, when the industry’s top marketing leaders are lauded by their colleagues. At the ATME 2000 conference, the evening event was hosted by Discover/Novus Services at Chicago Swisshotel, where four remarkable individuals were recognized for their innovative tactics and results-oriented programs.

ATLAS INSPIRATION AWARD TO ALAMO’S MIKE GOING
Mike Going, president of the U.S. Division of Alamo Rent-A-Car Incorporated, received the Atlas Inspiration Award, which honors industry leaders whose efforts and programs have involved multiple levels of constituents, and have provided potential income for diverse businesses and organizations of any size. “The most important thing about Mike is that he inspires his staff and those of us who work around him. I will probably stay in this industry because of people like him, and I think a lot of us feel that way,” said Mary Pat Sullivan, publisher of Miller Freeman Inc., who presented the award. “Mike earned his CTC (Certified Travel Counselor certification in 1997) and then committed his entire sales team to go through the program so that they would understand what their clientele—the travel agents—go through. I think that shows his inspiration for his team.”

Mike Going began his career with Alamo fifteen years ago as a manager of travel agency marketing. He was recently promoted to his present position responsible for all sales, marketing, airport relations, and brand delivery activities for the Alamo brand. As he worked he way up the corporate ladder, he has held numerous positions: director of commercial and association marketing, director of sales-Midwest, senior director of sales-central division, vice president industry sales & marketing, vice president domestic sales, and vice president worldwide sales.

Going has served and chaired on industry association boards for the American Society of Travel Agents and the National Business Travel Association. He was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Institute of Certified Travel Agents where he serves as Chairman of the ICTA Fund.

MARKETER BRUCE WOLFF RECEIVES ‘TO MARKET’ AWARD
The ATLAS Award “To Market,” recognizes innovation in attracting new customers through a specific channel. Bruce Wolff, senior vice president of distribution, sales & marketing for the hotel company, Marriott International, received the ATLAS Award “To Market” for the Marriott “re-distribution” program he and his team initiated. Wolff led the charge to change the rules and definition of a great partnership by raising the bar for travel agents by incorporating an education requirement into Marriott’s commission program. The Marriott program, which was the first of its kind in the travel industry, has proved extremely successful, with 135,000 graduates since its 1999 inception.
“The program was based upon the simple premise that distributors should be paid in proportion to their contribution to a company. It’s as simple as that,” said Terry Lee, Marriott’s senior director, travel industry programs and relations, who accepted the award for Wolff in absentia. “We think it is a disservice to travel agents if everyone is paid exactly the same, no matter what the extent of their loyalty or disloyalty, or commitment or indifference. We wanted to change that.”

The second premise of the program was to provide travel agents with tools to do the best job that they can to be successful and profitable. “Our program did cause a fair amount of controversy,” Lee admitted. “But after we explained the program, we came out with very positive results.”

VICKI FREED FOR CLIA’S IMC CAMPAIGN
Vicki Freed, senior vice president of Carnival Cruise Lines, who has been serving as Chair of the Cruise Lines Industry Association (CLIA) since 1998, received the ATLAS Award for Integrated Marketing for CLIA’s Cruise 2000 campaign. The campaign’s industrywide goal is to attract more people to cruise vacations. Its components comprise three broadcast tours, conducted throughout the country, in which shipboard staff and cruise directors went on a variety of TV and radio shows to talk about cruising as a viable vacation alternative to traditional land base vacations; a 30-minute television program distributed to cable and other broadcast television stations; a series of ongoing media briefings with CLIA’s executive staff, including its president and public relations director, designed to educate the media about the positive aspects of cruise vacations; four themed media kits; and a variety of partnership programs with the trade, especially travel agents.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT TO PHIL BAKES OF FAR & WIDE
The recipient of ATME’s most prestigious honor, the ATLAS Lifetime Achievement Award, Phil Bakes, president and CEO of the new travel company, Far & Wide, began his early career as a Watergate Special Prosecutor. His entry into the travel business began as counsel to the antitrust subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where he helped to spearhead hearings on airline deregulation and to write the airline deregulation act.

His long list of career highlights continues as general counsel with the Civil Aeronautics Board during deregulation of the U.S. aviation industry. In 1980, he joined Texas Air Corporation, where he helped start up New York Air, and acquire Continental Airlines. While president of Continental he is credited with leading the company out of bankruptcy, and ushering in substantial growth—the airline’s most profitable period in its 50-year history. In 1986, he became president and CEO of Eastern Airlines, where he implemented major restructuring, asset sales, cost reductions, streamline operations, and revamped the entire marketing program.

During his decade in the airline industry, Bakes and his colleagues led many notable initiatives, including a project called Airport of the Future, which was the precursor to electronic ticketing; simplified peak and off-peak pricing, which is credited with turning around Continental; and increasing travel agent market share in System 1 and Amadeus.

In 1990, Bakes founded and was president of Sojourn Enterprises Inc., a Miami-based advisory and merchant banking firm. In 1997, he cofounded Travel Industry Acquisition, the predecessor of Far & Wide Travel.

“Far & Wide’s goal is to provide a lifetime of enriching travel experiences for individuals, families, and groups to destinations around the world with an emphasis on exceptional customer service and destination expertise,” remarked Madigan Pratt, executive vice president with Trinity Communications, who presented the award. “This is being done by a series of acquisitions that allow Far & Wide to offer a wide range of value-added products and to address growing consumer needs.”

“Phil’s accomplishments have earned him numerous honors, including being named Tour Operator of the Year by Travel Agent magazine. We would like to add to that list of honors by presenting Phil Bakes with the ATME Atlas Award for Lifetime Achievement,” Pratt said.

In accepting the award, Bakes remarked that this is probably the most challenging time in the travel industry because of the new breed of traveler and the dramatic changes in technology. “The baby boomer, who is savvy, smart, and demanding, is changing what we have to do to be successful. It requires a successful travel company to have tremendous product development and product diversity to deliver that product through its own style and consistency.”

Bakes noted that Baby Boomers do not want escorted motorcoach tours, which they say is for their parents, but that they love group travel centered around a common interest, such as wine, food, art or biking. Just as airlines and cruiselines have consolidated, Bakes’ aim with Far & Wide is to consolidate the packaged tour segment of the travel industry. “The U.S. tour business is estimated to do $23 billion a year in revenue. But there’s 2,000 significant tour operators,” Bakes pointed out. “Consolidation is only our means to an end, which is to be the leading travel provider of a lifetime of enriching travel experiences,” he said. He also noted he was a little nervous in receiving this award, based on his successful career. “Success comes from a lot of hard work, good planning and execution, but also through a lot of good fortune. I know how fickle good luck can be,” he said. “We are thankful for our success and we will continue to stay focused.”