The Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) last week celebrated its 15th anniversary since launching at the Heathrow Radisson Edwardian hotel.
Current Executive Director Peter Ducker told CN he was one of four agency leaders who decided to try to gather like-minded booking agents in an association designed to set standards and differentiate the growing “responsible” businesses that had emerged in the sector from the cowboys.
“As the larger agency businesses gathered in size and worked with large corporates more, they needed to demonstrate good governance,” said Ducker, explaining the need for a new association.
Hotel clients were asked to recommend the best agents they worked with and 40 were invited to an inaugural meeting at the Radisson Edwardian on 27 July 1997.
“Thirty-five turned up,” said Ducker, who noted the then existing associations did not seem to provide the answer for the booking agents.
“The Meetings Industry Association (MIA), at that time, was focused on meetings business, whereas a lot of our agents were focussed on transient business.”
Ducker noted the main driver for the move to unite was the need to define ethical standards and to raise the bar.
“The internet was just gathering momentum as a route to market and there was some concern that this could be a death knell for agents, whereas the reverse has been the truth, as we know,” he said. “We needed to be visible, too, and many feared our voices weren’t being heard by the hotel community. There was also concern over competition from the travel management companies.”
The initial idea of a name was the British Association of Hotel Booking Agents. “We liked the name but that was difficult to register so we settled on HBAA,” Ducker added.
A charter was drawn up, which was developed to become the HBAA code of conduct.
“We couldn’t do that in a bubble and we needed to draft it with the people we did business with – the venues,” Ducker pointed out.
“It took a year to get it all legally correct and the hotels joined in as ‘signatories’ initially, before becoming full members later,” he told CN.
Where does Ducker stand on today’s debate over whether there are too many associations representing meeting and event industry professionals?
He had this to say: “There should be as many associations as have a valid place in the industry and which have a mandate through their membership.
“I am a real believer in the Business Visits and Events Partnership (BVEP) and we should all work together when the issues warrant it.
“However, if you have an industry that is too broad, covering anything from event riggers to venue car park staff, through stand contractors and venue bookers, you have problems identifying your constituency. The danger is being seen as too fragmented.
“Our (HBAA) members, for example, are not always interested in the minutiae of venue workings.
“There is room for a federation of industry associations, each with its own issues and each with a mandate. Above the associations should be the federation. Ultimately, of course, the market will decide.”
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