The Hotel Booking Agents Association (HBAA) has highlighted 'the good, the bad and the ugly' of the industry in its first 15 years, says executive director Peter Ducker. The industry has come a long way in terms of transparency and professionalism since the association's formation, he told meetpie.com.

“Before the HBAA there was nowhere for hotel booking agents to get together. Its formation coincided with the commercialisation of the internet and the spread of people booking online. Many of the travel management companies were beginning to look at hotel and meeting space – many of them are still dancing around their handbags about it. Now I think everyone understands the HBAA’s value and proposition.

“It is a deregulated sector, so a code of conduct was massively important to differentiate the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Ducker believes that the industry is going to evolve further still, as strategic meetings management becomes more commonplace.

“There has to be transparency. The days of agents saying they offer a free service are long gone. The buying community is becoming far more professional in the way it procures meetings and events. It has been like that with transient travel but M&E has tended to slip through the net. It’s good for agencies because they deliver value and it is good for venues as they can engage sensibly, not randomly. There’s an ongoing need to support that trend.”

Professional development will also be important for the sector’s growth, Ducker predicts: “As an industry we need to do more to retain more talent. Hospitality is no longer the career of last resort or what you do while waiting for a grown up job.”

The HBAA Annual Forum takes place at Radisson Blu Stansted Airport Hotel, September 6-7.

Pictured: Peter Ducker