A day in the life of ... Andrew Brownrigg

01-Aug-08 Alyson Cook

He set up Surrey-based agency Haslemere Travel with his wife Di - who has a colonial and Foreign Office background - in 1988. From a small, first- floor office, they set out to concentrate on the leisure holiday market and specialise in creating personal and tailormade itineraries. The agency moved to larger premises nearer the commuter town's high street in 2006: it currently has 5,100 clients on its database, plus a turnover of £3.3m.

9:00 AM Brownrigg arrives at his office, just a short drive from his Haslemere home, to catch up on emails, log on to Travel Mole and open the post. He also finalises his registration as a buyer for the ILTM show in Cannes.

Formerly a toy shop and a gas showroom, the large, light, open-plan office includes five door-facing desks, arranged in a semi-circle, as well as sofas, bookshelves packed with travel guides and souvenirs, African wooden sculptures and an antique globe. The feel is comfortable and casual. To the right of the door there is a small display area and video screen, with coffee-table travel and cook books and a large, much-treasured BA model aircraft, which Brownrigg assures me would be coveted by the airline "if they knew I possessed it". There is a notable absence of travel brochures.

"We took the decision to drop brochure displays a couple of years ago as part of a rebranding exercise," he says. "We brought in a consultancy to create a new image, so that our clients saw us as something different, not just selling holidays, which they can easily find on the web. We now discuss with clients what is needed, and we do still book with our partners, the operators; brochures are available if required, just not on the shelves. We sell our expertise instead under the slogan The Greatest Travel Experience." He admits the move had to have staff support, because "they're now in the firing line. It takes time to be comfortable with the lack of brochures, they can't hide behind them now."

10:00 AM Several potential clients pop in, one of whom is requesting brochures for Antigua, but is quickly helped by Tina Ridgway, Brownrigg's office manager for the past 19 years and "a font of knowledge", he says.

The agency has five front-line staff, two secretarial and admin staff plus a cruise consultant.

Much of the company's business is now done by email, says Brownrigg. "Businesss has changed rapidly in the past 10 years; before then, we were busy building up our local profile" - he is a past president of the town's chamber of commerce and a trustee of the Haslemere Millennium Trust and of the Haslemere Festival. The agency also supports local charities and voluntary organisations, as well as sponsoring local sporting and fundraising events.

Having started with a small database of loyal leisure customers from their previous London business, "this now covers the local Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire neighbourhood, as well as many clients around the UK and even overseas." The agency also runs a bi-monthly luncheon club for 20-30 clients, co-hosted by tour operators such as Kirker.

11:00 AM Brownrigg has a meeting to discuss marketing with Gemma Antrobus, whom he has recently appointed to take over as managing director when he steps down in November this year.

"Gemma has a background in hotel, event and hospitality management; she will concentrate on introducing the new marketing plan and liaise with the existing management on creating a new strategic business plan for the continued development of the company," he says.

He admits he has yet to formalise what will constitute his average working day after Antrobus takes over: "We will have to find our way as we go along and what suits the business best." Both he and Di are joint owners and are fully involved : Di joins us later for a meeting to discuss the follow- up on a client's recent trip to Tanzania. The Brownriggs have an affinity for Africa and they are keen to find out about this particular client's experience. All clients receive a welcome-home card on their return and, in some cases, flowers.

The company is keen to participate in training and network events as often as possible. "All sales staff are expected to take part in at least two overseas educationals per year, as well as domestic sales and product training workshops and trade events," he says.

The agency windows currently display several large photos from Bhutan, taken by Di on a recent visit, as well as a mock-up of Orient-Express train dining and Caribbean views. Dressing the windows is important, says Brownrigg "and key to our look". Weekly office meetings are held to discuss company affairs and trade developments; once a month these also incorporate training visits from supplier partners, and regular visits from marketing representatives and overseas hotel and operator visits are encouraged.

1:00 PM During lunch at an Italian pasta restaurant - "I normally have a salad at my desk as I am watching my cholesterol," claims Brownrigg - he debates the status of the agency, claiming it is now moving nearer to being an operator. "We work with specialists, we are not not just based on price," he says.

A member of Advantage, the agency was also an early member of the AITO Specialist Travel Agents group. "We remain committed to working with specialist independent tour operators, such as A&K, and to building a rapport with luxury and character hotels around the world," he adds.

3:30 PM Brownrigg begins proof reading the agency's latest 16-page news letter, which goes out to 5,000 clients twice a year, as well as on the website. It contains photos and accounts by staff of recent trips; destinations range from Cambodia to the Caribbean, Prague to Istanbul. "It helps to stimulate business, as well as demonstrate the expertise of our staff at the same time," he says.

MY FAVOURITE

Hotel: Kipungani on Lamu, Kenya: no TV, no wi-fi, no CD player, no telephone - just complete escapism.

Destination: Kenya.

Transport: Walking safaris or in open-top vehicles.

Career highlight to date: 20 years of Haslemere Travel with loyal staff, a good reputation and a few trade acknowledgements along the way; being chairman of AITO Specialist Travel Agents (2003-5).

Top tip: Wherever possible, take a local boat trip or a walk around the back streets on arrival.

Luxury is: Whatever makes you feel most comfortable; a nice bed, good view, good local food.

Travel firms I admire: Earth, Travel by Design.

ANDREW BROWNRIGG'S THOUGHTS ON ...

Staff recruitment and retention: In August 2008, the company retained its status as an Investors in People business after satisfying the renewal process. On bonuses: "It was the staff's choice not to be incentivised individually, so we run a profit-sharing system as a bonus; it's more of an office reward and very teamwork-based."

Fam trips: Staff take at least two fam trips a year, 'but we are going to increase that and are looking at arranging them ourselves, paying for the individual flights and then getting the itinerary organised - so it will be our own training ground.'

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