FAM TRIPS

Have you noticed the left-hand column listing FAMS, events and industry conferences and wanted to know more?

What is a FAM trip in the meetings industry? A FAM trip (short for familiarization trip) is an organized visit hosted by a hotel, resort, or tourism board. The goal is to give participants firsthand experience of the property and destination to see if it is a good match for their meetings and events. It would be easier to rely solely on specs, images and quotes but events offer more than you can see on paper.

When you attend a fam trip, you answer questions like:

• How easy is it to get here?

• How does this venue feel when it’s busy?

• Does the space work as well in reality as it does on a floor plan?

• How intuitive is the delegate journey?

• What local activities are available for our attendees?

That means walking the spaces, testing the flow, understanding the logistics and seeing how a venue operates when people are moving through it. You see meeting rooms, guestrooms, public areas, transport links and, just as importantly, the character of the destination itself through city tours and local activities and restaurants.

FAM trips are usually tightly scheduled, fast-paced, and full of site inspections, conversations, tastings, walking routes, and practical insights.

How long does a typical familiarization trip last? Most FAM trips run between two and five nights, depending on the scope of the destination and the number of experiences included.

Who pays for a FAM trip? The hosting organization, whether that's a hotel, DMO (Destination Management Organization), or tourism board, typically covers accommodation, meals, local transfers, and activities. Most opportunities also include the cost of airfare. The investment is justified by the potential new business.

In summary, a FAM trip is a way to experience a hotel and/or a destination without any cost, or very limited cost, to your organization. Seeing the properties and cities live offers new dimensions that don’t exist on paper or the internet. 

Sources: information gathered from the following articles:

Creating FAM Trips for Hotels and Tourism Brands | Mutant

What a fam trip is – and why they matter to our clients