Baldwins Travel, Tunbridge Wells

The multi-floored store houses nine sales staff plus an additional foreign exchange expert, the central marketing team, a group bookings team, a business travel team and senior management. There’s a small garden where they host an annual summer party with champagne and canapes, which is becoming more and more popular every year.

Manager Kim Lacey has an impressively experienced team. Janet has been to the Caribbean 42 times, Mervin has been with the business for 40 years and what Matthew doesn’t know about the US isn’t really worth knowing!

Lacey emphasises that the team is the agency’s biggest asset and she is keen to keep replenishing that stock with both new recruits and knowledge.

There has been heavy investment in marketing with two staff now manning the department, and activities include publishing the company’s Travel Collection magazine, advertising in local press and a new #HolidayInspirations Show: a family fun day out with activities such as abseiling and a low ropes course, face painting, cream teas and the chance to meet suppliers.

Lacey also sits on the Tunbridge Wells council and tries to organise cross-marketing initiatives with other local businesses such as a promotion in the luggage section of Fenwicks.

The team aims to make life as easy as possible for clients by doing things like delivering tickets. Sometimes though they have to go out of their way to make sure a client’s holiday goes to plan. For example, when Lacey received a call on a Bank Holiday Sunday about clients with young kids who had arrived at their villa to discover there was no key, she dashed into the office and managed to contact the supplier so the family could enjoy their holiday as planned.

• baldwinstravel.co.uk