Forward Travel Group has entered a new phase of growth, with significant investment in technology, a strengthened leadership team and ambitious plans to scale the business over the coming three years.
Following third-party investment and the appointment of a new board, the group – a specialist travel management business delivering industry-leading logistics solutions across key markets in the global sports space – is now focused on building on the foundations established over the past 12 months, with technology and data visibility at the heart of its strategy.
With over 30 years’ experience, the group’s Forward Travel business has built a strong reputation for managing complex travel logistics for professional athletes, tournament organisers and broadcast production teams. Its support of professional golfers, helping players travel seamlessly and stress-free during their playing schedule, has allowed Forward Travel to build an extensive client portfolio that includes some of the biggest organisations in the game, including the DP World Tour, European Tour Group, Ryder Cup, Ladies European Tour, Solheim Cup, LPGA and IMG.
In recent years, Forward Travel Group has expanded beyond its established B2B sports travel operation into the consumer and leisure sectors, with ‘Find a Golf Break’ offering a wide choice of ready-to-book golf escapes within the UK and abroad, and ‘Forward Inspire’ aiming to create unforgettable experiences designed to educate, develop and inspire the next generation of sporting talent, with expert travel planning from a team that understands the needs of schools, teachers, coaches and young athletes.
To help spearhead Forward Travel Group’s vision and target for growth, Neil Richardson has joined as chief commercial officer from Rick Shiels Media, strengthening its commercial leadership. Caroline Shukla has also joined to boost marketing capabilities, while there are plans to bring in a new business development Ddrector for the business, travel and media department, as well as a sales manager dedicated to Find a Golf Break, where the company sees significant untapped potential.
The group has also made mulitple investments in technology, with the aim of bringing greater visibility across the business, connecting previously separate operations and providing clearer insight into performance and opportunities. The influence of AI will also play an increasing role, with Forward planning to use the technology to streamline processes including quote generation, allowing its teams to spend more time developing opportunities, engaging with customers and converting leads.
The investment forms part of an ambitious growth strategy combining organic development with strategic mergers and acquisitions.
Over the next 12 months, Forward is looking to partner with additional professional players across the DP World Tour, Ladies European Tour and beyond. The group also sees significant opportunity to make greater use of its existing partnerships, including its relationship with the Ladies European Tour.
Longer term, the business has set its sights on building a £500 million travel group over the next decade, with golf providing the foundations for scalable models that could ultimately be replicated across other sports.
Neil Richardson, Chief Commercial Officer at Forward Travel Group, said: “Our ambition is to build a high-growth business, and the foundations for that are now in place. We have invested heavily in technology, brought together the right leadership team and created much better visibility across the group. The next phase is about execution – making sure we adopt these systems properly, use the data available to us and turn that investment into growth. We have a clear three-year plan, but we are also thinking much further ahead. Our long-term ambition is to build a £500 million travel business, and we are translating that into tangible targets for the team today.”
For more information about Forward Travel Group, visit www.forward-travel.com