A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SPORTS TRAVEL MANAGER
An interview with Michelle SampleWe caught up with Michelle Sample, Sports Travel Manager…
Sports travel is full of challenges that are unique to the industry. Nobody knows that more than Michelle. With decades’ worth of sports travel management experience, Michelle is a big part of projects which span continents and tournaments – from the Olympic Games to the Euros, she has been at the forefront of getting officials and athletes from A to B and back again.
In this article, we chat with Michelle about her day-to-day responsibilities as a Sports Team Manager at Gray Dawes Sports, her alternate future as a sports journalist, and her work on a team implanted with British Cycling…
Hi Michelle. Could you tell us a bit more about your role and career as a Sports Team Manager?
As a Sports Travel Manager, I deal with the team on a day-to-day basis. I field their questions, look at their training needs, and even train them myself, particularly in my specialist area of group travel.
Part of my role is assessing the strengths of my team and figuring out what projects or clients they would suit best. Every member of our team has a different set of skills and knowledge. I like to ensure that a client is looked after by people who understand and can deal with their specific demands with ease.
I like to start the day with a morning huddle for about 10 to 15 minutes. We use this time to go through every booking we have and establish what everyone has planned. This allows me to see if I can free up anyone’s time or establish whether any projects can be worked on as a group.
We then go through our mailboxes. Even though I’m a team manager, I get stuck in with the day-to-day stuff too. I deal with account management, making sure that all of our clients are well looked after, contact suppliers to arrange staff training, and negotiate deals. It’s a very mixed bag.
Sports Travel Statistics
The number of athletes that travelled to the Paris 2024 Olympics from every continent of the world.
The weight difference between a professional male rugby player and the average man – good to know when booking flights for a team…
The amount of direct spending generated by the sports travel sector in 2023 according to the Sports Business Journal.
Tell us a bit more about your career before coming to Gray Dawes Sports.
It all started when I finished Sixth Form College. Believe it or not, I got a place at Leeds University to study Journalism as I wanted to be a Sports Journalist.
But I had a conversation with my careers advisor and she told me about an opportunity that had come up at a local travel management company. They were offering a salary of £10,000 and at 18 years old that was a lot of money. It was an eye-opener. It made me think: ‘Do I really want to go to university?’
I started as a junior in hotel, accommodation, and corporate car rentals. I would do all of the ticketing which back then was a manual job. We had ticket printers and I had to stamp and sort all of these tickets – I actually loved it!
After about 5 or 6 years another role came up in Leeds. It was a sports travel opportunity and I jumped at the chance. That was 17 years ago now. It’s crazy to think I’ve been in sports travel for nearly two decades.
How has your workday or the industry changed since the beginning of your career?
My workday has changed so much. The way that airlines work is perhaps the biggest change. The flexibility they offer is different and the things they do and don’t charge for are not the same as they once were.
The rules seem to change by the week! New airlines have come into existence while others have gone bust. That’s not to mention all of the new airports and routes which have been established since I started in the industry. Thinking about it is making me feel very old!
In terms of sports travel, I think clients are more cost-orientated than they were in the past. Many years ago, when flights and hotels were cheaper, I don’t think the cost of travel was as closely scrutinised as it is now. A lot of teams and organisations have also lost funding from sources that they relied on in the past so they have to be a lot stricter in what they can and can’t afford when it comes to their travel programmes.
What is your favourite part of your role? Do you have any career highlights?
What I like most about my job is that we all work as a team and treat elite athletes who travel with us like normal people. I think that’s why they keep coming back to us.
Of course, they are VIPs and we treat them as VIPs, but we also treat them as a person rather than someone who is a name in lights. They want a good service, a brilliant experience and to be spoken to like everybody else.
In terms of career highlights, I think working in the implant of British Cycling in Manchester was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I was having dinner with cycling superstars like Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy – it was great.
I also got to see the mechanics working on these amazing Olympic-level bikes. It was fascinating enough to watch, but there was an added level of intrigue for me as a sports travel specialist. It allowed me to get a better sense of what these guys needed from their travel in terms of equipment and excess baggage. It’s not an experience you get every day.
What advice would you give people who want to break into the business travel industry or become a Sports Travel Manager?
First and foremost, I think you do need to like sport. If you don’t, then I don’t think you’ll ever fully understand a sports client’s needs.
It’s good knowledge to have. if you don’t like football, for example, you might struggle to understand why a football team need so much extra baggage or the relationship that players or managers have with travel.
You also need to have a curious mind and always be thinking on your feet. You need to anticipate and respond to challenges that are specific to the needs of each client. How can you make the journey for a para-athlete who uses a wheelchair smoother? Could you secure extra seats on a plane to account for extra equipment? Things like that.
I think having a corporate travel background is a pretty good foundation. Even though sports travel is unique, the processes and theories are technically the same. You can learn more about sports travel as an industry on the job, but having a bit of corporate travel knowledge will make the transition more seamless.
Finally, a few quickfire questions…
Favourite place you have visited?
Vegas is probably my favourite place. I went in January for my birthday and I thought it was going to be very hot… It was snowing – the first snow in like 20 years! But it was brilliant. All the different hotels and people and everyone getting along, even though it is quite full on.
If you do go my advice is to make an itinerary as you’ll end up missing things. Plus make sure to bring trainers because you’ll be on your feet a lot.
Any interesting hobbies or stories?
I like to go walking with my dog in different places in the countryside. I think it’s beautiful, especially walking in the morning as the sun rises – it’s a brilliant way to start your day.
As for hidden talents (and don’t hold me to this) I used to play the trumpet at school. Now, I don’t know whether I could still play it. It was only to get me out of maths lessons.
Favourite food and drink?
An espresso martini is my go-to cocktail. I can have quite a few of those and it’s often followed by heart palpitations! If they’re not on the menu, I like a baby Guinness. As for food, I’d say Mexican. I can’t pick a specific dish.
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