How to vet a Travel Director before the program week
Vetting a Travel Director comes down to three checks before you commit: they have run your kind of program, their onsite habits fit how your team works, and they have a plan for when things go wrong.
Once a program is live, your Travel Director is the person your guests see first and the person your planner calls when the coach is late. You will not have time to find out mid-program that the fit is wrong. This checklist is the process we suggest running before you confirm anyone.
If you need a refresher on the role itself, start with what a Travel Director does.
Start with the program, not the profile
Before you look at a single profile, write down what the program actually needs. A Travel Director who is excellent on a 40-person executive retreat may not be the right lead for a multi-wave incentive with several hotels. Note these four things first:
- Program type: incentive trip, corporate meeting, conference, or a mix.
- Role: lead Travel Director, or functional coverage such as the hospitality desk, airport arrivals, transport, or activities.
- Group profile: size, how senior the guests are, and whether there are VIPs who need their own host.
- Specialty needs: a language, destination knowledge, or accessibility experience.
Now you are checking people against a real brief instead of a general impression.
Check experience by program type
Ask for specific programs, not years in the industry. The details they give back tell you more than the summary.
| Program type | What to ask about |
|---|---|
| Incentive trip | Awards nights, welcome and farewell events, guest gifting, and how they keep high earners feeling looked after all week. |
| Corporate meeting | Session timing, room sets, speaker and AV coordination, and working alongside a client-side planner. |
| Multi-wave or multi-property | Handing off between waves, keeping manifests straight across hotels, and briefing staff who join mid-program. |
| VIP-heavy program | Discretion, executive transport, last-minute changes, and how they handle requests that bend the plan. |
| International or language-specific | Destination experience, the languages they work in, and how they work with local suppliers and the DMC. |
Ask about onsite habits
Experience tells you what someone has done. Habits tell you how your program will feel to run. Ask them to walk you through a normal program day:
- How they set up and run the hospitality desk, and what they track there.
- How they work from manifests and rooming lists, and how they catch errors before guests do.
- How and when they update the planner or account lead during the day.
- What their end-of-day report looks like, and who it goes to.
- How they handle a guest complaint they cannot fix on the spot.
Good answers are specific and a little boring. That is what you want onsite.
Ask about backup plans
Every program has a day that does not go to plan. Ask what they did the last time a flight was cancelled, a coach did not show, or a guest needed medical help. Then ask the question people skip: what happens if they get sick before or during the program? Strong Travel Directors usually have an answer and know people they would recommend to cover.
Questions to ask before you confirm
- Tell me about a program like this one that you led. What was your role?
- Who did you report to onsite, and how did you keep them updated?
- What is the hardest thing that went wrong on a recent program, and what did you do?
- How do you prepare in the weeks before you travel?
- What do you need from us to do your best work?
- Which parts of a program do you like least? (Honest answers here are useful.)
- Can you connect me with a planner or account lead you worked with recently?
- What are your rate, travel days, and availability for these dates?
Red flags
- Answers stay general even when you ask for a specific program.
- They cannot name anyone you could speak with about their work.
- They blame suppliers, guests, or past clients for every problem story.
- They are vague about availability or keep other dates on hold without saying so.
- They have no plan for what happens if they cannot travel.
- Scope, rate, or travel days keep shifting after you have agreed them.
Before you send the confirmation
Put the scope in writing: dates including travel days, role, who they report to onsite, rate, and what you cover for travel and accommodation. A short written confirmation prevents most of the misunderstandings that show up on arrival day.
Where to find Travel Directors to vet
Event ConnecTD is software that helps MICE teams find freelance and full-time meeting and travel professionals. Your staffing managers can search Travel Director profiles and contact people directly. See how it works for companies, our page on hiring Travel Directors, and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What should I look for in a Travel Director?
Look for experience on your kind of program, onsite habits that fit how your team works, and a clear plan for when things go wrong. Ask for specific programs they have led rather than years in the industry.
How do I check a Travel Director's references?
Ask for a planner or account lead they worked with on a recent program. Ask that person what the Travel Director owned onsite, how they communicated, and whether they would book them again.
What is the difference between a lead Travel Director and functional staff?
A lead Travel Director runs the program onsite and is the main point of contact for the planner. Functional staff cover one area, such as the hospitality desk, airport arrivals, transport, or activities.