Selling Travel: Connecting with Customers to Drive Sales

Head of Membership at ABTA, Roberto Balasco is a seasoned sales leader with 28 years of experience in the travel industry. He has a proven track record of managing large international sales teams, generating significant revenue, and achieving high employee engagement scores. Roberto has held key positions at Kenwood Travel, Celebrity Cruises, Kuoni, and Thomas Cook, where he excelled in driving sales, enhancing customer experience, and leading diverse teams.

Helen is a leadership and sales coach passionate about people engagement and exceptional customer service. Her focus is on inspiring high-performing teams, empowering them to deliver outstanding customer experiences, unlock their potential, and consistently exceed targets. With 19 years at Kuoni, including nine as Sales Director, Helen led retail teams, direct and trade sales, call centres, and support functions. 

She understands the challenges that frontline sales teams face! Starting as a Personal Travel Expert, Helen progressed to Sales Director, driving the retail strategy and creating an award-winning customer experience through innovative sales and service philosophies and exceptional team engagement. Now, Helen is using her experience to help others. She has developed a leadership coaching programme and works with founders, directors, and sales leaders to maximise performance and achieve consistent results while prioritising wellbeing. Helen also consults with businesses, helping them implement effective sales processes and service models.