By Cheryl Bourne, Supplier Relations Manager at HTS

If you’ve ever worked with a venue sourcing or event agency, chances are you’ve heard us mention a ‘fam trip’.

It’s industry shorthand, and while it’s widely used, it’s not always clear what it actually means or why we invest time in it.

I wanted to explain what a fam trip is, why we prioritise them at HTS, and most importantly, how they directly benefit our clients.

So, what is a fam trip?

Fam is short for familiarisation. Destinations, convention bureaux, hotels and venues organise these trips to allow event professionals to experience venues and locations properly, in person.

For us, that means walking the spaces, testing the flow, understanding the logistics and seeing how a venue operates when people are moving through it. We see meeting rooms, event spaces, breakout areas, quiet rooms, bedrooms, public areas, transport links and, just as importantly, the character of the destination itself.

They’re not passive tours. fam trips are usually tightly scheduled, fast-paced, and full of site inspections, conversations, tastings, walking routes, and practical insights that don’t translate through a website or a proposal.

Why we go – and why it’s not something we shortcut

It would be easier to rely solely on specs, images and quotes. But events don’t succeed on dimensions and delegate capacities alone.

When we attend a fam trip, we’re asking questions like:
• How easy is it to get here?
• How does this venue feel when it’s busy?
• Does the space work as well in reality as it does on a floor plan?
• How intuitive is the delegate journey?
• Are the teams confident, flexible and solutions-focused?
• Where might pressure points arise during a live event?

These are the details that matter when you’re trusting us to recommend the right venue for your brief – and they’re details you can’t Google.

Being on the ground also allows us to build strong relationships with venue and destination teams, which often makes a real difference later when timelines are tight or requirements shift.

Manchester through new eyes

Recently, one of our newest team members joined a multi-day fam trip in Manchester, giving her a first-hand introduction to the city and the value of these experiences early in her career.

Rosie’s itinerary included hotels, cultural venues, galleries, large-scale conference spaces and more. It offered a sense of Manchester’s versatility as a meetings and events destination.

As Rosie puts it, “It was eye-opening to see how much you learn by physically being in a destination. You notice the flow between spaces, and the atmosphere of different venues. And you see how each one would suit different types of events. It gave me much more confidence for talking to clients about Manchester and those venues, because I’ve actually experienced them.”

That confidence and understanding feed directly into the advice we give. Fresh perspectives often highlight things others overlook, and that strengthens our recommendations as a team.

A working investment

Fam trips can sound glamorous from the outside, but they are very much working trips. Days are long, schedules are complete, and we’re constantly evaluating, questioning and documenting what we see.

Even the social elements are part of the assessment. We’re paying attention to service levels, food quality, pacing, and accessibility. And we’re looking at how experiences would land with different clients and their delegate profiles.

The goal is always to leave with clear, honest insight into whether a destination or venue is right for our clients, and in what context.

How fam trips have evolved

The industry has changed significantly over the decades, and fam trips have evolved with it. Today, they are more professional, focused, purposeful, and far more conscious of sustainability and time than ever before.

The emphasis is on meaningful access to spaces, honest conversations and practical learning, rather than sales theatre. That shift mirrors how we work at HTS! It’s thoughtful, well-informed and always grounded in what will really work for a client’s objectives.

Why this matters to you

Ultimately, fam trips make us better partners. They allow us to:

• Recommend venues with confidence and first-hand knowledge
• Identify potential challenges early and plan around them
• Suggest options you may not find through an online search
• Match destinations and spaces more precisely to your brief and audience

When we say, “This venue will work for you,” it’s based on experience.

At HTS, we see fam trips as an investment in our people, knowledge, and quality of advice. They’re one of the myriad ways we ensure our recommendations succeed in practice for your meetings and events.

If you’re interested in learning more about how we can support your meetings and events, contact us today.