Page 20 - The Summit of the Americas 2021

INSIDER

One on One with Heidi Van Roon

SPARK creates new Brand Partner Program designed to help lead
North American airport retail sales revival

SPARK Group of Companies has It is SPARK who is committing to
introduced an innovative new concept the year-long hire, and investing about six
in staffing for travel retail. Called the weeks to two months of training in each
Brand Partner Program, the multi-faceted hire at the beginning.
sales and promotions program has been “We have six very relevant courses—
designed to substantially support global including setting sales goals, sales literacy
brands and travel retailers to achieve the to understand the sales narrative, sales
best possible sales outcomes and replace reporting, and emotional intelligence,
a broken model as the industry emerges etc. Each one of these topics includes
from the COVID-19 pandemic. Heidi Van Roon, a 12-month case study for our client
There are many issues currently SPARK Group of Companies President partner. Our trainees have to understand
facing travel retail brands and retailers a year-long sales cycle. This will create
in the face of COVID-19, and the Brand brand experts with very valuable sales
Partner Program has been designed to Partners, and then employing them for a skills who can take their technical
tackle them head on, SPARK Group of full year. knowledge – goal setting for example –
Companies President, Heidi Van Roon “This program creates good and apply it and test it for twelve months.
tells TMI. employment,” explains Van Roon. “We These skills are so important on the shop
Reduced shop floor accessibility and are hiring our ‘partners’ for a year, floor and by providing twelve months
travel budgets, obsolete activation models because these have been our best hires, of case reporting, we hold the partner
and insufficient ROI are impacting brands and the long-term employment allows for accountable,” she says.
management, says Van Roon. For retailers, the best possible promotion for brands.” The program has been devised to
the program addresses reduced labor Since most brands have a budget for enhance the role of the traditional airport
budgets, the high turnover costs of brand at least four months of promotions a year- retail sales assistant or brand ambassador,
ambassador programs, and the need to either part time or full time -- the SPARK turning the role into that of a dedicated
adapt activations to the post-COVID era. program offers an option for the brand to airport store brand manager. Van Roon
SPARK addresses these issues by subscribe for four months, six months or a argues that it will create value for brands
recruiting, and intensively training Brand full year (35%, 50% or 100%). by giving them the same promoter for

Left: Heidi Van Roon (center) with members of her SPARK team at Vancouver International Airport.
Right: SPARK promotion for Godiva Chocolates and Wayne Gretzky Ice Wine.

The Virtual Summit of the Americas Issue April 2021 20