This award is designed to recognise and reward providers of services such as meals, sea crossings, event tickets and accommodation. We were looking for those suppliers who have made outstanding efforts to accommodate, attract, and welcome coaches, their drivers and their passengers.

This year, the award was divided into four categories, covering:

• Hotels and Catering
• Theatre and Venue Ticketing
• Tour Wholesaling
• Sea Transport/Water Crossing

This page covers the first of these, looking atTheatre and Venue Ticketing

Winners: Encore Tickets

Encore Tickets provides a unique service informed by knowledge gained from years of experience working with Coach Operators to help them get the very most out of theatre, restaurant, river cruise and attraction bookings.

Managing Director John Wales is on the board of the Coach Tourism Council and Encore works tirelessly to represent the need of Coach Operators. Now with the largest range of product ever, Encore Tickets has introduced Encore Direct, a hotel division specifically for group bookings allowing access to excellent availability on shows and attractions including top rates on overnight stays in London.

The judges felt that Encore works hard to provide the best rates for attractions and its marketing approach is very hands on. In particular they provide a Coach Operator DVD twice a year with current EPK footage for top West End shows that clients can use on their coaches and in their offices to promote Theatre. Encore clearly aims to provide as many promotional and informational items as possible that their clients can utilise to the best of their ability to service their customers.

Runner Up: Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Wales Millennium Centre has a very close working relationship with its coach operators and group visit organisers.

The venue won the Theatrical Management Association's Award for the Most Welcoming Theatre in the UK in 2008, and made the final in 2009 and 2010, the only theatre in the UK to achieve this accolade three years in succession. It is also a VAQAS accredited tourist attraction. The overall approach to marketing for coach operators and groups is to provide a bespoke targeted service; consequently, repeat visit levels are high.

The judges welcomed the fact that Wales Millennium Centre recognises how important this sector is to its business. The team has clearly developed strong relationships with regular clients, using a sophisticated database management system to effectively target their communications. Altogether, this was felt to be a copybook example of how a venue can promote to and engage with the coach industry.

Highly Commended: Group Line

Group Line was created in 1991 by actor Simon Warwick and Theatre Producer, Edward Snape. Based in central London the company employs 45 staff, handling ticket sales for all sectors of the market. 45% of its business relates to group and Coach Company theatre sales.

The company has won 16 service quality awards in the past 12 years, and has been highly commended in the UK Coach Awards three years in a row. The company is well known for its 'Book now, pay later' payment facility.

Who could be nominated?

This category was open to:

• ticketing agencies
• theatres, entertainment and concert venues

… and by whom

Readers of Coach and Bus Week magazine who are coach operators were asked to nominate providers of services they have admired during the last 12 months.

They were asked to explain why they think the nominated service provider deserves this award – this covers such matters as:

• the ease of booking
• the flexibility and quality of customer service during the enquiry and booking stages
• the welcome provided on the ground to
  • the coach
  • the passengers
  • the driver