Expedia Cruises : Expedia Cruises VP Bob Tipple at IFA 2020 on the Contractor Model

This Expedia Cruises video, recorded at the IFA 2020 Convention, features Bob Tipple, Vice President of Franchising for Expedia Cruises (part of the Expedia Group), introducing the brand's franchise opportunity to attendees and explaining what makes the retail travel franchise model different from other categories. Tipple positions Expedia Cruises as North America's top retail travel franchise — built on more than 32 years in business and franchising, supported by a corporate team of 140+ at the brand's Vancouver headquarters, and powered by a network of 7,000+ vacation consultants across more than 300 awarded locations in North America. The infrastructure exists to support franchisees day-in, day-out across multiple specialized teams. Two structural elements of the model receive most of Tipple's attention. First, vacation consultants operate on an independent contractor basis paid by commission, which removes the fixed labor overhead that retail businesses in other categories carry. Second, retail centers do not hold inventory. Together, these two attributes give franchisees the ability to scale by recruiting additional vacation consultants per location with no ceiling on team size — and to do it without the working-capital burden a typical retail concept requires. On growth and territory, Tipple notes that Expedia Cruises has grown at three times the industry rate over the past two decades. The brand holds approximately 25 percent market share in Canada and has roughly 100 open US locations with another 30 in development, leaving prime US markets available. The discovery process is led by franchise development managers and includes accountability to the existing 300-franchisee base — Tipple frames it as a two-way fit assessment between candidate and franchisor. Tipple closes by addressing a common question about brick-and-mortar travel retail in an e-commerce era. The retail centers function as community hubs — places where local vacation consultants, suppliers, and consumers come together for sales, marketing events, and trusted in-person guidance that complements the Expedia.com platform.