How to Choose a UK Representation Company: 9 Questions to Ask

Choosing a UK representation company — a repping company — is one of the more consequential commercial decisions an African lodge or DMC makes. The right one builds you years of UK trade relationships; the wrong one costs you a year and a retainer. These are the nine questions to ask before you sign, and what a good answer sounds like.

1. Do you specialise in my region and product?

A generalist can place many property types; a specialist already builds programmes for your destination with the relevant UK operators. For an African safari lodge, that specialism is usually decisive.

2. Which UK operators have you spoken to recently?

You want evidence of current, active relationships — not a list of contacts from five years ago. A credible rep can talk specifically about the operators who build Africa programmes.

3. How are you paid?

Retainer, retainer-plus-performance, or commission — each has trade-offs (we cover them in how much a UK rep costs). What matters is that the model is transparent and scoped before you sign.

4. How big is your portfolio, and what is your conflict policy?

Ask directly whether they represent competing properties in your region, and how they manage overlap. A deliberately small portfolio is a feature, not a limitation.

5. Who actually does the work?

Will the senior person you are meeting be in your operator meetings and at the trade shows — or will you be handed to a junior account handler after signing?

6. What is your trade-show presence?

Presence at the events that matter — WTM London especially, plus the Africa-focused shows — with pre-booked meetings, not speculative wandering.

7. What memberships and accreditations do you hold?

For African travel, ATTA membership is a baseline of credibility; relevant in-country experience (such as SATSA for Southern Africa) adds weight.

8. How and how often will you report?

You want a clear reporting rhythm — what activity was undertaken, what was listed, what the market is asking for — not silence between invoices.

9. What timeline should I expect?

An honest rep sets realistic milestones: UK relationships take 12 to 24 months to produce consistent bookings (see realistic timelines). Vague promises of fast results are a flag.

Kusa Connect is a boutique, founder-led, Africa-specialist UK repping company — ATTA member, deliberately small portfolio, fixed retainer agreed up front. We answer all nine of these openly, because the properties that ask them are exactly the ones we want to work with.