Your Stories: From stag parties to taking 1,300 Wales fans to the Fifa World Cup in Qatar

The owner of Wonky Sheep Dave Dulin tells Samantha Mayling about building his business taking away sports fans and interest groups

Q. How did the agency start?
I was a journalist working in the Old Bailey, London, and also covered sport. I began arranging stag dos for friends in 2013. I’d been to Bristol, paying £175 to share a room for one night and a day of activities, when I thought: “I can do the same standard, at lower cost, without going down the cheap route.” I liked organising and thought it would be a hobby. Then football came along, as Wales qualified for the 2016 Euros, and it went from there.

Q. How did the business develop?
We joined Protected Trust Services in 2017. We now offer holidays, business travel, more sports travel and non-sports tours. We offer group travel as an agent and supplier. My wife Laura is involved and we have a team of up to 10 when we need. We’re based in Cardiff. I spoke at the PTS conference in September and we’re getting a lot more enquiries now because of that.

Q. How did you cope in the pandemic?
Having a media background, I know the importance of communication. The key thing was not to go quiet. When [travel] opened up again, the ones who stayed quiet were the ones who would fall behind. We did football tours (see panel) and constantly put out updates and explainers to keep people in the loop. From 2022 onwards, we developed non-sports tours – trips that are a bit different. We have a tour to Welsh-speaking Patagonia and will launch one to Beaujolais – for some reason it’s really big in South Wales. We have Wales’ Six Nations rugby in February, and for Halloween 2025 we’re taking over Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. We’re a supplier for Hays Travel and other agencies.

Q. What’s the biggest group you’ve had?
We took 1,300 Wales fans to the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. All flew out on the same day. The media reported lots of nonsense, which we knew [was wrong] – we did two recces beforehand. There weren’t problems getting a drink and people were friendly. We were based in apartments in Qatar, and it was good value.

Q. How do you plan the group trips?
We lay on the main elements and add optional extras. We recently went with Wales fans to the Turkey game in Kayseri and offered an optional balloon flight in Cappadocia. The Argentina trip idea came from some regulars who said they wanted to be in Welsh-speaking Patagonia on St David’s Day. They mentioned it to other people, and loads were interested, so we planned the trip. We have 50 on it.

After WTM London recently, we came back with more ideas. I’m always thinking of different things; the industry is constantly changing and you always need back-ups. Sports tours are obviously results-driven, so if a team fails to qualify for something, you potentially have a big hole. We don’t bank on qualification for any tournament because you can’t rely on it.

Q. What about your own holidays?
The most recent was to Athens in October, now Rome for Christmas. When accompanying a trip, we have downtime and part of our trips is about socialising with those travelling with us – that’s how you build your reputation.

Q. How has your WhatsApp marketing worked?
Everyone had to sign up, like when GDPR rules came in. We lost a lot of people off the mailing lists – it’s clear they weren’t interested anymore – but you’re left with those who still want to be on your lists. It is growing organically again and the open rate is 89%. Our email open rate is quite high, about 45%-50%. Most of our business comes through WhatsApp; it’s the most common way of getting in touch with us, followed by email or phone.

Q. Why Wonky Sheep?
I couldn’t tell you, but it is memorable and always a conversation starter. My wife says I’m like a walking advert every time I go out. I had a Wonky top on in the gym and someone asked about it. In a paint shop, someone said: “One of my friends travelled with you.”

Q. What was it like taking fans to the European Football Championship in Baku?
A hardcore group of Welsh fans were intent on getting to the tournament [in June 2021]. We thought, ‘how can we get them there safely, ensuring everyone follows Covid rules?’ It was a risk but complied with regulations – travel had just reopened with that ridiculous traffic-light system. Everyone who booked signed an agreement: if they caught Covid abroad, they stayed abroad. When they came back, they’d have to isolate for 10 days. We sourced insurers who could cover it and arranged tests for people before they went, in Baku and when they came home.

We chartered a flight and customers weren’t allowed to check in without proving they had negative results. The Baku trip gave us more confidence – it was probably our biggest achievement, given the complexities and ever-changing rules. By October [2021], people were less fearful and restrictions eased. We also worked in 2020 and 2021 with teams in European club matches. They played in empty stadiums, which was very strange.