Being nominated for an award is a great feeling!
Being nominated for a National award is an amazing feeling!
Being nominated for a national award as a pandemic is beginning to wreak havoc on the travel industry and the world as a whole is a crazy, confusing, breathtaking and yet still amazing feeling!
And that is exactly what happened to me when I was advised by AFTA (the Australian Federation of Travel Agents) earlier this year, that little old me, Erin, was nominated in the NTIAs (National Travel Industry Awards) as “Best Mobile Travel Advisor” out of a multitude of mobile travel advisors in this fine Australian travel industry.
I was gob-smacked and, just to be sure, double-checked I had read the email correctly.
I then sat quietly, trying to comprehend why I was nominated for this prestigious award out of so many other fabulous mobile and home-based agents within Australia. And all I resolved was that it’s because I am ME.
The nomination required me to look at myself and my TravelManagers business in Anna Bay and derive what makes me different or unique, and ultimately worthy of winning the “Best Mobile Travel Advisor” award in Australia. These are a few things I came up with during this reflective process.
5 Things you may not know about me, your personal travel manager:
- I love my community – Port Stephens in NSW, and am an active participant in many facets of the community including offering a complimentary travel radio segment on our local Port Stephens FM Radio, hosting a free travel expo in the Port Stephens community every year, sponsoring various local charities and businesses
- I have travelled and worked all over Australia and lived in the Northern Territory for a year. Immersing yourself in a local community or region is honestly the best way to really understand an area. I always tell my clients this when arranging their amazing itineraries. Meet the locals, partake in local customs or events and this will in turn provide such an amazing local experience
- I LOVE dancing, especially Latin/Salsa dancing and put this down to my South American and Spanish friends growing up in Sydney. Their cultural influence on me shows in my love of Latin music and dance and also Spanish Cuisine. Speaking of Cuisine, I also studied hospitality and commercial cookery growing up and this is where my “love of food, which feeds my passion for travel” comes from
- I was honoured at our TravelManagers 2019 Conference and Gala Awards to be nominated in THE MOST number of award categories; these were:
- Winner “Suppliers Choice Award 2019”, – this was where TravelManagers asked our supplier partners to nominate a personal travel manager who has supported their brand, upholds the TravelManagers brand, is succinct with all brand values and attends updates including cluster meetings, webinars and functions
- Nominee “Success in Marketing Award 2019” – this award looks at how a personal travel manager has created and implemented a marketing plan to support their overall business plan, and the results of one specific campaign or area of marketing they have delivered
- Nominee “Top Personal Travel Manager Website 2019” – in 2018 TravelManagers launched brand new websites. To celebrate this and acknowledge the hard work personal travel managers have put in to promoting their businesses via their website, a new award was introduced which looked at how a personal travel managers website combined a number of available features that have been used, adherence to best-practice standards, and the level of unique traffic to a personal travel managers individual website over a one-year period
- Nominee “Recognition Award 2019” – this award is voted by all at our National Partnership Office for a personal travel manager who always adheres to policy and procedure, engages with the business and other PTMs and is the all-round ‘Good Guy’ The recognition and nominations I received at the recent 2019 TravelManagers Gala Awards shows that my industry peers, colleagues, TravelManagers National Partnership Office and industry suppliers see me as a valued member of the travel industry
5. Honestly, transparency and Integrity are three pillars that I uphold in my TravelManagers business in Anna Bay and also in my personal life.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the National Travel Industry Awards will not be going ahead in 2020. But to be recognised as a nominee on a national scale is an award in itself and not something that I will take lightly.
The National Travel Industry Awards, and travel in general will be back BIGGER and BETTER than ever in 2021 and I will be front and center to help make my clients travel dreams a reality!
Erin x
Peace of mind
