23 MARCH 2019
I
ASB SHOWGROUNDS
I
AUCKLAND
2 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 3
FOREWORD Well, another awards is behind us and a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the day’s success. Once again the Orbit Auckland team, Laura and Danielle did a fantastic job pulling together a complex day and night. It was great to have ‘Lucy’ open the day and share with you all some behind-the-scenes footage on Egypt, and our real-life stars of the story. I hope you enjoyed the sneak preview of the Passport ad, and I don’t expect you will get too many late night call outs! We are so proud of the great work being done on the integrated brand campaign and your engagement in this. Fantastic once again to see the recognition given to our teams and people by the suppliers earlier in the day and to see so many new faces on stage during the day too. As always the Legends, Top 20, Top Outlets and Top Consultants were highlights and hotly contested. Congratulations to all who received these awards, a special call out to Orbit World Travel Wellington for Top Orbit, and House of Travel Christchurch City for Top Overall Outlet. We had some amazing results in 2018 so it was an incredibly close competition. A big congratulations to Maia Hiini as Top Orbit Consultant and Belinda Fifield as Top Retail Consultant. Now on to NTIA’s: Our nominations are in and I am sure you will all agree we have a great story to tell. See you all in CHRISTCHURCH in 2020, Saturday 21st March. A few changes are in store to acknowledge the return home after 10 years away. I cannot wait!
mod
Let’s keep being “Better Together.” Cheers,
CONTENTS Orbit Consultant of the Year 06 HOT Consultant of the Year 07 Top 22 Consultants of the Year 08 Board Award 10 TAANZ NTIA 2018 Winners 10 HOT & Orbit Legends - 2018 Inductees 11 Gold / Silver / Bronze Awards 12 Best Performing Outlets of the Year 14 Best Overall Performing Outlets of the Year 15 HOT Customer Champions 18 HOT Product Awards 20 HOT Product Cruise Awards 21 Rookies of the Year 22 Orbit Account Manager of the Year 23 Orbit World Travel Manager of the Year 23 Group of the Year / Group Sales Awards 24 CEO Award 25 Amadeus Partnership Award 25 Growth Awards 25 Local Area Marketing Award 26 Hospice Embrace Award 26 Personality of the Year Award 26 Spirit of HOT Award 26 Outstanding Contribution to Customer Service
26
HOTTIE Awards 27 Guest speakers 28 2018 Supplier Awards 30 Thanks to our sponsors 31
4 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 5
HOUSE OF TRAVEL
CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR BELINDA FIFIELD
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY
ORBIT WORLD TRAVEL
CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR MAIA HIINI
role have had the largest impact on your success?
A. I am very customer-centric: I put a lot of effort into building really strong relationships with my clients. When they are with me they have my undivided attention. I try to build their ongoing trust by showing my experience, attention to detail and going that extra mile. I always celebrate with them and show my genuine excitement about what we have planned together.
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH Q. How long have you been in the Travel Industry, and with HOT/Orbit?
A. I’ve been in travel since November 2014, which was right after I finished studying at Ara Institute of Canterbury. I started with a summer contract at I-Site Visitor Information and by May 2015, I was working at Orbit Christchurch. I’ve been with Orbit for almost 4 years, starting in Reception, then moving to retail for a short time before moving over to the corporate team in April 2016. Q. What three qualities, skills or behaviours that you bring to your role have had the largest impact on your success?
A. I think the biggest one for me is having goals - once I have a goal, I will do all that I can to achieve it.
Time management is also a big factor. It’s a matter of knowing how to prioritise and get things done in a timely manner while staying calm. I think it’s very important to have a good work life balance as well and time management is really key for this.
Customer service is always so important in any job. In travel, a key part of this is knowing
6 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
what the client needs/wants before they know it themselves. It’s also vital to build a good relationship with your clients, to ensure they can trust you and your work that you do for them. Q. What key advice would you give to consultants aspiring to be in the top 22?
A. If you aim high enough, you can definitely achieve anything you want! I started working in Corporate when I was 20 years old and I think I underestimated myself a lot due to this. But once I knew what I wanted, I worked hard for it and in the end, it all paid off.
Building those strong relationships of mutual respect and trust means that when you need help they are there for you.
Q. Which three qualities, skills or behaviours that you bring to your
I am friendly and welcoming both on the phone and when clients come into the office. You only have a few seconds to make an impression and people pick up immediately if they sense you are interrupting them. When I can, I get up and greet them and welcome them to my desk and walk to the door with them when they leave. I want them to leave feeling really good…just how you yourself would like to be treated! I am extremely focused when at work. I want to do my very best for my clients and deliver the best possible experience. I’m driven by this and my desire to be successful.
Self-reflect: ‘How did that go?’, ‘what could I do better next time?’, ‘how did I make that person feel?’ – if you do this you will most definitely be better next time!
Keep learning…product knowledge is vital. Do the webinars, talk to your colleagues and our wonderful friends at HOT Product when you are stuck selling a destination you have not been to or not confident selling. When you travel, always keep your travel agents hat on with an eye to what works and what doesn’t.
Work out who you are and the type of consultant/person you are. By talking to other successful consultants you will find out what resonates with you and copy them!
Q. How long have you been in the Travel Industry, and with HOT? A. In the industry on and off for 30 years. With House of Travel for 21 years.
Q. What key advice would you give to consultants aspiring to be in the top 22?
A. When you are at work, focus on work – turn off your social media and other non-work distractions. You can catch up with that later. The efficiency of being work-focused makes you far more successful in dealing with a large volume of sales.
Your client base is vital to your future success – retaining clients through strong relationships and getting their referrals is the best way to obtain the confidence of those clients to then have them give you the high value bookings that are needed to obtain the higher sales figures. You get this step right and you are truly running a successful business within a business and on the road to Top 22!
Attention to detail…check…check and check again. Mistakes cost you clients and the ripple effect from this is profound. Take the extra time you need to do this and you will save time in the long run.
Be nice and be grateful…not only to your clients but all the suppliers you work with and the support team around you.
o
s t n a t l u r s a e y n e th
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 7
MATT ROBERTS
TONY JACKSON
11 YEARS
24 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
No. of years with HOT:
GRETCHEN STRID
HOUSE OF TRAVEL NEWMARKET No. of years selling retail travel:
ORBIT NELSON No. of years selling corporate travel:
ORBIT AUCKLAND No. of years selling corporate travel:
18 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
11 YEARS
11 YEARS
16 YEARS
Legend
MAREE WATSON
YOUR
TOP TWENTYTWO TOP CONSULTANT
TOP CONSULTANT
BELINDA FIFIELD
MAIA HIINI
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY No. of years selling retail travel:
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH No. of years selling corporate travel:
2 YEARS
30 YEARS No. of years with HOT:
Legend
21 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
CHERYL EDWARDS
17 YEARS
31 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL ALBANY No. of years selling retail travel:
No. of years with HOT:
No. of years with HOT:
16 YEARS
22 YEARS No. of years with HOT:
HOUSE OF TRAVEL BROADWAY / STEPHEN PARSONS No. of years selling retail travel:
18 YEARS No. of years with HOT:
18 YEARS
8 YEARS
17 YEARS
No. of years with HOT:
DIANNE BOYES
MARIA MCCANN
KARIN TALIAU
BRIGITTA MOORE
17 YEARS
16 YEARS
18 YEARS
31 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
No. of years with HOT:
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MOTUEKA No. of years selling retail travel: No. of years with HOT:
11 YEARS
30 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL DEVONPORT No. of years selling retail travel:
ORBIT NELSON No. of years selling corporate travel:
No. of years with HOT:
12 YEARS
9 YEARS
7 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL NORTHLANDS No. of years selling retail travel:
26 YEARS Legend
12 YEARS
VARNI CARSON
CARO SMITH
CHRISTINE WYNNE-JONES
29 YEARS
23 YEARS
31 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
No. of years with HOT:
ORBIT AUCKLAND No. of years selling corporate travel:
9 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MORRINSVILLE No. of years selling retail travel:
16 YEARS
MELINDA SMITH
HOUSE OF TRAVEL REMUERA No. of years selling retail travel:
ORBIT AUCKLAND No. of years selling corporate travel:
No. of years with HOT:
No. of years with Orbit:
20 YEARS
8 YEARS
8 YEARS
Legend
LEESA LOFFHAGEN
TANYA BEDFORD
12 YEARS
10 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
No. of years with HOT:
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH No. of years selling corporate travel:
12 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MOTUEKA No. of years selling retail travel:
10 YEARS
PAUL JOHNSON ORBIT HAMILTON No. of years selling corporate travel:
19 YEARS
No. of years with Orbit:
14 YEARS Legend
8 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
20 YEARS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL No. of years selling retail travel:
No. of years with HOT:
Legend
BRENT HAINES
BILLY BALLANTINE
4 YEARS
SARAH HENDERSON HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY No. of years selling retail travel:
JUDY HARKNESS HOUSE OF TRAVEL CALDER & LAWSON No. of years selling retail travel:
HOUSE OF TRAVEL TAURANGA No. of years selling retail travel:
s n o i t a l u t a r g Con o w t y t n e w T P TO HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 9
HOT & ORBIT LEGENDS
BOARD
2018 INDUCTEES
AWARD NIALL WHITE
Every year the number of nominations we receive for Legends continues to grow. We are very lucky to have some very impressive and amazing team members that have been with HOT for over 10 years.
GROUP STRATEGY & CORPORATE DIRECTOR
This year the partnership services board spent a lot of time reviewing the nominations to select our inductees and this year they have decided to induct four new legends into our hall of fame.
The Board Award is awarded to an individual or team that the board considers has made an outstanding contribution to the House Of Travel Group.
We have some very impressive sales consultants, who continuously sell at a high level, whilst also providing a very high level of service to customers. But also on the other foot we have some very impressive team members who were once gold sellers, who have taken on more senior leadership roles in their respective outlets. Each of these consultants continuously provide their team with support, encouragement and guidance whilst living the HOT Values each and every day.
The recipient this year is to an individual – Niall White our Group Strategy & Corporate Director.
MELANIE VEAL
To put Niall’s achievements into perspective, he has been responsible over the last 20 years of directing the evolution of the group in a dynamically changing industry. House of Travel is recognised as a strong, adaptable, multi-faceted travel business that competes effectively in all retail and wholesale channels. Most organizations of our size globally are either a TMC, an OTA, a tour operator or a retail leisure brand. We are unique as no other organization of our size competes in all of these channels. It is a tribute to Niall that through his dedication and commitment he has ensured we understand the changes taking place in all aspects of the industry and then to lead our evolution as a business. A great deal of our success can be attributable to his efforts. Well done Niall!
TAANZ NTIA 2018 WINNERS House of Travel
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD CHRIS PAULSEN
BEST TRAVEL CONSULTANT RETAIL TONY JACKSON / House of Travel Newmarket
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RETAIL ANNA O’DELL / House of Travel Ferrymead
BEST YOUNG TRAVEL EXECUTIVE CORPORATE MARK LEADBETTER / House of Travel Holdings / IT
BEST YOUNG TRAVEL EXECUTIVE RETAIL DANIELLE SCOTT / House of Travel Holdings / Marketing
Orbit World Travel ROOKIE OF THE YEAR CORPORATE STEVEN KRZANICH / Orbit World Travel Auckland
BEST BRAND CORPORATE MULTI LOCATION ORBIT WORLD TRAVEL
BEST BRAND CORPORATE SINGLE LOCATION ORBIT WORLD TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH 10 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
JENNY GAUTHIER
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH
HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL
Melanie started with HOT back in 1993 straight out of school. Working in retail for five and a half years, she then took an interest in the corporate side of travel which led to a natural progression to move to an Orbit outlet.
Jenny Gauthier has been with HOT for the last 16 years and has worked in the travel industry for the last 39 years! Jenny is a regular Gold consultant, whilst also overseeing the numerous day-to-day tasks, administrative requirements, training and any other issues for an office of 16 staff as office manager.
Over the years she has progressed through the business, which brings us to the present day where she currently holds a general manager role overseeing nearly 70 staff with outlet turnover in excess of $80m and is an absolute integral part in the running of the business. She also finds the time to volunteer at least a half-day a week with Hospice and has done this for many years. In her first 13 years as a consultant/team leader, her track record in customer service was regularly recognised as she was a Gold Award winner on many occasions as well as the Top Corporate Consultant in 2004. In 2017 she was the Orbit Travel Manager of the Year and a finalist at the NTIA awards that year.
A significant part of her day is dedicated to other consultants and their customers – ensuring that the consultants are always learning, and the best customer service experiences are being offered to customers. According to her OO’s, her very best attributes are what makes her an absolute legend, is her attitude, work ethic and the way she performs all her duties based on her own philosophy of “doing things as if the company was mine.” Congratulations Jenny!
Congratulations Melanie!
SARAH HENDERSON
SANDY CONNOLLY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MERIVALE
This Legend has been with HOT for the last 16 years, her customer service is outstanding, her customers are all treated as if they are her only customer and she goes above and beyond to make sure she assists with everything they could possibly want. She’s gone so far as to book hard-to-get concert tickets for one of her very best customers. By roping in her colleagues to help get the tickets the moment they came on sale – it wasn’t an option to miss out on the tickets!
Joining her store back in 1991, Sandy Connolly is one proud HOTTIE, living the HOT values each and every day.
The amount of work Sarah gets through day after day is astounding and she never seems phased. Featuring in the Top 20 for the last seven years, she is certainly a welldeserving legend! Congratulations Sarah!
Often referred to as the office counsellor, her customers tell her all their troubles and woes, she listens and advises in such a caring lovely way. The team love sitting next to her and listening to her sales skills, the sense of humour with her customers and the fun she has while they plan their holidays. This consultant has been a regular top seller from the very beginning of her HOT career.
s d n e
Congratulations Sandy - you’re a Legend!
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 11
LEISURE AWARDS
LEISURE AWARDS
LEISURE AWARDS
ORBIT AWARDS
ORBIT AWARDS
ORBIT AWARDS
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
Cheryl Edwards Albany Anna Schmack Ashburton Rochelle Hannah-Evans Barrington Lorraine Van Veen Botany Junction Morgan Wright Botany Junction Angela Groenendijk Broadway Judy Harkness Calder & Lawson Pieta Mace Calder & Lawson Sophie Russo Calder & Lawson Belinda Fifield Christchurch City Sarah Henderson Christchurch City Maria McCann Devonport Juliet Davis Discover Travel Linda Weiss Discover Travel Anna O’Dell-Smith Ferrymead Alicia Sutton Hamilton City Donna Harrison Hastings Dave Leary Havelock North Kate Tawhai Havelock North Kirsty Stewart Hornby Billy Ballantine Lakers Invercargill Caitlin Brookland Lakers Invercargill Jenny Gauthier Lakers Invercargill Janine McKay Merivale Sandy Connolly Merivale Caro Smith Morrinsville Dianne Boyes Motueka Tanya Bedford Motueka Esther Ru Bay Mt Maunganui Shelley Rich Mt Maunganui Brendon Maguire Nelson Antony Myers Newmarket Tony Jackson Newmarket Brigitta Moore Northlands Brigid Murphy Northlands Lee Broadbelt Orewa Charlotte Campbell Papamoa Christine Wynne-Jones Remuera Toni Rendell Rotorua Brent Haines Stephen Parsons/ Broadway Maree Watson Tauranga Maralyn Ward Te Awamutu Hayley Mundy The Crossing
Aaron Dyson Alexandra Nathan Bartlett Ashburton Jan Willing Botany Junction Nicky Denvir Botany Junction Andrea Matheou Broadway Dermot Ryan Broadway Karen Ngata Broadway Christine Ross Browns Bay Loris Sowman Calder & Lawson Tania Wakeman Calder & Lawson Tracie Thome Calder & Lawson Sharon Hall Christchurch City Siobhan Bull Christchurch City Lisa Dorreen Coromandel Janine Hay Discover Travel Gary Harley Dunedin Melissa May Ferrymead Dan Hobby Hastings Debby McRobbie Hastings Steve Lawson Hastings Jacqui Donoghue Havelock North Lily Hym High Street Lanes Carol March Howick Emma Wilburn Howick Katie Bouzaid Johnsonville Nicola Voullaire Kapiti Coast Christine Gibb Lakers Invercargill Jess Carman Masterton Janice Posa Milford Helen Terry Mt Maunganui Erica Banks Newmarket Rebecca Keegan On Brandon Nicola Gray Papamoa Maree Thompson Papamoa Stephanie Towers Papamoa Gavin Rasikaran Parnell Priscilla Sergeant Rangiora Kylie Pauling Richmond Marianne Glasgow Rotorua Joanna Dargie Stephen Parsons Belinda Sixtus Stephen Parsons Kim Ormsby Takanini Janette Holder Takapuna Glen McCulloch Tauranga Wayne Millar Tauranga Susie Brebner Tauranga Tania Wheeler Te Awamutu Anna Lewis The Crossing Janette Bagley Wanaka
Jason Todd Oamaru Nicky Henden Albany Oliver Thomson Johnsonville
Christina Tuala-Vaaga Auckland Glen Truman Auckland Gretchen Strid Auckland Melinda Smith Auckland Olivia Gaston Auckland Sarah Olsen Auckland Varni Carson Auckland Aimee Ross Christchurch Carmen O’Brien Christchurch Jodie McKinnel Christchurch Katelyn Crafts Christchurch Leesa Loffhagen Christchurch Maia Hiini Christchurch Rebecca Hastings Christchurch Rhonda Bignell Christchurch Roxy Burney Christchurch Megan Caughey Dunedin Natasha Watson Dunedin Brittany Day Hamilton Paul Johnson Hamilton Rachel Lobb Hamilton Shannon Adams Hamilton Cindy Winter Nelson Jim Mallory Nelson Karen Taliau Nelson Matt Roberts Nelson Patrick Boyle Nelson (Lakers JV) Rachael Fawcet Nelson Jessie Tyler Tauranga Phil Alves Tauranga
Arnaz Master Auckland Ellen Tai Auckland Jenn Thornton Auckland Joanne Milroy Auckland Melissa Browne Auckland Patricia Afioga Auckland Sarah Browne Auckland Anne-Marie Le Lievre Christchurch Chloe Hobson Christchurch Howie Yee Christchurch Marieke Christey Christchurch Sue Storey Christchurch (CHCH JV) Vicki Dixon Christchurch Sarah Duder Dunedin
Amanda Nankivell Auckland Kartik Balashanker Auckland Oscar Ortega Auckland Rachel O’Neill Auckland Sharon Chandra Auckland Steven Krzanich Auckland Amanda Panther Christchurch Jasmine Chapman Christchurch Jeanna Riley Christchurch Michelle Mason Christchurch Nikki Bligh/Helen Cowie Christchurch Tayla Stewart Hamilton Nadia Gordon Tauranga
12 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
list continues over »
Jessica Garden Alexandra Mandy Reid Ashburton Maxine Agnew Balclutha Leonie Paul Blenheim Charlotte Webb Browns Bay Renee Veen Calder & Lawson Raelene Grinter Cambridge Paul Reid Dunedin Lance Brown Hastings Amanda Ellis Hornby Teresa van Tilborg Lakers Invercargill Louise Reedy Lower Hutt Amy Sinnema Masterton/ Stephen Parsons Noeleen Esterhuyzen Milford Sarah Brocksopp Morrinsville Steve Harper Motueka Sarah McDonald Nelson Vanessa Noronha New Lynn Sarah Bright Northlands Donna Soler On Hunter Rebecca Noble On Hunter Ricky Andrews Orewa Bea Jennins Orewa/Whangaparaoa Crystal Steele Orewa/Takapuna Jan Steele Parnell Graham Kevern Rangiora Joni Howe Rangiora Nicola Deane Richmond Julia Dawson Shirley Suzanne Andrews Stephen Parsons Lisa Ayres Takapuna Gina Fowler Tauranga Andrew Kemp Timaru Anne Millard Whangarei Sharon Waipouri Whangarei - First Time Winners
Kathy Twydle-McDonald Adventure Wellington Tim Cox Adventure Wellington Yvette Park Adventure Wellington Jan Cook Whangarei Jan Crisp Whangarei Emily Johnson Whangarei HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 13
BEST PERFORMING
OUTLETS
BEST PERFORMING OUTLET SMALL
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MASTERTON FINALISTS HOUSE OF TRAVEL GORE HOUSE OF TRAVEL GREYMOUTH
BEST PERFORMING
OUTLETS OVERALL OVERALL BEST PERFORMING RETAIL OUTLET
OVERALL BEST PERFORMING ORBIT OUTLET
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY
ORBIT WELLINGTON
A huge congratulations to the team at House of Travel Christchurch City on winning the Overall Best Performing Retail Outlet for 2018.
The criteria for this award is set every year by the Orbit Business Partners and measures every aspect of the business including profitability, sales growth, account management and wins, airline target growth and overall contribution to Orbit and the wider House of Travel group.
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MASTERTON
BEST PERFORMING OUTLET MEDIUM
HOUSE OF TRAVEL JOHNSONVILLE
FINALISTS HOUSE OF TRAVEL JOHNSONVILLE HOUSE OF TRAVEL MORRINSVILLE HOUSE OF TRAVEL RICHMOND
David & Jacqui Williams have been leading the business since 1996. Known for his entrepreneurialism David has built a business that diversifies across retail, corporate, SME, conferences, events and more recently formed a partnership with the New Zealand Olympic Committee.
BEST PERFORMING OUTLET LARGE
HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL FINALISTS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY HOUSE OF TRAVEL HASTINGS HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL
14 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
This has all been made possible by the fantastic team who are highly regarded as experts in their areas and deliver an exceptional customer experience. The calibre of this team was recognised at Awards with many of them on stage being acknowledged for their sales, customer service, groups and events plus their support of our preferred partners.
Orbit Wellington had a stellar year – their best ever in sales, they retained many accounts, helped grow existing accounts as well as winning new ones in a very competitive market. They have also invested in people, technology and processes to improve their overall performance. Well done and congratulations to Paul, Adrienne and their wider teams.
g n i m r fo
The surprise and delight of the team were evident on the day as they celebrated this amazing achievement.
t s e B
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 15
16 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 17
HOT CUSTOMER
CHAMPIONS OVERALL HOUSE OF TRAVEL STORE CUSTOMER CHAMPION
BELINDA FIFIELD
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY Q. How did it feel to win Customer Champion of the year? A. Absolutely thrilled…I work really hard on my customer service so it was amazing to receive this award as acknowledgment of this. Q. What is your secret to keeping customers happy? A. I always give customers my undivided attention. I like to get to know them really well and to find out what makes them tick. This then makes it easier to qualify them and to ensure that what I recommend is a great fit. I then try to back this up with attention to detail, making sure everything is perfect. I do all those little extras… seating, special meals, emailing hotels to VIP them, birthdays and anniversaries. Q. Could you share a favourite customer moment with us? A. For this couple, their European holiday was a much anticipated trip of a lifetime that we’d spent months planning together. At the start of their holiday unfortunately she’d come down with a gastric bug so had to delay joining the start of their Trafalgar tour. I arranged for them to travel to Germany to join two days later and also touched base with Allianz to keep them in the loop. They were very grateful that they’d only missed two days and had a wonderful time. At the end of their holiday when heading home, their Lufthansa flight from Athens to Frankfurt was delayed so they missed their connecting flight to Singapore. It was late evening in Frankfurt and the queue to change their flight at the LH counter was out the door and then LH announced they were closing for the night. It was at this point they called me in a very distressed state not knowing what to do and how to change their flight. I told them not to worry, that I could help them…I could hear them relax and smile down the phone. There were only two seats left on the flight to Singapore the next day so I grabbed them and then called my good friends at Singapore Airlines who reissued the tickets. By the time I called back to let them know, they were happy and laughing, thrilled to be using a travel agent in their hour of need! On their return home I was rewarded with beautiful flowers and what I think will be clients for life. We really come into our own in these situations where we can jump in and help while our clients are away!
ORBIT CUSTOMER CHAMPION
AMY COLLINS
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH Q. How did it feel to win Customer Champion of the year? A. It was a huge surprise. I knew about the nomination going into the Awards but I didn’t know who had provided references – so to hear it was some of the key people at the University of Canterbury felt terrific and really rewarding. It took a while for the smile to wear off my face. Q. What is your secret to keeping customers happy? A. I think attention to detail is critical, going the extra mile and building up a professional rapport – especially with those key customers and EA’s that I deal with regularly. Q. Could you share a favourite customer moment with us? A. I work with a lot of families from the USA, UK and Europe who come to the University of Canterbury for extended periods. They often ask for help with planning holidays while they’re in New Zealand so that’s always fun. It’s always nice to get their feedback too. 18 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
OVERALL CUSTOMER CHAMPION STORE
HOUSE OF TRAVEL TIMARU HOT Timaru finished the 2018 VOC programme with an amazing overall customer satisfaction rating of 95%! Congratulations to HOT Timaru on this achievement. Is there anything in particular your store has done to help you win this award? Darryl Sandri, owner operator of HOT Timaru, says they have a few processes in their team to help customer engagement and satisfaction. These include sending out Welcome Home cards with a $1 Scratchie inside and a coffee card for a ‘HOT coffee’. They also have a ‘Wow of the Week’ award at their weekly staff meeting which earns a free coffee card. Darryl found that towards the end of the year when the customer satisfaction summary was sent around, that if the staff were rated a four, they were quite disappointed! Well done to Darryl and his team at HOT Timaru for such fantastic results.
TOP 10 STORE CUSTOMER
CHAMPIONS
“I just think I’m lucky that I have experienced committed staff – I’ve had the same staff for the last 4 years – and our customers have come to know us well, and feel secure when they walk in.” - Darryl Sandri
TIMARU
MATAMATA
ASHBURTON
MOTUEKA
BLENHEIM
NEWMARKET
CAMBRIDGE
OREWA
MASTERTON
TE AWAMUTU
TOP 10 CUSTOMER
CHAMPIONS
ROBERT BELL
HOUSE OF TRAVEL ALEXANDRA
NATHAN BARTLETT
HOUSE OF TRAVEL ASHBURTON
ANGELA GROENENDIJK
JACQUI DONOGHUE
HOUSE OF TRAVEL HAVELOCK NORTH
KIRSTY MCCARTNEY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL MORRINSVILLE
SARAH BRIGHT
HOUSE OF TRAVEL BROADWAY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL NORTHLANDS
RAELENE GRINTER
MARALYN WARD
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CAMBRIDGE
BELINDA FIFIELD
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL TE AWAMUTU
HANNA LITTLE
HOUSE OF TRAVEL TIMARU HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 19
HOT PRODUCT
HOT PRODUCT
AWARDS
CRUISE AWARDS
B EST P ERFO RMING OU TL ET H OT PRO DUCT L A ND
HOUSE OF TRAVEL PAPAMOA
SH ORT H AU L C ONS U LTA NT O F T H E YEA R
DEBRA DUKE
HOT PRODUCT CHRISTCHURCH
LO NGHAUL CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
LEIGH REFUGIA
HOT PRODUCT CHRISTCHURCH
ADVENTURE CONSULTA N T OF THE YEA R
KIM BIBB
HOT PRODUCT AUCKLAND
D E STI N AT I O N O F THE YEA R
D ESTINATION OF THE YEAR
HOT PRODUCT AIR AWA R D
HOT PRODUCT AUCKLAND
HOT PRODUCT AUCKLAND
HOT BSP AUCKLAND
HOT CRUISE TEAM
SOUTH PACIFIC TEAM
RETAIL CRUISE CONSULTANT OF THE YEAR
CRUISE GROWTH OF THE YEAR
HOT BOTANY JUNCTION
HOUSE OF TRAVEL BROWNS BAY
CRUISE OUTLET OF THE YEAR
WHOLESALE CRUISE OUTLET OF THE YEAR
LORRAINE VAN VEEN
KAREN MITA
HOUSE OF TRAVEL BOTANY JUNCTION
20 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
CHRISTINE ROSS
HOUSE OF TRAVEL PAPAMOA
HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 21
ROOKIES
OF THE YEAR
ORBIT WORLD
TRAVEL
LEAH DE-LUCA ORBIT AUCKLAND
This years winner was instrumental in developing processes and supporting the team during the biggest implementation of a client this Orbit business has ever had. Q. What attracted you into a career in the travel industry, and how did you start out. A. During my second year at university (studying hospitality management) I was lucky enough to attend a semester abroad in Toronto. This too-short experience exposed me to the well-known travel bug, a “sickness” I have yet to cure myself of. I came back a changed woman, desperate to travel more, and soon. I quickly set off to the UK, leaving my studies behind. When I finally returned home, I knew I needed to be part of the travel industry if I was going to be able to get my regular fix to quell my travel bug. I changed my university focus to tourism and finished my degree with a full-time job at Orbit Auckland, due to being given an internship during my final semester. Q. When you started out as a consultant what successful methods did you use to grow your customer database? A. My introduction to Orbit was through my internship during my final semester at AUT. I worked closely with the University of Auckland consultants, helping with administration and working my way up to customer service. Applying myself, I was soon offered a full-time consulting job assisting with one specific client who was soon to lose their current consultant to maternity leave. My supervisors quickly recognised my capabilities as being able to handle more responsibility and I was soon given another seven clients to look after. Ten years working in the hospitality industry has taught me that good customer service is not difficult to maintain, combined with a solid work ethic has helped me to prove myself and gain a stronger customer database.
These awards recognize the achievements of those new to selling travel. This year’s rookie nominees were outstanding and the nominations received clearly show how valued they all are. The nominations mentioned the extras they do to wow their customers as well as the significant contribution to the team spirit in their stores or of fices.
SHIREE LAMBERT HOUSE OF TRAVEL PAPAMOA
This year’s retail rookie has come in living and breathing the ‘better together’ spirit, putting blood, sweat and tears into everything she does, which has led her to being our 2018 Retail Rookie of the year! Q. What attracted you into a career in the travel industry, and how did you start out. A. I knew I wanted to be in the travel industry since I was at high school many years ago. I have always been adventurous and loved the idea of learning more about different countries and cultures. So what could be better than talking about travel all day and inspiring customers to see the world and plan holidays together? I travelled to Sydney, London and Canada as soon as I finished my diploma in Travel, Tourism and Business Studies in Auckland as I wanted to explore the world first. Coming back to New Zealand I have been lucky enough to have had roles mainly in both product and marketing before leaving the big smoke of Auckland and moving to Papamoa - joining the team at House of Travel Papamoa in my first retail consultant role. Q. When you started out as a consultant what successful methods did you use to grow your customer database? A. When first starting out I tried to see and talk to as many customers as I could. I answered the phone where possible and greeted customers when they came in store. I was at the front of the store for awhile which helped grow my customer database. I always try to send a booking recommendation within 24-hours and to keep my customers updated if there is going to be a delay or set realistic times of when I will get in touch with them. Follow up is very important as well. After going through Best Practise I’ve now got in a habit of calling my customers when I’ve emailed them my booking recommendation. 22 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
ORBIT ACCOUNT MANAGER OF THE YEAR
KIM WALSH
ORBIT AUCKLAND Kim is a very deserving winner with excellent organisational skills, a great communicator and an ability to develop strong relationships with her customers. In fact in 2017, she helped win the largest account in the group, managing it throughout 2018. Since winning this account she has been helping it grow by 40% to just over $25 million. Congratulations Kim on your achievement!
ORBIT WORLD TRAVEL MANAGER OF THE YEAR
KIRSTIN TYE
ORBIT HAMILTON / TAURANGA
The criteria for this award includes growth in industry knowledge, significant achievements, living the Orbit brand values and overall contribution to business success. Kristin is another deserving winner - she leads by example and is well respected by both her team and the wider Orbit Group. Congratulations Kirstin - well deserved!
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HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 23
GROUP
OF THE YEAR
SALES AWARDS
G ROU P O F THE YEA R / S MA L L
RETAIL
JO COOL’S BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
GOLD
HOT K API T I COAST
HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY / VICTORIA WALES DANIELLE JELLEY LOUISE STEPHENS MEGAN MCCALL CHRIS FIFIELD LYNNE PHILIPS RACHAEL DICK JOY TOY HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKES INVERCARGILL / JULIE ASHMORE PIA LEMIN SHEREE FORSYTHE
G ROU P O F THE YEA R / MED IU M
HOT L A KERS I N V E RCA RG I LL EASTERN EUROPE & SCANDINAVIAN CRUISE TOUR
SILVER
Group Awards
Gr
GROUP
HOUSE OF TRAVEL WHANGAREI / ALYSHA MACINNES MATTHEW GRICE MONIQUE WALKER
CORPORATE
GOLD
ORBIT TAURANGA / STACEY BUTCHER
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH / STACEY LEE-SIATAGA
G ROU P O F THE YEA R / LA RGE
H OT C HRI STCH U RCH CI T Y GOLD COAST COMMONWEALTH GAMES
e h t f o p ou
s d ar
24 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
SILVER
ORBIT AUCKLAND / JESSICA GREAVES NICOLA CRIBB
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH / LIZ HAMBURGER KAYE LUI
BRONZE
AMADEUS
CEO
AWARD
PARTNERSHIP AWARD
ORBIT AUCKLAND
JEFF LECKEY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL PRODUCT AUCKLAND This year’s CEO Award was presented to Jeff Leckey for the incredible achievements he has led in cruise for House of Travel. Jeff’s passion for cruise is legendary and with his commitment and drive HOT Cruise has gone from not being wholesaled by House of Travel to our number one destination. We have created real momentum internally, and established credibility with all of the key suppliers through Jeff’s unwavering drive to get cruise embraced by the group.
It was fantastic to see HOT Cruise recognised at the CLIAs in Sydney with HOT Kapiti and HOOT Cruises for the best OTA in New Zealand. This was a fantastic external endorsement and recognition of Jeff’s contributions.
The winner of this year’s Amadeus Cup was Brendan Drury & Orbit Auckland – in recognition of the effort they made to win Auckland University as a customer – the largest account the Orbit group won in 2017. With the support of Amadeus, Holdings IT and finance teams, Orbit Auckland has introduced new automation, new financial processes, new portal technology and a voice of customer programme to the University of Auckland. In the last 12 months they have also developed really strong partnerships throughout the University’s leadership team and grown the business by some 30%. Congratulations Orbit Auckland.
Well done and thanks to Jeff on behalf of everyone at House of Travel.
GROWTH AWARDS
This award is given to the top three consultants achieving the highest sales growth percentage in 2018. 2018 was a very big year and everyone was in the chance for the award – from newbies to experienced consultants. So thank you all for your hard work over the last year but there can only be three. Congratulations to our 2018 winners!
GROW T H AWA R D W IN N E R
MELISSA MAY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL FERRYMEAD
GROW T H AWA R D W IN N E R
JANETTE HOLDER HOUSE OF TRAVEL TAKAPUNA
ORBIT AUCKLAND / LAUREN INSLEY
GROW T H AWA R D W IN N E R
ORBIT CHRISTCHURCH / BRIDGET CLOSE JODI SKIDMORE
HOUSE OF TRAVEL WHANGAREI
EMILY JOHNSON
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HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018 25
SPECIAL
HOTTIE
AWARDS LOCAL AREA MARKETING AWARD
LOCAL AREA MARKETING AWARD
HOUSE OF TRAVEL JENNY NILSSON
BOTANIC D’LIGHTS CHRISTCHURCH 2018
HOSPICE EMBRACE AWARD
AWARDS #1 GOLDEN HOTTIE AWARD
RHYS MCKAY
HOUSE OF TRAVEL STEPHEN PARSONS
“Every year HOT New Lynn helps our local Hospice in collecting donations at Christmas with the Remembrance trees. This year we were located at our local New World. Rhys was working with a lovely elderly lady collecting money when out of the corner of his eye he spied a woman loitering by the collection bucket for just a little too long. Now Rhys is an ex-police officer, so his police instincts kicked in and told him to keep an eye on this woman – and to be prepared to run if necessary. So in readiness, he pulled out his chair to ensure there was a clear path in front of him. Low and behold he was right – this woman grabbed the bucket
CHRISTCHURCH JOINT MARKETING
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR MEMORIAL AWARD
CHERYL JOHNSON HOT JENNY NILSSON
PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR MEMORIAL AWARD
DEBORAH WORKMAN
SPIRIT OF HOT AWARD
PRUE DUNBAR
ORBIT TAURANGA
#2 HOTTIE AWARD
#4 HOTTIE AWARD
JASON MCKAY
JANINE MCKAY
“She’s an amazing award-winning consultant who every year makes amazing figures on part-time hours. She was lucky enough to book herself on the Ponant Auckland to Auckland cruise with her sister and was so excited that she held in the flights and booked the leave with everything approved. Janine went home to research everything about the ship – only to realise she had booked a cruise for 2020 – not 2019 and not realising until after she’d paid the deposit! She also had sent herself a courier pack instead of addressing to the Vietnamese embassy. Safe to say she was delighted to receive her visas back within 24 hours only to find she sent them to herself!”
“Jason was replying to an email from a corporate client who was enquiring about accessing the internet at a hotel. Jason replied that the traveller could ‘tap’ into his WiFi at the hotel. Unfortunately after hitting send he realised autocorrect had done its job…the customer could tap into his wife.”
#3 HOTTIE AWARD
ANNIE CROMBIE
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CUSTOMER SERVICE
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT TEAM
26 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
“The whole team had just been on a P&O cruise to become CLIA accredited. On Tuesday night we went out for dinner in the Italian restaurant on the ship as a nice closing dinner. There was a guy walking round with the biggest pepper mill you could ever imagine. He offers Annie some pepper but she stops him to take a photo, which was followed by the best comment, “Wow it’s just so big I can’t fit it all in.” Which saw not just our whole table erupt with laughter but also the waiter. Safe to say that Annie went the best shade of red that I think I have ever seen on a human!!”
from the table and started running towards her getaway car! What she didn’t know was that Rhys was watching her and sprinting towards her, tackled her and saved the money from being stolen! As the getaway driver was trying to run Rhys over – in the interest of safety – he let the woman go, collected the money that had fallen on the ground and carried on with his job of collecting. Money is tight for all Hospices as we all know, and to lose any collection is significant for this organisation so the team praises Rhys for his efforts as much as Hospice West Auckland does too.”
#5 HOTTIE AWARD
NICOLA MILNE
“Nicola Milne was out hitting the streets delivering flyers. She reckons she got dolloped with some good luck along the way and came back saying she’s sure she’d get some good bookings out of it. We loved Nicola’s smile & positive attitude when she was surely in a bit of a ‘shitty’ situation.”
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GUEST
SPEAKERS
CHRISTOPHER LUXON
CHRISTOPHER LUXON is Chief Executive Officer at Air New Zealand, one of the country’s top performing businesses. Under his leadership the airline has delivered record profits, all time high customer satisfaction scores and achieved its highest levels of staff engagement. Air New Zealand has won numerous accolades including best airline in the world, with a commitment to key areas such as sustainability, innovation, corporate reputation, employee engagement and customer experience. Before joining Air New Zealand, Christopher was President and CEO at Unilever Canada. One of several senior leadership roles held during an 18-year career at multi-nationals that saw him work in Europe, North America and Asia/Pacific. The House of Travel group has worked with Air NZ for over 30 years, and we are now their largest brand partner in New Zealand. With our longstanding relationship, it was great to have Christopher come and share some of the airline’s history and achievements within the industry.
JOEL BOUZAID
h t o o B Photo
JOEL BOUZAID delivered an inspiring speech about the importance of focus amongst life’s myriad of distractions to attain your goal - whether it be professional or personal. With his experience as an international operations manager in Italy, lessons as a father, successes and failures in business, he shared with us that it is with continued focus we can reach our goals and be our best.
LISA O’NEILL LISA O’NEILL is a keynote speaker and successful author who has travelled around New Zealand and Australia talking to audiences for the past 10 years engaging people with her energy, humour and enthusiasm offering her insights to gain an upbeat outlook on life. Lisa spoke to us on the day about ‘Energy, Excellence & Enhusiasm’. The words ‘I’m tired’ or ‘I’m too busy’ don’t exist in her vocabulary and she reminded us there are so many things that can either contribute or contaminate our energy. In order to perform, we need the best energy possible, avoid the contaminators and focus on what really matters – while balancing our busy modern lives.
FANGAFUA (FUA) PO’OI
Guest
FUA PO’OI became a Youth Ambassador for Totara Hospice South Auckland, volunteering at fundraising events in early 2014. When Fua’s dearly loved Uncle Manu was diagnosed with cancer, Fua and her family were grateful to have the support of Hospice throughout their journey. In 2016 Fua became Head Youth Ambassador and now is still committed to continuing to help raise the profile of Hospice in the local community and encouraging other young people to become involved with Hospice.
er s
“I volunteer to ensure every day I do my best to not let any family or individual go through the struggle of being left alone during or after the loss of their loved ones.”
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2018 SUPPLIER
A HUGE THANKS TO
AWARDS PRINCIPLE SPONSOR
OUR SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
AIR NEW ZEALAND
EMIRATES
WINNERS: Top Outlet North Island HOUSE OF TAURANGA Top Outlet South Island HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY Top Corporate Outlet - ORBIT WELLINGTON
WINNERS: Top Retail Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL TAURANGA Top Orbit Store - ORBIT AUCKLAND
PLATINUM SPONSORS
ROYAL CARIBBEAN WINNERS: Top Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL PAPAMOA Most Improved - HOUSE OF TRAVEL TAURANGA
QANTAS
INTREPID
WINNERS: Top Retail Outlet HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL Top Corporate Outlet - ORBIT WELLINGTON
WINNERS: Top Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL MERIVALE
SINGAPORE AIRLINES WINNERS: Top Growth - ORBIT WELLINGTON Outstanding Performance HOUSE OF TRAVEL CHRISTCHURCH CITY
CARNIVAL
(P&O / PRINCESS CRUISES / CUNARD) P&O Top Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL ROTORUA Princess Top Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL PAPAMOA
THE TRAVEL CORPORATION WINNER: Top Overall TTC Outlet (Travel Corporation /Insight / Costsaver / Luxury Gold / Costsaver) HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL Most Improved TTC Outlet HOUSE OF TRAVEL HAVELOCK NORTH
GLOBUS / COSMOS / AVALON WINNER: Top Globus, Cosmos & Monograms Shop HOUSE OF TRAVEL ROTORUA Top Avalon Waterways Shop HOUSE OF TRAVEL LAKERS INVERCARGILL
30 HOUSE OF TRAVEL AWARDS / 2018
PRINCIPLE SPONSOR
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE WINNERS: Top Store - HOUSE OF TRAVEL MERIVALE Top Sales Consultant TONY JACKSON / HOUSE OF TRAVEL NEWMARKET
PREMIUM SPONSOR
P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R S
a f a m i ly o f br a n d s
ALLIANZ
ttc.com
WINNERS: Greatest Sales - HOUSE OF TRAVEL WHANGAREI Greatest Attachment - HOUSE OF TRAVEL ASHBURTON
FRANCIS TRAVEL MARKETING WINNERS: Top Cruise Agency - HOUSE OF TRAVEL TAKAPUNA Top Cruise Consultant CHRISTINE ROSS / HOUSE OF TRAVEL BROWNS BAY
s d r a w
r e i l p p u S
GOLD SPONSORS
OT H E R S P O N SO R S
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