| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 30/04/01 |
| Author: | Page Number: 1 |
| Copyright: Other |
Muir: new regime is ruining Advantage
Former MD accuses Smith of damaging consortium
timed to coincide with the Advantage conference in Killarney. The brunt of the criticism has been borne by Smith.
There has been tension between Smith and Muir since Advantage launched its ill-fated franchise agreement with Airtours two years ago.
Smith was known to have questioned the plan from the outset and felt vindicated after it eventually collapsed.
Muir, who resigned from Advantage 12 months ago, denied he was stirring trouble.
“When you put 10 years into an organisation and feel you have done a pretty good job, you get a personal attachment to it,” he said.
“I love the organisation and wouldn’t do anything to harm it. But I am concerned they have not replaced me or Neil Armorgie, and as far as I can see, all the responsibilities now rest with Roger Smith. There are more committees now, but in today’s industry, you need to move quickly. The consortium has taken a step backward and may miss out on opportunities.”
He also said member directors are unable to view issues objectively and find it difficult to make impartial decisions.
Smith refuted the criticisms.
“There is no politics in Advantage,” he said. “We don’t have members running departments like Worldchoice but we employ experts instead. They run the business on a day-to-day basis, not me or the board.
“We did not replace Ron or Neil because we wanted a period of consolidation for 18 months to two years. The franchise split the membership and we wanted to bring it back together.
“This is a commercially run organisation and we have no intention of becoming a trade association with committee after committee,” he added.
General manager John Tindale said he “felt personally offended” by the attack, while sales and marketing director Colin O’Neill claimed Muir was “out of touch”.
* See Comment, page 8
A WAR of words has broken out between Advantage Travel Centres and its former managing director amid accusations the consortium is on the slide.
Former MD Ron Muir said the organisation is in danger of becoming bogged down in politics and red tape after failing to appoint a replacement for him, or a successor to commercial director Neil Armorgie.
He has accused Advantage president Roger Smith of attempting to take outright control of the consortium, transforming it into a slow-moving trade association rather than a forward-thinking commercial body.
Sources said management is fuming at Muir’s criticisms – which he expressed in a letter to Travel Weekly (April 23) – and is convinced the attack was timed to coincide with the Advantage conference in Killarney. The brunt of the criticism has been borne by Smith.
There has been tension between Smith and Muir since Advantage launched its ill-fated franchise agreement with Airtours two years ago.
Smith was known to have questioned the plan from the outset and felt vindicated after it eventually collapsed.
Muir, who resigned from Advantage 12 months ago, denied he was stirring trouble.
“When you put 10 years into an organisation and feel you have done a pretty good job, you get a personal attachment to it,” he said.
“I love the organisation and wouldn’t do anything to harm it. But I am concerned they have not replaced me or Neil Armorgie, and as far as I can see, all the responsibilities now rest with Roger Smith. There are more committees now, but in today’s industry, you need to move quickly. The consortium has taken a step backward and may miss out on opportunities.”
He also said member directors are unable to view issues objectively and find it difficult to make impartial decisions.
Smith refuted the criticisms.
“There is no politics in Advantage,” he said. “We don’t have members running departments like Worldchoice but we employ experts instead. They run the business on a day-to-day basis, not me or the board.
“We did not replace Ron or Neil because we wanted a period of consolidation for 18 months to two years. The franchise split the membership and we wanted to bring it back together.
“This is a commercially run organisation and we have no intention of becoming a trade association with committee after committee,” he added.
General manager John Tindale said he “felt personally offended” by the attack, while sales and marketing director Colin O’Neill claimed Muir was “out of touch”.
* See Comment, page 8
Report by STEVE JONES
Fighting talk: O’Neill, left, and Smith, right, have refuted Muir’s claims that Advantage is becoming just a slow-moving trade association