So here we are standing at the departure gate of 2011 and I can’t help but feel breathless with excitement as I will be taking off with a completely new identity.
Future Travel has been renamed The Co-operative Personal Travel Advisors ahead of the retail merger with Thomas Cook. The value of The Co-operative’s brand is rated at £2.89 billion, and the company features on the Brand Finance UK table well above the likes of the BBC and Marks & Spencer.
Combine this with the proposed joint venture with Thomas Cook and I can’t help but feel optimistic for the future. So all you reps out there, it’s time you paid me a visit here in Wiltshire. I might even bake a cake.
Good riddance to 2010
What a year 2010 was, with some of the most difficult trading conditions the industry has ever seen. From airline failures and increased taxes to recession, strikes, volcanoes and snow.
For me it was a year of taking one step forward only to be hit by something that knocked me two steps back – I bet you all had similar experiences. Ten rounds with David Haye might have been an easier prospect, yet even he would have struggled to take any more punches.
However, I am proud to be part of an industry that rolls with the punches and, no matter how many times it is knocked down, always gets back up again.
Looking at my end of year results, I have done about the same as 2009. I worked tirelessly to achieve this, investing time and money in social networking and a website as well as still doing my local marketing.
But last year had its high points too. I attended some wonderful ship launches, including the naming ceremonies for Celebrity Eclipse and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth.
I also benefited from going to conferences and industry award ceremonies and having a fabulous makeover and photo shoot courtesy of Travel Weekly, the One Stop Touring Shop and Bicester Village.
Great support network
I have to say thank you to two people in particular for their continued support. First, to Michael Graham at Celebrity Cruises, who has helped me enormously. Second, to Mark Hopper at Getabed. With zero cancellation fees, you have been a godsend during this difficult period.
Now that I have reached the end of my first trading week of this year, the signs are good. I have been extremely busy and up about 50% on last year. Fingers crossed it continues.
Emma Sanger is a homeworker for The Co-operative Personal Travel Advisors