Our sixth Globe Awards since the purchase of Travel Weekly Group was our biggest, most spectacular, and most well-attended event since we set about returning it to former glories in 2010.
It says a great deal that almost a week after the event it remains one of the hottest topics on email, twitter, and in practically every conversation or meeting I’ve had since.
One Twitter report indicates the ‘#TWGlobes’ tag has been used on almost 1,500 occasions, reaching 1.82m accounts and appearing 9.13m times on timelines across the world – a mind-blowing statistic. You can view just a few of these on our media wall.
The Globe Awards are incredibly special and I have always considered it a huge honour to have the responsibility of delivering the event alongside the fantastic team here at Travel Weekly Group.
I know some companies would say they’d rather win business than awards, and I couldn’t agree more about prioritising the fundamentals of a business. Yet a Globe Award is the icing on the cake; it’s voted for in the thousands by our amazing travel agent audience, and it’s their acknowledgement that you’re a respected or valued company, rather than ‘just’ a successful one – the two don’t necessarily always go hand in hand.
I recall walking into Holiday Autos House in 2001 and seeing a reception overflowing with awards. It instilled pride in everyone who worked there, and gave us instant credibility when suppliers and partners visited our offices.
Winning a Globe meant a huge amount to me and the business 14 years ago, and that exciting mix of anticipation and celebration as each award was handed out was every bit as evident this year.
What was also evident this year was a travel industry full of confidence and with great messages of trade support which they delivered throughout the night.
Wendy Wu and their Chinese Dragons opened the night, celebrating their 10-year anniversary trading in the UK, while Royal Caribbean and P&O Cruises provided spectacular set-pieces to support their 2015 deliveries of Anthem of the Seas and Britannia respectively.
2014 seems to have been the year where the travel industry truly started to come full circle, as multiple businesses visited Travel Weekly wanting either to start trading or re-engage with the trade at the expense of direct booking channels, and this was evident in the Great Room last week.
We had companies who hadn’t attended the Globes for over a decade, and we had attendees looking to break into the travel sector and forge new relationships with suppliers and agents alike.
The whole evening felt like an exciting time to be involved in the travel trade, a celebration of great businesses and great individuals, and Travel Weekly is as proud as ever to be at the heart of that.
It’s amazing to think that if Travel Weekly Group hadn’t been rescued five-and-a-half years ago, the Globes might not exist today. I truly believe that’s what drives us on, not just for the Globe Awards but the business in general – it’s a second chance for a business which means a huge amount to many different people in the UK travel industry, and a chance to create something special all over again. We’re well on our way.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Travel Weekly Group.