More than 250 Travel Associates business leaders and advisors walked the purple carpet at The Emporium Hotel on Saturday 8 July for the brand’s annual Gala Awards. The silver service luncheon celebrated the most-successful year the business has experienced in its 25-year history and the incredible performance of its one-of-a-kind expert advisors and business leaders.
Bringing together the entire Australian network to formally recognise the very ‘best of the best’, awards were presented to both individual advisors for longevity of service, exceptional personal performance and commitment to client service, and to teams for excellence in productivity, luxury standards and overall business performance.
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Addressing the Gala Luncheon, Rachel Kingswell, General Manager AU & NZ, commented on the importance of taking time out as an entire luxury network to recognise the strong performance of the brand, its people and its teams in front of colleagues and senior management of the company.
“It really is hard to express just how much we appreciate what you have achieved this year as a team. We have enjoyed the strongest performance in our 25-year history, and we have all contributed to this exceptional result. Not only did Travel Associates achieve a ‘personal best’ but so did an incredible 85 percent of the people in this room,” Kingswell remarked.
“Every single person here should be incredibly proud of your commitment to your clients and your determination to deliver one-of-a-kind service. Our gratitude cannot be overstated, and I am so proud to be on this journey with you. Thank you for all you have done.”
The Gala Awards
Showcasing the depth of talent, and leading expertise of those in the brand, the Length of Service Awards were presented to almost 30 Travel Associates Advisors, for service of between 15 to an incredible 35 years.
The Brand’s Most Outstanding award went to Ian Carswell, Business Leader of the newly-renamed Carswell & Turner Travel Associates in Coffs Harbour (formerly Travel Associates Coffs Harbour), for his commitment to the boutique luxury brand and its DNA, outstanding achievement as a Business Leader and for his individual performance.
Jo Kennedy, Business Leader of Kennedy & Turner in Brisbane, was awarded Top Advisor in the company for her exceptional performance and her outstanding commitment to her luxury clients.
For the first time, the inaugural Greg Ashmore Award for Greatness, was presented at the luncheon to recently retired Business Leader and Chairman of the Travel Associates Advisory Board, Alan Reis, of Reis & James in Canberra. Named in honour of Travel Associates’ founder, the Greg Ashmore award represents the pinnacle of excellence, connection and passion for the brand and the industry.
Recipient of the Most Productive Business award was Wolf & Turner (Blackburn, VIC), led by Meaghan Wolf in recognition of the highest performance per advisor in the luxury network in Australia, and Travel Associates Norwood (Norwood, SA), led by Krystal Savage, was presented with the overall Top Performing Business award.
The Global Gathering qualifier awards, awarded to 96 advisors and 2 businesses, Wolf & Turner (Blackburn, Victoria) and Norwood (Norwood, South Australia), recognise the expert advisors who had achieved fantastic results over the full year. Recipients of these awards will attend the prestigious Global Gathering held in Bali this week.
Travel Associates is the largest boutique travel agency in Australia and New Zealand. The brand has seen its best year ever across all performance metrics including record turnover, sales growth, bookings and staff retention.