Hi Travel Edgers,
 
Working in the travel industry means that you travel more than the average person, right? Well, my passport can bear witness that such has been the case over the past month. 
 
Mid-March saw me heading to London to host a group of our Top Performers, and British Airways hosted our travel to and from the UK. I had not travelled on a BA transatlantic service for over 20 years, and I have to say that their new flat bed Business Class product is so much better than its predecessor. Previously, you may remember a configuration which had some passengers’ resting heads very close to their neighbour’s feet. I always thought it was a classic case of a Head Office idea not being thoroughly researched - and that’s coming from somebody who retains much affection for BA (they hired me in my first foray into the travel world in the 1990s).
 
We stayed at The Langham, which is directly opposite Broadcasting House, the headquarters of the BBC. As my wife, Denise, used to work there after college, it was very nostalgic for her. She had never stayed at the Langham but seemed very familiar with the bar somehow….

The Langham just oozes class, and it was actually owned by the BBC until a few decades ago. Apparently, Winston Churchill broadcasted his most famous World War II speech “We will fight them on the beaches etc.” from the top floor of the Langham. I know it is not for everybody, but I just love visiting historical sites and I have always had a keen interest in World War II.
 
On the theme of Churchill, a “behind the glass” tour of Churchill’s war rooms was a unique experience. Seeing his war cabinet room exactly as it was in 1944 was a little eerie, especially Churchill’s chair with the dents left by his ring finger as he drummed his fingers impatiently during briefings.

We actually saw King Charles III when we were on a walking tour of London. He was driving from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace. He did wave in our direction - even the King is impressed by our Top Performers. 😉

We paid a visit to Garrard, jeweller to the Royal Family. We got the chance to try on a tiara or two, while being serenaded by one of Britain's top violinists, who was playing a very rare Stradivarius, worth £4 million!! The musician, Andrew Bernardi, carries it in a backpack as he walks around London, going about his business!! He let me hold the Stradivarius after his performance and I was surprised at how little it weighed and how fragile it was. Andrew looked suitably nervous for the 10 seconds he relinquished its possession to me….

Still on the melodic theme, those who were listening to music in the late 70s and early 80s would know quite a few tunes by the Swedish supergroup, ABBA. Always innovators, they have a new show in London called ABBA: Voyage where they have created a musical extravaganza using life-size holograms. We had "dance floor" tickets right at the front of the stage and we had a fantastic time, rolling back the years to our salad days.

A big thank you to the Top Performers who attended, namely Cindy Bown, Dana Britt, John Galante, Kathy Boate, Laura Gable, Roger Kershaw and Trisha Pergande for their camaraderie and engagement throughout this memorable event.
 
On the topic of Reward and Recognition, I have been talking to my team about how we organize ourselves around recognizing top performers in the Travel Edge Network. With the previous year’s results available in mid-January and the trips taking place in the Spring, it begs the question of whether we are giving winners enough time to clear their calendars or if the notice period is just too short. Michelle Leal does a really good job of pulling these trips together and both Michelle and I are really interested to know your views on this topic. We already know we do not have enough time to properly execute in time for this year, so we will use the full calendar year to execute our upcoming recognition trips. (We are re-shaping the program with value added benefits, defined targets and will use the full calendar year for Top Performer recognition trips. One of the questions still remains to be answered: should we be doing one big event instead of 3 more intimate trips? We would love to hear your views. (member.engagement@traveledge.com) )
 
I also joined the second Top Performers trip for a couple of days in Dubrovnik, Croatia in early April. The winners had already been to Zagreb and Split, and by the time I joined them, they had clearly already formed a very close team bond. We met up at a vineyard near Dubrovnik and there is no doubt that Croatian wines are of very good quality and represent great value, a truism for the whole country, in fact. 

That day, we visited an Oyster farm. I didn't even know that such a thing existed, and to be honest, after one particularly bad experience with eating oysters, I am not a fan of them, but it was really interesting to learn how they grow oysters on the farm, in what is a highly regulated industry in Croatia.

I found Dubrovnik to be a truly magical place. The Dalmatian coastline is stunning, and the ancient architecture of the city takes your breath away. I have never watched Game of Thrones but many of the scenes were shot in Dubrovnik, and it is a mecca for diehard fans of the series. 
 
The group did a private boat trip along the Dubrovnik coastline where one advisor (who shall remain nameless) lost her cellphone. Every time one of us called it, the distinctive ring tone could be heard, and after a 15-minute search of the boat, the phone was found - in her back pocket!! It brought a whole new meaning to the term “butt dial” 😃
 
The DMC that hosted us was Calvados Club and I want to shout out Zelkja Mustra who did an excellent job of herding us all throughout the entire trip.

Another big thank you to the Top Performers who made the trip such a memorable experience for all and sundry, Angela Adto Tepper, Anna Bright, Brian Pentek, Cinnie Segsworth, Diana Traficante, Lara Alexander and Linda Winslow
 
From Croatia, it was a short hop to Rome where Navigatr CEO, Jeff Willner, was hosting Senior Execs from Travel Edge, Kensington Tours, Ensemble and Trip Arc for our mid-year review. As a newbie, it was my first experience and the “work hard, play hard” philosophy was in full flow.
 
We stayed at Rocco Forte’s sumptuous Hotel de Russie, not far from the Spanish Steps. We even had Sir Rocco himself in attendance for the first night’s reception where he recounted the history of the hotel.

For those of you who are not familiar with Sir Rocco, he is European Hospitality Royalty. He is very well known on the other side of the Atlantic and is a very charismatic figure. I chatted to him for about 15 minutes, and he told me some good tales. He is nearly 80 years of age, and I complimented him on his more youthful appearance which he attributed to doing triathlons – apparently, he was “ripped” in his late 60s. He is clearly putting most of us to shame!!
 
During the Travel Edge presentation the next day, I shared the key highlights and feedback areas that I had heard from Advisors during my Listening Tour. We have lots of work to do but I am confident that we can make real traction to make Travel Edge a better place for all constituents.

I think that is a wrap for “Keeping in Touch” April ’24. I hope that you are all keeping well and feeling the benefits of Spring’s arrival. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on my coming travels.
 
Best,

Andy Pilkington, President, Travel Edge