Bernadette Pakert
Where were you born? In Toronto.
What was your first job? Working in the kitchen of a nursing home when I got out of high school. I saw a lot of eggs and mashed potatoes!
How long have you been in the business? Coming up to 16 years - before that I had my own design business making wedding gowns, draperies and so on.
Tell me about your first airplane ride. On Wardair to Europe in 1976, visiting Austria, Germany and Italy. That was an incredible airline.
How has the business changed since you got into it? I don’t know if it’s changed very much – I think people are doing their research online but they really want to talk to a person. People are looking for experts.
Do you have a specialty? High end destination weddings and groups in destinations such as Secrets.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? I’ve always wanted to work in incentive – I was at Sunquest for 15 years and always wanted to be the person to put the finishing touches on a trip. My dream job would be as a secret shopper for high end hotels, staying anonymously and providing feedback.
What was your best FAM? That’s difficult…I find my best FAMs are when I go on my own vacation and chat with the other guests. But recently I did a Transat FAM to Puerto Vallarta which was very intense, educational – lots of classroom time – it was very good.
What drives you crazy? Children on an aircraft. But I can’t say that! How about rude people in general who don’t say please and thank you to those who are serving them. Really irks me.
What was your biggest individual sale? A family of four to Hawaii - $18,000.
What’s the first thing you do when you get into a hotel room? Get my camera out!
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? That depends on the clientele – but I always do say “This is a place you have to experience.”
Do you have any time management strategies? Just being very organized, not knowing everything but knowing where you can find things, and having good contacts.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? “It’s a very small industry and you’re definitely going to run into that person somewhere along the line, so don’t burn your bridges.”
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which one would you pick? Probably Australia. 6 months? No problem!
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? Probably sewing again, it’s something I thoroughly enjoy and having someone wear what I’ve created and appreciate it.
If you, or someone you know who is a front line travel agent in Canada, would like to be featured in Up Front, please email martha@gk.openjaw.xyz
