ACTA's David McCaig and
Heather Craig-Peddie with David Batey of Virgin America
Sunwing's Deana Murphy with
Robert Lambert of Thomas Cook and Dianne Jackson of Mondial
Transat's Nancy Jackson, Steve Brown, Nicole Bursey and Pat Brady
Our host Jonathan Carroll (right) with shareholder Chiko Nanji and friend Doran Major
You know it’s going to be quite the party when the invitation reads: “Great Food. Great Music. Don’t forget to book the next day off.”
Well there must have been some pretty empty travel businesses next day in Toronto, as a couple of hundred of us recovered from the annual festivity that is the itravel2000/Travelzest/Cruise Professionals’ Holiday Party.
This year’s schmooze-athon took place at the Maison Mercer in the heart of the city’s club district, and as in past years generous food, pounding music, and lots of adult beverages were on tap. I can’t think of another function, at any time of year, where you see such a mix of industry folks from Res types to Pres types. Spotted in the crowd were heavyweights such as Sunwing’s Stephen Hunter, ACTA’s David McCaig and of course Jonathan Carroll as well as BDMs, group coordinators and customer relations staff from a host of suppliers.
True to tradition, Open Jaw’s question of the evening was: “So what do you want Santa to bring the travel industry for next year?” And, in true itravel Christmas party tradition, the responses were varied and ranged from sincere to hilarious.
Mondial’s Dianne Jackson is voting for higher margins, while Robert Lambert of Thomas Cook Customer Relations (clearly hoping to put himself out of a job) is looking for “no complaints.”
Virgin America’s David Batey is dreaming of $80/barrel oil and David McCaig is asking for no non-commissionable fees. Transat’s Nancy Jackson opted for the always-popular “less capacity” and Fred Azouz of Radonic Rodgers votes for “healthy profits and lifestyles for all.”
ACV’s Rob McChlery would ask Santa for “Just one month stress-free. That’s all. Make it April – no, May.” But his boss Zeina Gedeon made me laugh with her wish: “Higher prices – yes, I want higher prices! Oh yes, and peace on earth!” Not to be outdone, Sunwing’s Lawrence Elliott couldn’t resist: “Oh what the heck. I want smarter customers.”
We’ll leave the last word to Jonathan Carroll (so svelte these days I wonder if he is swimming between Canada and England). Quite simply: “Logic! That’s all I want!”
Live long and prosper, Jonathan – and thanks again for hosting an unforgettable Christmas bash. Hopefully we will all have recovered in time for next year’s!
