p42 OTR feb6 3/2/09 15:43 Page 42
knowledge on the road
ttglive.com
On the Road
with Ivor Hughes
What do you know about the job now
that you wish you had known when
you started?
I should have purchased a Blackberry phone
Comtec Europe
before now – it’s brilliant! It holds all of my
emails, calendar and about 700 contacts.
I don’t leave home without it.
In the driving sea
t
What has been your most embarrass-
ing experience on the road?
I was so busy on my hands-free car phone to
Name:
Ivor Hughes notice I was going the wrong way down a
Age:
40 one-way street in London. A friendly taxi
Job title:
New business sales manager driver pointed out my error and directed
Current place of work:
Comtec E
urope
, based in Y
ork
me home.
Length of time in y
our curr
ent job:
12 months
Previous job:
Regional sales manager
, RedSk
yIT
What do you miss most
Specialis
t areas/
regions co
vered:
about home when you
All of the UK and Ir
eland
are away for work?
Favourite des
tination:
Caribbean – when it’
s
Family, of course, and
not hurric
ane season! the spa and sauna at
What
is on y
our iPod a
t the moment:
my local gym.
Heavy
metal, including the ne
w Metallic
a album
It’s amazing what
inspiration you can
get when you are
cooking at 50C!
How many days on average do you of products avail- If you lost every-
spend on the road? able. Listening thing tomorrow,
It varies, but about three days a week. to the client and would you stay in
applying solutions travel?
What has been your greatest achieve- in a simple to I always tend to have a backup
ment in your current role? understand manner plan, such as finding a rich business
I have only been at Comtec a short time but creates confidence partner – but
four months into the job I had sold every and reassurance. I’m still working
product type in our portfolio to both agents on that one!
and tour operators. Do you see the rela-
tionship between Tell us one
What techniques do you employ to suppliers and thing no-one
ensure agents choose your product? agents changing knows about
I always make a note in my diary to contact in the future? If you
in six months anyone who hasn’t bought so, how? I had a milk-
from me this time round and update them Not in travel technol- round when
about our products and services to ogy. The relationship I was younger
re-establish a relationship. between suppliers that started at
such as Comtec and 6am. It put me
How have you changed the way you its customers is as in good stead
deal with agents over the past three strong as ever. As for the early
years? technology moves morning starts
Technology has moved at an incredible on, we have to be I have now.
rate over the last 10 years and picked up proactive in find-
many confusing buzz words along the way. ing solutions and
Making matters more complicated for new ideas to assist
agents are all the different players in the agents in their
travel technology arena and the vast choice business.
42 06.02.2009
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