NEWS THE INTERVIEW


Group under the Triton super- consortium brand helped Advantage to make progress. “At the time, it was absolutely the


right thing to do. Independent agents were being marginalised,” she recalls. “It gave us that springboard to take


the organisation to the next level.” Another stride forward came in


2014 with the launch of Vision 2020, with pledges to reach transparent performance targets. And, apart from Covid-hit 2020,


Lo Bue-Said has seen Advantage increase profits every year, while also paying member dividends and expanding its services. Other highlights have included


celebrity speakers at the consortium’s annual conferences, most notably Nando Parado in 2008. He spoke movingly about how he survived a plane crash in the Andes, which was later dramatised in the film Alive. “It was a moment of self-reflection.


We were all there together and all experienced that,” she recalls. “It was an opportunity to reflect


as individuals, as business leaders, on how we could do things better.” Other memorable speakers have


included cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who dined with delegates who’d won a


travelweekly.co.uk


competition, and Joanna Lumley. In 2016, Advantage launched


its annual Big Celebration Lunch to celebrate the successes of its members and business partners. This was followed by high-profile


accolades. The London Stock Exchange named Advantage as one its 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain in 2016 and 2017, while The Sunday Times honoured the consortium as ‘One to Watch’ in its Best Companies listing in 2018. “We are very proud. We do the


best we can but when you get some recognition publicly, and by those sorts of institutions, it means a huge amount,” says Lo Bue-Said.


Covid pressures But nothing could have prepared Lo Bue-Said and the team for the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s been really tough,” she says. “It


started with disbelief, then realising this is not going to end quickly. You had to make very quick decisions. “I can’t pretend that I haven’t shed


a tear. I’ve been on staff calls where I’ve lost it…because [the situation] is just too overwhelming. “But we’ve all learnt so much; it


has changed how we are as a business.”


Looking back over her 25 years


with Advantage and in particular the past year, she pays tribute to her colleagues and her family. At weekends, when restrictions


allow, she can be seen on the touchline, cheering on her sons, aged 20 and 15. “I’m really proud of them. At the end of the day, I’m still mum,” she adds.


Recovery focus Looking forward to 2021, she pledges to “stay completely focused” on the core business of supporting members and helping them to generate revenue. The consortium has fewer


members of staff now and 10 members were lost over the course of 2020. “A lot of our agents have just


hibernated their businesses: locked down as much as they can and used the government schemes to furlough staff and the grants,” she says. This year, the consortium will


focus on recovery and revenue generation for members, but do less of the “fluff”, such as marketing. Lo Bue-Said also pledges to


continue fighting for agents in the corridors of power and is angry with the lack of support from government. “I don’t think we’ve been listened to. When things calm down, we’ve


really got to rethink how we promote ourselves as an industry,” she says. “As an industry, we’ve done


phenomenally well and collaborated, but it’s not enough.” Lo Bue-Said will continue


highlighting the value of a travel agent who can help customers navigate the complexities of Covid travel restrictions and post-Brexit rules. And she is confident for the future


of agents and the consortium, which already has an overseas division with Advantage Asia, run by Pricol Travel based in India. “I see the brand growing to


the point where it will be more recognised,” she says. “It will have to stand for independence, value, expertise and choice.” She concludes: “We’ve already


grown the organisation to make sure that we can represent travel agents in every different model. “I want Advantage to be the only


game in town.” Watch T ravel Weekly’s


exclusive interview with Julia Lo Bue-Said at: go.travelweekly.co.uk/lobuesaid


7 JANUARY 2021 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52