TravMedia Awards thank you

 Last week I was honoured to receive an outstanding contribution award at the annual TravMedia UK #travmediaawards with some exceptionally kind comments from people such as Rachel O'Reilly Helen Coop Noel Josephides Henry Hemming Abigail King

It was such a special night I thought I'd share the comments I made on the evening and to express my thanks again to the judges who so generously decided to present me with this award.

This is what I said:

I can’t quite believe I am standing here. This means the world to me.

I love this industry.

I know many of us find our way into it by accident. I certainly did.

I’d intended to become a journalist, but got a job in PR first to earn enough money to do the training. One day, at my first job at an agency in the West Midlands, I had to interview the MD of a major manufacturing company in the morning. And in the afternoon, for a photoshoot, I had to find an elephant.

I realised I’d found a career that was never going to be the same every day . And it hasn't been. And then I moved to London and found a job with the remarkable Bronwyn Gold Blyth where I was amazed to find it was possible to get paid for talking about travel.

Obviously I came into travel because I wanted to see the world.

But I realised, as I reflected on this award, that what keeps me here is not just the places; it’s the people.

Everyone in this room. Everyone in travel – every general manager, every journalist, every blogger, each PR, tour operator and tourist board representative is in this industry because we are curious, interested in the world and in those around us.

You are an amazing group. I’m honoured to work alongside you all and to have had the privilege of seeing so many creative, determined people develop and thrive in this industry.

And, I’m most proud of the things we’ve done together which have helped others.

This could be for individual businesses, such as the B&B owner who won a UK tourism award and told me the coverage she’d had had changed her life.  

Or it could be what we’ve done for entire countries. I will never forget the day my team at Four and our European partners were in a meeting when they got a call from the president of Costa Rica to thank us for the communications and marketing which had helped to alleviate poverty in his country.

And I particularly enjoy the opportunity to work with many of you in my role as trustee of the  Travel Foundation charity whose intention is to help us all transform tourism for a more sustainable future. Please do read its latest report called Envision 2030 about how we need radical collaboration to address climate change.

When I posted the news about my cancer fundraising efforts earlier this year I was overwhelmed by your generosity, the incredibly kind comments you posted and the support you gave me to keep going.

Cancer affects one in two of us and that’s why I’m now also going to be supporting a non-profit organisation called Working With Cancer which helps people with cancer in the workplace, or supports them when they return from treatment . You could be a one man band, or a major corporation, but if you need help to support anyone in your organisation with cancer please do let me know. The Working with Cancer charity can help.

I still can’t quite believe I’m standing here and accepting this award. I think I was in shock when Henry told me I’d been nominated.

There’s a great expression that says “Happy people can look back and say they chose their life, not settled for it.”

I’m very happy.

I’m very glad to have chosen my life, and am delighted to share it with you all.

Thank you so much for the honour you’ve given me tonight.