Announcing the Biggest Hays Travel Conference Yet!

Hays Travel, which trebled its shops and doubled its workforce overnight when it bought the former Thomas Cook retail portfolio is taking flight again

Hays Travel, which trebled its shops and doubled its workforce overnight when it bought the former Thomas Cook retail portfolio is taking flight again.

The UK’s largest independent travel agent will hold the biggest conference of its 39-year history in November.
Over 700 retail branch managers, assistant managers and head office colleagues, including the owners and managing director and chair, John and Irene Hays, are invited to the 2019 Retail Conference in Antalya, Turkey.

The five day event has attracted a keynote speaker from a globally-known company and will give Hays Travel employees a unique insight to the latest developments in the travel industry. It will be an exciting welcome for some of the 2000 colleagues who joined in the last two weeks to meet and get to know each other. They will do that in style, with a blue and orange themed reception, a glittering celebration at the Gala Awards Dinner, and a fun-filled fancy dress party with a West End shows theme.

Retail & Training Director for Hays Travel, Jane Schumm, said: “We are so delighted to make our conference the biggest ever this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity, just four weeks after we welcomed Thomas Cook colleagues into the family, to get to know each other, celebrate, learn a lot and have loads of fun. Our conferences are legendary but this one is going to be really special on a scale we’ve never done before.

“Even the branch managers who’ve been before are in for some surprises. Its action packed with really useful information for branch managers to take back to the business and there’s the chance to share experiences and learn from what’s happening at branches all over the country. There will be supplier matchmaking events, networking opportunities and workshops to get involved in as well as presentations from colleagues and senior managers from across the business.

“We also take the chance to recognise, reward and celebrate all the hard work and dedication of our managers over the past year, and thank those who joined so quickly and moved mountains to help us get their shops back up and running.
“We have had to move fast to reorganise everything to more than double the numbers in just two weeks and we are very grateful to our sponsors and suppliers for all the help they’re giving us.

“I can’t wait to see everyone having a good time and enjoying themselves in Turkey and taking back loads of new information to their branches.”

Manager of the Hays Travel branch in Victoria Square, Belfast and former Thomas Cook employee of 24 years, Jackie Geddis, said: “We can’t wait to meet some of the other managers and the staff from Head office as being across the water we haven’t had that opportunity yet! I’m excited to hear Hays Travel plans and strategies for the next year and hear their vision and plans for the future. It’s absolutely amazing the freedom that we have to choose from when suggesting holidays for our customers, so I’m looking forward to meeting some of the suppliers that we haven’t had the chance to work with yet! It sounds like it’s going to be so much fun and everyone is up for a laugh so I can’t wait!”

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