This Month’s guest speaker is Kevin Brett from TOP Network
TOP Network was created in the current tourism and hospitality crisis to offer solutions to travel companies seeking help as they restart their businesses and to provide new opportunities for the skilled travel and tourism workforce facing unemployment. It specialises in assisting travel personnel find short- and mid-term consultancy projects, matched with travel companies needing help to re-start business with resources through difficult times. A more flexible dip-in and out approach to contracting outsourced services is garnering strong interest, offering a fresh method of doing business.
When Gary my co-founder and I were first contemplating the outlook for our industry during the height of the first wave of this pandemic, we were then two separate competitor companies seeking a way to work together to safeguard our own businesses as well as the future of the industry at large. It was absolutely clear that alliances and partnerships were going to be key as “together we will be stronger”. To make a partnership work we knew required trust, recognising our differing strengths, and openness.
Broadening the partnership opportunity we brought together eight like-minded businesses and individuals, many of whom are travel industry brand leaders in their own right, to form an advisory panel vested in the future of our industry to give direction, guidance and an air of gravitas to the network. Together we are spearheading a recovery plan that helps travel companies with limited budgets and headcount with flexible dip-in and out services more suited to their current needs, and which safeguards travel industry talent by offering short and mid-term freelance and consultancy projects with those companies.
We have always been a resilient travel industry. Undoubtedly many will have a very long and tough winter. But our industry will repair as demand improves next year. Many may need to consider the black bear approach with a winter hibernation probably the best course of action. The sunlight that wakes the bear in the spring will be the pent up demand for visiting friends and relatives and leisure travel. The bear will return hungry (for business) and reenergised for adventures and challenges ahead. And at TOP Network our collective approach of network partners is ready to feed and add value to an industry awaiting its awakening.
Next steps? Broadening our reach into other source markets with the same network
approach, and potentially to other industries. Finding the right partners with a shared vision, goals and values is key
TOP Network can be contacted via its website: www.topnetwork.group, LinkedIn, Facebook and by email: hello@nulltopnetwork.group.
