Lo Bue-Said estimates that she and leisure director Kelly Cookes have done more than 150 live interviews between them since the start of the pandemic, with highlights including going to Gatwick last October for a BBC Breakfast broadcast to discuss changes to the red list.
However, speaking to TTG shortly before Christmas, Lo Bue-Said admitted taking on so many media commitments has taken its toll, with slots often involving very early starts and late finishes.
“The reality is that you have to invest a huge amount of time, and that can take a toll on your family life,” she said. “We have that opportunity to be the voice of the industry – it takes a lot of time and effort. But it’s tough, at times it’s felt like it’s almost 24/7. I’m not sure I could do another 20 months like this.”
Lo Bue-Said praised the “phenomenal” team at Advantage for their support during the pandemic, which she said had allowed her and Cookes to devote more time to media appearances. “Communication is so important; in a crisis, it’s the first thing you scale up,” said Lo Bue-Said. “It’s important to find that voice and use it to get the message across.”
While focusing on the crisis has been paramount, Lo Bue-Said has also been assessing Advantage’s post-pandemic future. The result is a new three-year plan for the consortium, built around four “pillars”: footprint expansion; product and portfolio capitalisation; digital transformation; and operational excellence. “From an Advantage point of view, I’ve spent a lot of time in the weeds thinking forward,” she said.
Like most travel organisations, Advantage has been forced to “streamline” its operations and adapt to more flexible working practices, particularly home working. “It’s very easy just to focus on the crisis. For 20 months, we’ve had to look at all the basic stuff like cost,” explained Lo Bue-Said.
“We’re refocusing on the future. The key things are our people and strategy. We have to build an organisation that’s nimble, built for purpose, and offers the best commercial benefits for members. We have to support them through the years to come. We plan to grow and upscale the organisation.”
