Making a splash with a big, bold vision
Madeleine BarberAtlantic Travel relaunched with a successful party after receiving its £20,000 Royal Makeover with Royal Caribbean. It’s owner, Emma McHugh, talks to Madeleine Barber about the process and how it’s making a difference.
Atlantic Travel Worldchoice in Letterkenny, County Donegal, has benefitted from a new-look store heading into 2018 thanks to Royal Caribbean’s £20,000 Royal Makeover competition, which was run in association with TTG. Emma McHugh, the Irish travel agency’s owner, relaunched her renovated store after its transformation on December 20 with a party for 90 existing and potential new customers: “It was very successful. Everyone was really impressed [with the design] and there was a lovely atmosphere,” she says. The evening also saw Royal Caribbean give a free cruise to a new customer of Atlantic Travel, and Leonard Watson, president of Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, cut the ribbon across the door.
It was McHugh’s quirky Royal Caribbean ship-inspired design that saw her win the competition. She envisaged a scaled-down replica of the Ultimate Abyss on Harmony of the Seas placed at the store entrance, with LED screens featuring live feeds from Royal Caribbean ships, a cupcake cupboard, bionic bar and RipCord sky-diving simulator inside. Of course not all was possible within budget, but McHugh worked closely with Jonathan Murfitt, director at interior design company Balance, to make the most of the prize money.
“Jon was a pleasure to work with. He kept me in the loop, meticulously planned everything and ensured it all ran smoothly,” McHugh says.
The pair were able to implement a Central Park “living wall” – much like the one on Harmony – in the client’s waiting area, an Ultimate Abyss window sticker on the storefront, and a number of themed zones, such as a family area displaying photos of life on board Royal Caribbean ships.
“The lightbox is my favourite element because it’s so big, vivid and colourful. It sets the tone for the rest of the office. I also love the collage wall with Royal Caribbean images – I’ve never seen it anywhere else. Atlantic Travel is now like a concept store for Royal Caribbean, and we’re lucky to be the first to have that,” McHugh says.
The renovation took just six days and was completed less than a month ago, but it is already making a difference, says McHugh: “We’re seeing more interest because of the way [the makeover] was won – being associated with Royal Caribbean is a huge benefit. The office is more engaging than before because of its visual impact and consistent level of branding, which helps when trying to sell particular product.
“The competition ignited Atlantic Travel’s creativity and imagination”
Jennifer Callister, head of Ireland for Royal Caribbean
It’s also boosted [my team’s] confidence in selling. From the moment we won, the morale has been super. Everyone is proud of coming in to work.”
The Royal Makeover has helped grow the relationship between Atlantic Travel and Royal Caribbean too. “The support we’ve had from them is great and we couldn’t have done it without them, especially Michaela Banks, Northern Ireland’s regional sales manager, as she’s so encouraging and always there to help with staff training,” McHugh says.
Jennifer Callister, head of Ireland for Royal Caribbean, feels similarly: “We work closely with agency partners and are always looking for innovative ways to surprise and excite them. The Royal Makeover competition ignited their creativity and imagination and we received so many phenomenal entries. This year is an exciting one for us with the launch of Symphony of the Seas and a multi-million pound makeover of Independence of the Seas, so we are looking forward to growing relationships with agent partners even further.”
McHugh adds: “It’s really put a bounce in our step, so I’d like to thank Royal Caribbean and TTG for coming up with the competition.”
With her new-look agency spurring a marketing push, McHugh plans to focus more on social media in the coming year and expand her cruise offering to the Arabian Gulf and Asia.
Madeleine Barber
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