There was great excitement today as trade gathered for the much loved and anticipated annual Christmas lunch hosted by Bookabed TBO & Universal.
Lee Osbourne, Trade Manager, warmly welcomed everyone to the Bookabed TBO lunch today. With a speedy introduction and overview, he noted that while it had been a good year, it was also challenging at times; however, the overall results have been excellent. The trade has received the transition to TBO very well and, despite the challenges, Bookabed has maintained its market share. He thanked all agents for their continued support and wished everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year.
Beverleigh Hart was next to speak and joked that Lee had robbed her speech, but noted that it had been a phenomenal year for Bookabed TBO. At enterprise level, TBO has achieved recognition as a top-growing travel platform, with many impressive acquisitions this year, including Classic Vacations, while also enhancing its preferred Platinum Programme, offering high-end luxury accommodation.
Beverleigh highlighted this success for Bookabed TBO and thanked her amazing team — Colleen, Lee, Liz and Elaine — who were in attendance, as well as the wider teams in Ireland and the UK who could not be present on the day. She then thanked Grant Daley from Universal for an outstanding partnership.
Grant Daley – Senior BDM Universal Destinations & Experiences then took the floor and acknowledged what a fantastic partnership this has been with Bookabed, noting that they have been partners since the very beginning. He spoke about watching the team grow from an Irish bedbank into a global platform, confirming that since the integration with TBO, Universal has doubled its global business while still maintaining Irish market share.
He said he was delighted to be a co-host and looked forward to the year ahead, with significant sales projected due to fewer park restrictions at Epic. He also thanked Aer Lingus, mentioning Ivan and Jenny in particular, for providing flights for many FAM trips, allowing agents to experience Universal firsthand.
Appreciation was very much the order of the day, and Grant expressed his gratitude for the incredible partnership with Bookabed TBO.
Lee Osbourne then took the microphone once again and had a few acknowledgements to make, beginning with Jeff Collins on his recent acquisition.
He reiterated how supportive the trade continues to be, noting that several partners had reached significant milestones that deserved recognition:
- Karen, KT Travel – 20 years in business
- Yvonne O’Donohue, representing N&G O’Donohue Travel – 50 years in business
- Mark O’Hamlin – celebrating 100 years in travel
He then invited everyone to congratulate Beverleigh on her promotion to Vice President of TBO UK and Ireland. The affection for her was clear, and it was very evident in the room.
Lunch was excellent, and the staff at the Woollen Mills looked after everyone extremely well. Overall, the event reflected the strength of trade support and the record performance Bookabed TBO continues to enjoy in the Irish market.
