Newsletter Oct 10

The Travel Convention, previously known as The ABTA Conference, was attended by 3 of the Gail Kenny team. Attendee numbers appeared light compared to previous years, but the convention was nevertheless opened by the prime minister of Malta who was followed on stage by the even higher profile CEO of BA – the confident and combative Willie Walsh. Driving change was the conference theme, though many of the issues and debates seemed to suggest otherwise – consumer protection, better government lobbying, a challenging economic backdrop, and the growth in cruising, all had a familiar ring about them. However at last ABTA appears to have in John McEwan a chairman who is well respected and liked, and whose social networking skills via Facebook are close to achieving legendary status.

Equality Act 2010

The new Equality Act 2010 came into force at the start of the month. Most of the act was a case of consolidation, however there were some changes that will affect recruitment, namely:

“A person must not ask about the health of an applicant for work (a) before offering work or (b) before including the applicant in a pool of successful candidates to be offered work later”.

This therefore means you can no longer discuss medical or health issues prior to a job offer/interview, and should remove any health or medical questions from application forms and the interview process. Please note you should always consult your legal advisors if you have any queries.

Job of the Month

Sales Manager, Online Media, £35k, London or Manchester
Are you a well-connected online media sales professional? Our client, a NASDAQ-listed online player, is looking for a Sales Manager to build online partnerships with merchants in the UK, including theatres, restaurants and spas. You will be required to develop these relationships to leverage special offers for our client’s subscribers in the UK. The ideal candidate needs to be well connected, innovative, and sales-minded with significant experience in online sales, advertising, and social media. You will have a track record of meeting sales goals, with the ability to be creative in identifying unique deals, as well as proven flair for planning/developing/executing online strategies.

Talented Moves

Daniel Evans joins Dealchecker as Product Supplier Negotiations Manager he moves from lastminute.com, Clare Tobin is promoted to Managing Director TUI Travel Specialist UK Business, Richard Twynam joins Virgin Holidays Cruises as Managing Director, FCm Travel Solutions appoints Lynne McKay Sales Director, HRS.com appoints Antony Elliott Head of Sales and Deanna Seiffert Head of Marketing.