Team Glow has a mission for 2023. To big up and support the tourism and hospitality sector. Lisa Lavis, Glow’s CEO & Founder and Chair of the Tourism & Hospitality Action Group Business South, outlines why.
We know it’s a tough climate and budgets are tight but here’s the thing; to grow our businesses, our talent and get the great country back on track again, we need to invest in ourselves, our creativity and quite simply, get out more!
The pandemic shone a spotlight on the brilliant tourism and hospitality industry, one that we’d all arguably taken for granted before. For family, friends, work, connections or just for some personal time, we all need the hospitality and tourism industry and have a duty to support it.
When we go somewhere neutral it enables us to chat through problems and solve tricky challenges. We get to make exciting plans; we have fun, we listen, we learn, we support, and we grow.
To help get you started here’s a list of ideas to build into your week:
Early mini socials. 4 or 5pm drinks with friends or colleagues. Home by 6:30. Bosh. Pick a fancy bar, hotel or a cool country pub. And spoiler alert, you don’t have to drink if you don’t wish to or just don’t 😉
Early evening meals too. Get fed and chat at the same time. There are often deals for eating earlier. Skip the dessert and the posh wine to keep the prices down.
TEAMS IRL (in real life). Try swopping a few TEAMS meetings each week and meet for coffee / lunch instead. And while there, get some quiet time after or before to catch up on actions.
Arrange your team meetings somewhere cool. Project planning, updates on a big job, creative ideas – these can all be out. Make it fun and share the venue selections around the team. Have lunch, have a coffee. Build relationships and slow down.
Take advantage of the colder months and get indoors. Visit the fabulous indoor attractions. Take the kids or just yourself and dive into history or pop a pill of culture and just ‘get away’ for a few blissful hours. In my youth I used to drive the veteran bus at Beaulieu Motor Museum and worked many a cold crisp winters day! #bestjobminuscurrentone
Cosy up in front of roaring fire and enjoy a fine red with friends, colleagues, family or the dog.
Check out great sunset spots. Winter sunsets are wonderful and an enriching mini balm for your soul. This could be a pub, a café or coffee kiosk. Go for a ‘walk and talk’ with someone you need to see, and it’ll be 15 mins of gold.
Have your team one2one’s over breakfast, lunch, coffee or tea. But always out of the office. These don’t have to be full on glitz and spending. But down the local or a lovely coffee shop will be much appreciated. At Glow all our one2ones are a breakfast out. We get through more topics, find out more about each other and start the day with a fabulous great meal too!
What are you waiting for, let’s get out out!
