Caffeine-addict Andrea Jones, retail business manager at Princess Cruises UK, tells us why will.i.am is her fantasy driving companion and why the best hugs come from Wales
The role offers so much diversity and no two weeks are ever the same. I spend a minimum of four days on the road a week, covering agent blitz visits, hosting UK ship visits, attending consumer-facing events, hosting Academy training workshops and fam trips and lots more – the list is endless! My priority is supporting our agent partners – whatever it takes, including weekend support. The distances I cover can get a little crazy. Some weeks I will clock up 1,000 miles, but it’s OK as our agent partners remain at the heart of what we do. At Princess we use our weekly home-based day to catch up on emails and to work on our sales plan for the week ahead.
It has to be Costa or Starbucks – a caffeine boost is always welcome. A strong Americano all the way!
Currently, a good de-icer.
A great start to the day is listening and laughing to The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X.
At Princess we love making our agent visits engaging and fun so there are so many to choose from. My favourite has to be laying on the floor with some of my Tui agents to spell out the word “Xtra” to highlight a particular campaign. I was the “X” and sprawled on the floor like a starfish.
I would love to take will.i.am out on the road with me. I think he’s absolutely hilarious and we could do a The Voice of The Ocean on tour! How much fun would that be? Certainly super mega fresh. #TeamWill
Definitely my VW Golf. It’s reliable, trustworthy and won’t let you down.
Luckily I’ve got a reliable TomTom GPS – it’s totally foolproof and even directs me to the nearest car park. My best friend on the road!
In November I went to Singapore for three nights and stayed at the iconic Marina Bay Sands before joining Sapphire Princess to visit Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Experiencing Asia was out of this world.
All my agents are so welcoming - there’s always a cuppa in the offering. But the best “cwtch” (warm hugs) have to come from my Welsh agents.
At Princess we try to keep our campaigns simple to help agents remember and promote them. Sharing focus voyages and our Academy sales tools that will grow their sales is vital on visits, as well as highlighting agent incentives and competitions.
You are missing out big time! Once you hear about how Princess can make your customers “Come Back New” and how the sales team can support you in growing your cruise business you’ll be amazed.
The Academy on the road team consists of three retail business managers covering the north, south and central regions, and two territory business managers supporting cruise call centres and the development of new business accounts. We also have our Academy manager – our unsung hero. She manages our agent platform onesourcecruises.com and Princess Cruises Academy, and organises ship visits and training collateral.