Jo Palmer’s natural rapport, strategic mind and appetite for creating fun industry events to connect have always been key ingredients of her leadership mix and style.
Jo’s interest in a travel career was sparked when her family hosted a French couple for the Adelaide Grand Prix as there weren’t enough hotels in the city to accommodate the fans.
But it wasn’t until she had a soul-searching day in the university careers office, where she spotted a poster advertising a Tourism Marketing Diploma, that it all made sense. She finally knew how she was going to use her economics degree.
From there, it was a brilliant lecturer that convinced her to go for a Tourism Australia job in Germany that got her on her way in the industry and led her to start Gate7, 24 years ago.
Here’s Jo’s personal take on how it all looks today.
What’s happening in your business at the moment, and how does the forthcoming period look?
Gate 7 has bounced back with the vast majority of our clients returning, showing confidence in the Australian and New Zealand rebound we are experiencing right now.
Our team has doubled in size over the past three months, and we are still recruiting for a few more roles. As we grow, we’re looking at ways to build stronger data-led outcomes orientation into our services.
We also committed to a full-time office to bring back the community, collaboration, learning and fun. The energy of working together has returned.
What are you excited about right now?
I’ve just turned 50, and I think this time of life, together with the deep learnings of the past few years, have left me with a greater appetite for risk and a drive to evolve our services to meet today’s needs.
I’m excited to combine our long-standing relationship-oriented services with a stronger drive for evolution and insights.
Are there any key trends you are seeing that are driving change in your business or across the industry?
There’s a much stronger emphasis on luxury. There is also a boom in solo travel and a desire for personalisation. Our clients are also seeking to understand the impact of their investments more clearly.
What are the biggest challenges for travel?
There are the obvious ones, like staffing challenges causing disruptions to travel and travel services, rising inflation and costs, and over-tourism.
There is also the question of staffing, where essentially, we have retail travel agents who are the best of the best, having survived the pandemic, and then those who are completely new to the industry.
What about the biggest opportunities?
Getting personalisation right. If we can tell people about the experiences they really want, it just works. Matching experiences with people in the most efficient way is the biggest opportunity I see.
How important is leadership right now? And what does good leadership look like?
Leadership is paramount, with two key parts: a solid vision and energy management.
If your team has a clear view of where they have headed and the opportunity to get there, plus the energy is positive, buoyant and aligned, that is success.
What would you like to see change?
I’d like to hear us talking less about how we were impacted by the pandemic and more about where we are going next and what the opportunity is.
How key is collaboration in the industry?
Collaboration is vital, and for me personally, it’s what floats my boat. Creative collaboration: working together to create something special. This is what drives me.
We are living in an era of enormous change, and it’s very difficult to understand this from the viewpoint of whatever expertise you have.
We need collaboration and partnerships to be able to gain a broader understanding. Plus, it’s so much more fun and rewarding.
Do you think enough emphasis is being placed on sustainability in travel and addressing the climate crisis?
I feel a real surge of authentic focus on sustainability: social sustainability, environmental sustainability and cultural sustainability. It’s wonderful to see all the creative ways this is being integrated into positioning, programs and products.
What are your personal learnings from the pandemic?
To evolve requires risk.
What’s your message to the industry?
Let’s do this thing! Tourism is such a positive force, and I’m so, so happy to play my role in this. You should be proud too.
You can find out more about Jo or get in touch with her via Linkedin profile