He wouldn't be Head of Events without a good story

Michael Head of Events has gone through several iterations himself, having joined the company on the ground floor as a controller and moved through the ranks to Head of Events.  This life-long relationship with the firm means he’s intimately familiar with our ethos of putting the client and quality first and foremost. 

As well as making sure his team are running at peak efficiency, Michael doubles as a project manager, able to run the most complex of events. It’s a 24/7 responsibility, a fact amply demonstrated as during our conversation he’s pulled away to take a call from a client regarding an event running that day in Berlin.

As well as that event, the client being a major international bank, he’s simultaneously working on a global financial institution’s board meeting in Dublin, as well as reviewing the first manifest that has arrived for The Masters. Michael said: “I’m very hands on. I’ve been here for ten years now. I started as a controller and worked all the way up. Events coordinator, events manager, project manager.  “It sets a good example to everyone in the team if they see me working hard and how specific I am on the finer points of an event, that they can use that as a measuring stick of what they are expected to do and how hard they’re expected to work. “The fact that I’ve worked on every level rather than be parachuted in means I understand intimately the roles of the people I manage.

“I would say one word for the company is quality, whether that’s quality of service, quality of vehicle, quality of staff. It’s the main focus for me, the number one driver.”

A good example of this commitment to excellence can be seen in what Michael describes as his most enjoyable event with TBR Global, covering the 2008 Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. 

Despatched to the UAE a week in advance by CEO Michael O’Hare - who wisely anticipated issues - he and project manager Kern Jennings were left playing a game of hunt-the-Mercedes with the local supplier. He explained: “Our clients’ requirement was to have eight Mercedes in place, which we thought we had sorted out. “Michael though knew better thanks to his experience and told us to get out there a week in advance, we said, no we don’t need to, he said, no there WILL be problems. “So we set up a date to view the cars, we get told it it’s not possible, we set up a second one and end up standing around in an underground car park for four hours - no cars turn up.“We speak to the local supplier to tell him we’ve had enough, bring the cars to the hotel. 

“On the third day one car turns up but it’s a souped up Mercedes S Class with 22 inch alloys and fibe glass, not what we want for corporate clients. “We went crazy at the supplier and he takes us somewhere he thinks he has S-classes - they were all BMWs, we go to a second place, all 7 series. “We go to a third place, it’s STILL all BMWS. At that point I kind of lost the plot and flexed our muscles in terms of what our contract allowed us to do.  

“The next day the supplier picks us up and starts driving us to the desert, we’re in the back of the car, Kerr and I, looking at one another thinking, where on earth are we going? 

“We end up in the biggest unit in the middle of nowhere, we drive into it and there must have been 300 BMW 7 series. I’m despairing at this point, but the supplier say, don’t worry.

“We drive right up to the back and there are eight S-classes with TBR number plates. 

“It was an ordeal to say the least, but we ended up having a bit of time to enjoy the sights of Abu Dhabi, and the hotel pool!”

With an uncle as CEO, and his mother managing director for TBR Global’s American operations, Michael has grown up alongside the phenomenal expansion of the company.
But looking back now, is he surprised that the firm has managed to grow over such a relatively short period of time?  “Not really. Knowing my uncle and how driven he is I realised he was always going to make it what it is today,” he said.  “I’d say I’ve been held to a higher standard because of the family connection, but it’s installed a work ethic in me that I would say is my best quality. “I don’t see myself being anywhere else in my career. I’m here, I want to progress further and see how far I can get. “Certainly the opportunities are here for all of our staff, you just need to take them by showing you can do it.”

To find out more about joining TBR Global, click here.

French air traffic strike prompts hundreds of cancellations

The SNCTA union has called the strike for today and Thursday in a dispute over working conditions and raising of the retirement age for air traffic controllers by two years to 59.

The DGAC civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cut their schedules for flights to and from France on Wednesday by 40%.  Short-haul flights are expected to be worst affected.  "Disruption is expected over the whole country," the DGAC said in a statement.  Travellers have been advised to contact their airline.

TBR Global controllers will be made aware of any flight changes or cancellations through our platform "MY TBR" so all TBR bookings will still run smoothly. 

Further action is planned between 16-18 April and 29 April-2 May.

Third generation of the O'Hare family and Head of Events

AT TBR Global one of our most important resources is our people. We strive to to make our company a great place to work and create team spirit. But for some of our staff, TBR Global isn’t just a team game, but a family affair. Head of Events Michael Savage is the third generation of the O’Hare family to work for the company and has witnessed its every incarnation, from its early days as Charlton Chauffeur Drive, to its current worldwide reach. 

Name: Michael Savage 

Age: 30 

Job Title: Head of Events 

Favourite TBR vehicle: Mercedes S400 Hybrid 

As Head of Events for TBR Global, Michael Savage leads a multi-national team based across the world speaking half-a-dozen languages. It’s perhaps appropriate then, that upon first conversing with the 30-year-old it quickly becomes apparent Scotland is not the land of his birth. Born in Papua New Guinea before moving back to his parents’ homeland at the age of six, the Glasgow resident has been left with a unique twang that’s difficult to identify - but that he reckons facilitates global communication.

Laughing, he explains: “It’s been called Australian, it’s been called Irish, it’s been called American, I think it’s been called pretty much everything at one point. 

“Considering I’ve now lived in Scotland for more than two decades, I’d like to think the Scottish is creeping in a bit more, but it’s an interesting one.  “I notice the accent fluctuates depending on what nationality I’m speaking to. While TBR is headquartered here in Scotland, as the name suggests we operate on a truly global scale, so if I’m talking to someone in America, there’s a bit of a chameleon effect voice-wise which, psychology-wise, gives you a common ground I guess.”

But when it comes to common ground between his geographically disparate staff, one thing stands out - a commitment to quality and efficiency for their clients. Michael’s role is to take a strategic overview of the seven-strong team that are responsible for providing flawlessly managed ground transport for everything from product launches and major sporting events, to awards ceremonies and conferences. Working with a wide variety of sectors, including pharmaceutical, aviation, financial, media and entertainment, the department has grown by leaps and bounds.

Father-of-one Michael said: “Five years ago we were based around large events happening at specific times of the year. Last year we had a 90 per cent growth within the events team, this year we’re aiming for 60 per cent. The main difference is we were getting our name out there by doing these large events - the MTV Awards, Champions League, Brit Awards - and now that work is very much still there, but that’s not the regular work.  “I see that as being the cream. We’re targeting the smaller events that happen regularly so that we can maintain the same staffing levels throughout the year. “It’s targeting these companies that have conferences. Glasgow is great, because we now have the auditorium, the Commonwealth Games helped the city’s profile, and there are lots of pharma conferences that come here.”

With superlatively-trained and motivated staff able to handle everything from transfer work to managing all transport for complex events start to finish, he’s confident they’ll smash their ambitious growth target. 

But despite the team’s zeal for their work, Michael confides there’s still time for some office banter.  He said: “It’s a great team I have great confidence in. There may be laughs, but Michael is more than serious when it comes to delivering the best quality service to clients. 

A typical day starts at 7am running through yesterday’s requirements and ensuring all clients are getting a response within 15 minutes. This speedy reply isn’t just a matter of courtesy however, but a form of quality control to check the time frame the client requires a quote within. On top of that TBR go above and beyond when it comes to supplying information to the client, as Michael explains.  “We might get an email from a client asking for a price for a business class vehicle in Paris, an airport transfer and a four hour requirement," he said.

“We’ll supply them with the info they want, plus the price for a full day, the departure back, an evening hire and the additional hour in case they go outside the four or eight hour requirement. “We do this as we are used to client asking for information they want, then coming back for a little more, then a little more. “It is better time management, as well as providing the client with more than the information they need. If they indicated they need a 49-seater coach thinking they can only have that size, then we’ll give them a costing for a range of coaches in case, say, they only need 39.”

TBC

Look who has joined us now

At TBR Global, we are constantly striving to improve our service.

We know that to continue to offer the sector-leading quality that saw us recognised with the Business Travel Awards Best Ground Transportation Award 2015, you have to innovate at every opportunity - and sometimes the best place to find that innovation is outside the industry.

That's why we've appointed Sean Majewski as our new Head of Corporate Travel.

Sean comes to TBR from a hugely successful career with various travel management companies, and we're confident his customer-centric background will prove a perfect fit and boost to our company ethos of putting the client first.

Name: Sean Majewski

Age: 30

Job title: Head of Corporate Travel

Favourite TBR vehicle: BMW 7 series

For the past 15 years, Sean Majewski has been guided by one key principle.

Keep your customer happy, or don't keep your customer.

It's a simple truth realised by the 30-year-old when he first discovered his professional path - a path revealed thanks to high school work experience at a travel agent.

The Lanarkshire resident explained: "From that first day with Going Places, I was fascinated with travel and working with clients. Right away it made me realise that the highest thing you have to rank within your job is customer satisfaction.

"I joined Thomas Cook's apprenticeship scheme at 17 and that was a fantastic grounding in the importance of keeping your clients happy."

"Before too long I built up a regular customer base at Thomas Cook. They'd come back and ask for you, wait for you to be free and that was a great feeling, and a reassurance that you were doing the right thing."

To say he was doing the right thing was an understatement.

At the age of just 19 Sean was made customer services manager, running a team of people focussed on keeping clients happy - but his ambition wasn't sated there. His early 20s saw him move to American Express, giving him his first taste of corporate accounts, high-end leisure travel, and the unique pressures associated with such clients.

"Business travel is very, very demanding," he said.

"The people you're booking for, their diaries are jam-packed. It's absolutely vital that everything must be spot on, and if it's not, that it's fixed right away.

"I used to enjoy putting right any problems with the least amount of fuss possible."

"I had times when the assistant you've been working with has booked the wrong date, or wrong ticket and I had to use my contacts and experience to fix that for the customer."

"The corporate side of things was what I really enjoyed. I think it's because you never knew what you'd get from one day to the next."

"You could be doing Glasgow to London one minute, then a round-the-world, then a very detailed itinerary."

"You're always under pressure, something I thrive under. I've always really enjoyed getting what they're looking for, and getting that end product, then meeting and exceeding expectations."

Though he ruefully admits he never booked travel for anyone famous, there is one trip that stands out down the years, and one that gave him an another important lesson in the demands of corporate clients.

Sean said: "One of the more expensive trips that stand out from back then was one to Las Vegas because it was so ridiculously expensive. A husband and wife wanted to go to The Wynn Hotel. They wanted a private villa for seven nights and it was around £12,000. I remember getting the quote and thinking 'they're never in a million years gonna go for this."

"I gave them the price and she said 'let's get it booked' - I almost fell off my chair."

The experience taught Sean that what clients care about is quality and reliability of service, two of TBR's watchwords.

His ambitious nature saw him move onwards and upwards, first to Jigsaw Travel, then on to Chambers Travel where his talents saw him reach the lofty position of Strategic Relationships Manager.

Working with corporate clients at both travel management companies naturally meant dealing with everything from booking flights and accommodation, to chauffeur-drive companies, where he first came into contact with TBR.

He said: "I was always impressed with how efficient and helpful the TBR team were. When I started to look for my next opportunity, I looked at the company and the phenomenal growth they've enjoyed, and realised what an opportunity the company represented.

"I've always been very ambitious, I've never wanted to stand still, and I've always wanted to progress as much as I can within the company I'm working with, and I know TBR has huge potential. In the interview they told me the number of staff they have now compared to this time in 2014 and it's doubled in size in a year. You just need to look at it and see how it's taken massive strides and I know it'll continue to grow, and to be part of that is a brilliant opportunity."

A big chance no doubt, but also, Sean confesses as we speak during his third week in the job, a steep learning curve.

He said: "It's significantly different to what I'm used to. For a decade I was travel management so to switch to this, doing what I do now, it's completely new. The first couple of days was difficult to get used to the change I'll admit. Now I'm loving it."

To date he's been getting a grounding in his department's fundamentals, monitoring emails, replying to emails, dealing with quotes and booking in cars, giving him the knowledge he needs to effectively lead the team.

Sean said: "If I had to pick one process i've been wowed by the most by it's the control call. That's when the controller will call the client one hour before to make sure they have the right itinerary, the correct contact, correct name on the name board, the right standard of car, that they'll be on site at least 15 minutes before the required time, so just having all these steps in place to make sure the customer is getting the service they're paying for.

"The main thing is that the client will never be let down. It's very indicative of how TBR go about their business."

As well as being impressed by existing standards, he has already implemented an innovation of his own, an early alert system for clients,

He explained: "For me a very important thing is to keep the client up to date with events, whether that's airline strikes or airport closures. I've signed us up to an alert system so that if anything like that is going on I'll get an alert and if I think it'll impact the business we send that out across the globe."

This was most recently demonstrated during the tragic Tunisia Bardo Museum attack.

"I got an alert right away to say this was happening and then communicated that to our teams so they can check if that will affect our clients, our teams," he said.

"They check do we have anybody out there, do we need to give them the heads-up their transfer may be affected and so on."

We contact our clients to say 'we know this is happening, we'll keep you informed. That's because clients, especially corporate clients, they want to know We know what's happening. It's reassuring for the client that they're not calling us to say 'I've heard there's a bomb threat', it's good we can go to them and say 'we know this is going on just now, we've spoken to your driver, your pick up will go ahead as normal'.

"I think it's always good to reassure the client because there's nothing worse than if you're far away from home, in a strange city. It's part of our job to reassure them we know everything's in place and they'll be picked up as they'd expect."

Off-duty the father-of-two enjoys cooking, football and spending time with his two sons, aged three and nine.

A golfer of self-confessed meagre ability, he laughs that he doubts he'll be playing 18 holes with TBR CEO and former pro Michael O'Hare anytime soon.

But while his skills with a nine iron may be in question, his zeal for customer service is not in doubt.

He said: "I'm looking forward to making more improvements, and bringing my TMC background to the table and add more diversity to the team."

Uber’s low-cost service banned in Germany

A court in Germany has banned Uber from operating its low cost service ‘Uber Pop’ in the country because it violates transport laws.

Judges confirmed that any violation of the order would result in fines of €250,000.

Uber said “In our opinion the interim ruling pronounced by the Court represents a fundamental infringement of our ability under European law to establish and provide a service; this is why we have lodged a complaint against Germany with the European Commission. In this regard, we also expect to file an appeal against today’s decision.

“This decision also affects the thousands and thousands of riders who have come to rely on a safe, affordable way to get around town and the drivers using the Uber platform to reduce the costs of running their own vehicles,” the company added.

Spring has sprung!

It is finally spring!! March 20^th marks the first day of spring and one of the most anticipated days in Boston. With all of the snow, spring hasn’t come soon enough. We are tired of the cold weather and long for beautiful flowers to start peeking out of the snow once again. For all of you fashionistas, Get EXCITED!!  As of March 25^th, Memorial Day in the United States, we can now wear white once again! I know I’m going to jump the gun though and just wear white to celebrate on Friday.

For Basketball enthusiasts, have you been watching March Madness?? TBR Boston has been glued to the TV this week watching March Madness in action. The highly anticipated series of College Basketball games kicked off on Tuesday March 17^th. All of our brackets have been made, have yours? As the series continues and teams become fewer, make sure you book your tickets and transportation for the Final Four games in Indianapolis, IN. These games will take place at the Lucas Oil Stadium and guarantee a jam packed audience. 

The Master’s Tournament

The Master’s Tournament (April 6-12th) is held at the illustrious Augusta National Golf Course. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, this course is voted by many as the toughest course in the US. Its immaculate grounds are upheld through hard work and dedication, similar to TBR Global.

With four days of 18 holes each day, the Augusta National Golf Course is challenging to even the most tenured golfers and requires utmost concentration. TBR Global’s chauffeuring services ensure the only thing you need to concentrate on is the game. Our chauffeurs are highly qualified individuals that provide the highest level of service, worldwide.

As The Master’s is one of the most anticipated golfing events in the world, make sure you book transportation in advance. TBR Global has the vehicles and experience that you need. We offer a wide range of vehicles from premium sedans to SUVs, executive vans, and mini coaches.

For further information and booking details please contact us or email us at res@tbrglobal.com.