Speaker 1Apoche Production Hello, I'm Naomi Simpson and Handpicked Season 5 is here. And the entrepreneurs this time are not going easy on me. Those questions just keep coming. Whether it's about building a brand in a taboo subject or what about sales? Oh yeah, sales, sales, sales. We're all trying to find more customers. And what about changing customer demands or balancing high tech with high touch? These entrepreneurs and business owners are really, really asking the questions. That'll help every business owner and their team just get more ideas on how to cope with everything they're tackling in the day. Now, new episodes drop every Monday and remember to subscribe so that you hear the next latest episode Anyway, join me on Handpicked on Mondays. Welcome to Handpicked. I'm Naomi Simpson and today I'm speaking with Alicia Surgeon from Paradise Resort on the Gold Coast. And she's been there for nearly a quarter of a century and she's seen so much change. But Alicia's asking me the questions every hospitality leader is facing today. How does she manage tech overwhelm while keeping customers at the centre? Let's dive in. First of all, Alicia, you give us a bit of a background to your history and the business that you're working in.
Speaker 2Oh, thank you. I'm delighted to be here and thank you for having me on Handpicked. So I work in a resort on the Gold Coast. It's called Paradise Resort. It's family friendly and amazing for young children. I've worked there actually for 24 years as of this November. Worked in multiple roles, starting as a food and beverage attendant, going into sales and marketing and eventually taking over the marketing role about 14 years ago. And I am excited to ask you lots of questions because your background is in tourism and hospitality as well. And this industry is forever evolving and sometimes it's really hard to keep up and stay on top of what's actually happening.
Speaker 1It is. And I think we've seen more change this year than I've seen in actually, guess what? It's 24, almost 25 years since I founded Red Balloon. So we must have started as children at the same time. And it's a long time since I worked in a restaurant. I worked in airlines. But, you know, I think more than ever, everything is data driven and we can't forget the customer who's in the centre of that. So maybe we'll move to your first question. What would you like me to attempt to answer?
Speaker 2Oh, absolutely. Well, as I said, in tourism, we're juggling so many systems. We've got property management, booking engines, CRM, social media, guest feedback. The list is absolutely endless and it's easy to get buried in tech and data. How do you keep up with the evolving technology without it becoming overwhelming? And how do you keep the customer experience at the centre?
Speaker 1So let me tackle the last bit first. I think the most important thing is to remember, of course, we're talking about people. And in the business that we're in, we're in the business of joy, in the business of holidays and people having a great time. And so that journey is really important. And I find that if I get removed from literally physical people or listening to customer calls, it can become a lot of spreadsheets and a lot of data collection with not realising what's the impact. So one of the things I actually did years ago when I worked in an airline was set up an advisory board with our most frequent travellers. And it was just literally a round table and an opportunity to understand what it was like for them. When COVID happened and I, when I went back into the Red Balloon business for business, I did the same thing. I just got on the phone and started listening to customers. So if you can find your listening posts within the business, because you can overlay effectively, and this isn't research, it's just getting the vibe of the thing, you know, feeling what's important to customers. And it's amazing what you can learn and it's amazing what they'll tell you, which will give you insight into product development, for instance, or value ads or, how you differentiate. But that personal touch cannot be underestimated. So then if I think about the systems that we use to support it, the challenge is bringing it all together. And I might talk about one of the other businesses that I sit on board with. They're a startup and they have so many different systems and they are using a project management system that links everything in so that they've got one dashboard and then they go off. At Red Balloon, we use, SharePoint, the Microsoft system. They're using a platform called Monday, but it is really worth investing in making sure that your critical numbers, what's important to you, your customer velocity, your occupancy rates, your value ads are at the top. I think the funnest thing I ever did was actually highlighting the number of customers we served every day, the number of people who are going on experiences because it made it real for everyone. And that was a scoreboard right in the middle of the office. So it is worth understanding. You know, I know that some of the platforms you're using, you're using our local agent product to help you sell more product. So that's a great way to earn some revenue, but also in terms of listing your products with Red Balloon and Big Red Group. So yeah, I would suggest you look at one of those effectively integration products to bring it all into one dashboard and then you go off into the systems.
Speaker 2Amazing. That's great advice. Thank you. I love the advisory board as well. That's something that I think we need to do more of. So going on to my next question, I think you are an absolute powerhouse in Australian business and have built incredible business and a great personal brand. I'm a great fan. What personal rituals or boundaries have been essential for you to avoid burnout while growing your brand and businesses?
Speaker 1Oh, look, I think this is do what I say, not what I do. I've never claimed to be perfect at that. In fact, for the first 20 years of having Red Balloon, I was push, push, push, run, run, run, and there was always another Christmas and everything was urgent. And even the exercise that I did do, it was, again, it was like, can I get my heart rate higher? Can I push myself harder? Going to the gym, working out, you know, doing half marathons. And then I realised I have to have some yin and yang. And so I started meditation and yoga. And now I have a morning ritual that is absolutely precious to me. So don't try and get in my calendar before nine. It's not going to happen. Whereas before I was like, well, if that's the time, I just put it in. I have to have me time. And it's a lovely ritual of walking dogs, doing strength workout, ice baths. I do those. Oh my goodness. I was in it this morning. I was like, why am I doing this? And I do it to protect my brain. And I know why I do it. And then I always a nutritious breakfast, lots of protein, and then I'm set for the day.
Speaker 2Thank you. I think that's something we all need to remind ourselves to keep in the daily calendar.
Speaker 1You have to treat yourself as if you're an important customer. I've realised I'm no good to anybody if I'm dragging my bag of bones around somewhere. So you block it out. And it's as important as going to the dentist or a critical appointment. You have to block it out.
Speaker 2Amazing. Thank you for that. Again, as you said before, Red Balloon has been around for such a long time, more than two decades, and remains a trusted name despite, waves of start-ups and new competitors entering the space. What's been key to staying relevant, innovative and evolving and connected to the customer expectations? I know that's probably a lot of questions in one there.
Speaker 1Well, thank you again, because I'll take that as a compliment. And look, as a leader, I don't believe in faking it till you make it. You either really believe in the contribution you're making to community or you don't. And in the same way as I was talking about connecting to customers before, it's about staying close to what is our product, which is our fabulous operators such as yourselves who we promote the product. And what keeps us special is the people that we have in the field who work day in, day out to make sure that our three and a half thousand small businesses that we represent have great, relevant and exclusive product. And that means that it's very difficult for somebody to just come and copy what we do. Especially on the Red Balloon brand. I also remind myself of the economic impact that we're having with community. It's hard being in small business. And when I first started, I knew it was about delivering customers and taking a clip of the ticket because you're effectively, we've built a brand for a whole industry that you don't have to pay for, but you get the benefit from. So marketing is expensive. So that was the first thing was to create a brand for an industry and deliver customers day in, day out. And that's what we do. But secondly, is when we're delivering customer to you, well, they don't just buy from you in the local area. They're going to other restaurants. They're going on other experiences and activities. They might go out to the hinterland. You know, they'll do other things, which has an overall economic impact. And we really, really, really, really, really, really saw that after COVID was how we were driving economic growth throughout regional and rural Australia by delivering that. So the first thing was to deliver a marketing engine for our partners. And the second thing was about the platform. Because as you mentioned, building your own website, cyber security, being available for AI, making sure that you have state-of-the-art payment gateways. And so in providing platforms to companies such as yourself, it's further to our cause. Our cause is to shift the way people experience life. That's not just consumers, it's also our supply partners because we sit in the middle. So becoming a platform business has been part of what we believe is our commitment to community. That's amazing.
Speaker 2And I think as well, I started in the business as a business owner. I started in the business as a business owner. I started in the times where websites didn't even exist. So we've built websites and databases and it is, it's absolutely critical to have that digital presence these days. And that's the foundation of so many businesses. If we have time, I have another question. What is one decision you made early on that shaped your leadership style and created the company culture that you have now?
Speaker 1I think allowing myself to be myself, to really own my mistakes and say, oops, I got that wrong. But I tried something. And I think people want to be around people who are clear, who are honest, who allow themselves to be vulnerable, but also show real commitment. I guess when one sets one purpose, you can become quite pigheaded. And the most important thing is actually to stay really clear on what you said you were going to do, but keep listening and responding. So to be persistent, but to be able to adapt. The world today is nothing like it was 20 years ago. So I would say that that would be key. Listen and respond. Remain curious. Know who you are. You asked me for one thing. I've given you a list
Speaker 2about 10. I love that. Remaining curious is definitely my motto.
Speaker 1It's wonderful. Oh, look, Alyssia, we've had such a great conversation. Thank you for coming on Handpicked. And I look forward to seeing you next time in the future. Amazing. Thank you
Speaker 2for having me, Naomi. It was lovely to meet you.
Speaker 1So thanks to Alyssia, who asked the tough questions. She might have been in business for 24 years, but how things have changed. Her insights on balancing high-tech systems with high-touch service are exactly what we need to talk about. Remember, technology should enhance human connection, not replace it. Thanks for listening to Handpicked. And don't forget to subscribe. Episodes drop soon. Mondays.
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