Sharon Jordan speaks to
SANDRA O'CONNELLabout her day
THIS YEAR I became Sunway’s product manager of Lapland holidays, so I had my first Christmas out there last year.
I went out with a couple of guys from the office to check it out and make sure the hotels were up to scratch and that the food would suit the Irish palate.
Prior to the trip I was a bit of a Christmas cynic, but that has all changed. It was magical. We were blown away.
At the airport the flight screens overhead don’t say Lapland, they say North Pole. It’s all about Santa Claus from start to finish – though, actually, my favourite was Mrs Claus.
She meets you first to tell you the story of the real meaning of Christmas. She brings you in then to meet Santy. He was wonderful – and he gave me a special phrase I could use to get me out of trouble during the year, which worked. I’m due to go back out next week, and I can’t wait.
In the meantime, most of my working day is taken up contacting hotels up there and answering queries from reservations staff.
Sunway has been selling Lapland trips for five years. We are all a bit amazed this year that, despite the downturn, demand for Lapland tours has been such that we had to put on an extra flight. We didn’t expect that.
An awful lot of it is grandparents bringing grandchildren for a treat, and maybe this year people thought their grandchildren were more in need of one.
At the moment I’m booking meals in the ice restaurant, checking with hotels to make sure there are enough staff on hand and checking the snow reports. Thankfully, it’s been snowing up there.
Once I’ve that done I’ve to work on the rest of my job, which is product manager for a variety of sun destinations – Cyprus, Sicily, Tunisia and the Costa del Sol. At the moment I’m negotiating with hotels to get the best rates and finalising the 2010 summer brochure.
If I get a chance I’ll nip out for a salad and eat it at my desk, but it’s pretty manic inside at the moment. I finish at 6pm and make the half-hour drive from Dún Laoghaire, where our head office is, home to Tallaght.
This is the first time in years that I won’t be spending Christmas in Lanzarote, and I’ve gone mad into Christmas as a result. I have had all my decorations up since December 1st and all my shopping done since November.
I have Santa Claused-up the house in every possible way. He’s everywhere. It must have been the trip last year, but I’ve definitely got my Christmas spirit back.
Sarah Jordan is Lapland product manager with Sunway