TIME Comes to Canada: Building the Next Generation of Travel Leaders

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to a special spotlight edition of Travel Trends.
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This is your host, Dan Christian, and today I have the pleasure of speaking to Penny Spencer, who is the founder and chair of Time, which stands for the Travel Industry Mentor Experience.
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She's based in beautiful Sydney, Australia.
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I've known the organization for many years, but I'm just having the chance to meet Penny now finally.
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This organization has been around for 16 years, and I've known many of the people that have become mentors or mentees as part of the organization.
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And a good friend of mine, Steve Farelli, who is actually one of the earliest in the program dating back to when Penny started this, who is Australian but now based in Vancouver, Canada.
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He's an industry colleague and a great friend of mine, an avid listener to the show.
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He was very keen for us to have Penny on for all the reasons that I absolutely supported because ultimately they're bringing they're coming to Canada.
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And that's obviously where we're based in Toronto.
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So I'm thrilled that Time is coming to Canada.
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And we're going to talk about that with Penny here in a moment.
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But first, let's welcome Penny to the show and hear more about the backstory on Time in Australia.
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So, Penny, welcome to the Travel Trends Podcast.
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Great to have you with us.
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Thanks, Dan.
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I'm thrilled to be again.
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And Penny was kindly saying just as we uh started our conversation, the number of people in Australia that are familiar with Travel Trends is like our third largest market for our podcast.
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And so I'm I am not only a big fan of Australia and can't wait to spend more time there.
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And um, I've been there, lived in Australia for a number of years, my time with Lonely Planet, spent a lot of time in Sydney of the Travel Corporation.
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I know the Travel Corporation is one of the big partners of Time.
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And you can see all the logos for our listeners.
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If you go to travelindustrymentor.com.au, that is the main website at the moment.
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The Canadian website is coming.
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Um, but just so you can get some more background on the organization.
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But Penny, tell everyone why you created this and give everyone a bit of an overview of the uh Time organization and what you guys do.
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Yeah, sure.
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I'd love to.
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Well, I created um Time 16 years ago, and I was lying beside the pool reading a Richard Branson book, having a gin and tonic, and there was a lot of talk in his book about mentoring.
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And I had always been mentored and have mentored throughout my career, and I thought, you know what, we need to really look at this for the travel industry, you know, the financial industry, lots of different industries have mentor programs, but the travel industry didn't.
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And um, I was inspired by his book and thought, okay, I'm gonna do this.
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So I got together with a few industry friends and said, This is what I'm thinking.
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What do you think?
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Let's do it.
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And everyone was on board.
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So we started 16 years ago, we built uh a not-for-profit, we created as a not-for-profit um association, and started with uh a board and a committee, and away we went.
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That's terrific.
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And I know you are an accomplished entrepreneur, you also are the managing director of Spencer Travel Holdings, and you were named one of the top 30 female entrepreneurs in Australia, and also Travel Weekly's women in travel power list, which is also very cool because obviously I'm a big supporter of you know, being raised by a single mom of um uh female travel executives.
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And so, like for me, the organization you've built is uh incredibly important, but also your role in the industry.
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And I wanted to just to touch on that uh a little bit more first, if you wouldn't mind, because tell us a little bit about your background in the travel industry and your the the role that you also hold today running that business as well as running time.
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Yes, well, I started in the industry straight from school.
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I knew I wanted to be in travel when I was about seven years old.
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Uh my first flight, I was like, oh my God, I have to do something in this industry, whatever it is, I don't know, but I'm going to be in the travel industry.
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So straight out of school.
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So I've been in the travel industry quite some time.
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And uh I really started by back in the day, a Girl Friday.
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I still don't understand why they ever named that title a Girl Friday, but I was a Girl Friday, running around the city picking up passports and dropping off tickets, and really worked my way up then from you know that to reception, to domestic consultant, to international consultant, to manager, and then eventually um started my own business 28 years ago as a corporate agency, um, which I built and grew, and then I started to do some acquisitions of leisure agencies, and last year I sold the corporate part of my business, and now just concentrating on leisure and independent contract model.
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That's fantastic.
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And that's where, you know, being an entrepreneur, knowing what it's like to launch an organization, having an understanding of what's involved in mentoring the next generation of leaders in travel, male and female, obviously it's uh the opportunities we've each been given over the years when we uh have been presented with certain opportunities and you move into a role, having the right mentor is so incredibly important.
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How did you decide on that specific concept?
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Um, obviously, you were likely seeing people in the industry that were trying to find their way to grow their careers, but and clearly this whole concept of lifelong learning I know is a big passion of yours.
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Yes.
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Um tell us a little bit about why you decided to create the organization and then tell us a little bit about some of the success stories.
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I know you've had about 200 people go through the program.
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Yeah, well, actually 400 graduates in 16 years, 250 mentors.
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Uh yeah, look, I had done a ment a government mentor program actually actually myself when I started the business, and I got so much out of that.
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And I realized uh that that that style of um program really worked.
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So that's why I sort of molded it the time program on that, where we have a six-month period of mentoring, one-on-one, 24 hours total over those six months.
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And that really gives you the momentum of having that mentor, you know, constantly helping you, helping you grow your career.
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And um, you know, whatever it is that you really want out of the skills that you need, they help you do that.
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And given the number of people that have been through the program, tell us a little bit about why they would choose to become a mentor to mentee.
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Obviously, it creates opportunities and networking for sure, but there is also unique challenges that travel professionals face in their roles as they try and understand the industry.
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And tell us a little bit about what the mentoring process really helps address as it relates to the travel industry.
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Yeah, so the mentees really uh initially we started with the mentees being, you know, they had to have at least three to five years experience in the industry.
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Because what we found is most mentees get to a point in their career, say through three three years and go, okay, I want to get to the next level.
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How do I do that?
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And then sometimes leave the industry because they don't know how to get to that next level.
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So part of why I created it also is retention, um, to ensure that we keep great people within the industry.
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So that's where we went with the um actual how they get to that point.
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And then with the mentors, they volunteer their time for free.
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So um we're very clear with the mentees that you know you can't the mentors are out.
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But the mentors are all people that want to give back to the industry.
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You know, some are retired, some are people that have just wanted to always mentor.
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So we've sort of got, you know, the mentees and the mentors working together, and that that's how it works.
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And I want to speak about the mentors as well, because you know, knowing both mentees and mentors that have been through time or are still involved in time.
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I mentioned uh Fiona Dalton, who obviously was part of your board, and she was a mentor, and I still remember her actively talking about um her involvement in time when we were working together.
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And um and uh Cecilia, who worked at AAT Kings, I know she was uh a mentee.
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And so I it was always fascinating for me to hear the stories when I was in Sydney, Australia, there, our office there, of the people who were involved.
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And so finally have a chance to meet you and understand the background.
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And what I wanted to also understand is the mentor.
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So mentees, I absolutely see the benefit for them.
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So the mentors, clearly, there's people um in the industry that have a uh a similar uh mindset to yourself that they want to give back.
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And obviously that was the start of the Travel Trends podcast in the beginning, is like, you know, people like you and I that want that love the industry, want to give back to the industry, want to see other people excel in the industry.
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Um, what are some of the reasons that mentors choose to become part of the time program?
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Well, a lot of the mentors say to me that they get just as much out of the program as the mentees do because you learn so much.
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I mean, you know, some of the mentors are, I don't know, 40 plus, let's say, been in the industry quite some time, and might feel a little bit stale, and they meet their mentee and they learn so much, you know, they might show them how to do a better LinkedIn post or whatever it might be.
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So the mentors get just as much out of the program, and that's that's why we have multiple mentors doing multiple mentoring.
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We've got uh we've actually got some mentors that have mentored, I think, 10 or 12 times.
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Wow.
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That's hugely encouraging.
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That's and wonderful to hear.
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I guess one of the things along the same lines is that when you have, you know, when people think of a mentor and a mentee, someone that's had 20 years experience in their career versus, as you say, like two to five, um, is it always the case that it mentorship is for someone early in their careers, or are you seeing people that are transitioning into travel um in their 30s or 40s that still need a mentor?
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Definitely, um, any age group needs a mentor mentor.
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I mean, we've got people that have done the program that are in their 60s.
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So uh it's it's open to any age group.
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But I think um, you know, the other thing too is that what we encourage at time is that you grow within time as well.
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So we've had mentees that are now mentors that are now on the committee that are also sometimes on the board.
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So they come through the they come through the time program, but then they come right through to being on the board from being a mentee.
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So we love that part as well.
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We've got two on the board at the moment, moment that were mentees.
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That is hugely inspiring, and obviously I'm sure for you means so much having created this 16 years ago, and you know, it's almost like that, you know, you've graduated multiple generations now of people that have advanced in the career, and and so that's that's uh that's really wonderful, Penny.
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I guess one other thing along the same lines, given that you know you are have been uh focused on the Australian market, um, you're also in New Zealand as well.
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Is that right?
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We are.
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We started in New Zealand seven years ago, and that's been truly successful.
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We're a little bit nervous about it because you know it's a little country, um, and the travel industry is very tight though over there, and the support has been incredible.
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Fantastic.
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Well, and there's a lot of similarities between New Zealand and Canada, given our our big brother to the south of us, you know, with um there's a there's a kinship between Canadians and Aussies for sure, but also with Kiwis, definitely as well.
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And so um so you have the Australia program, the New Zealand program, and now about to have the Canadian program.
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So this is the first real international uh development for time, is that right?
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Yeah, yeah, we're really, really excited about it.
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And um, you know, Canada, as you just said, very similar to Australia and and New Zealand, very like-minded and a tight travel industry as well, which is why I feel like that was the next step at the time.
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Fantastic.
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No, it's it's a very exciting development, and congratulations to you and the team.
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I know we're having this conversation, uh, not to timestamp it, but in July of 2026.
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And I know you're coming across to Canada in September to Toronto for the launch.
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But tell everyone why you've decided to expand to Canada.
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What was uh why now?
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And what about the Canadian market was particularly appealing to bring time here versus um uh the US or any other?
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I can I can think of a few being Canadian and loving Australia, but I'd love to hear from your vantage point.
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Why Canada, why now?
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Yeah, okay.
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So why now?
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We celebrated 15 years last year and we had a big party, which was fantastic.
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Um, and everybody that has been involved in a time, you know, we call it a the time family, really, the time community.
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We're at the party, and um, you know, a lot of people were saying to me, what's next?
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What's next?
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What's the next 15 years?
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Well, I might not be doing it for the next 15, but um, who knows?
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Uh, and I thought, you know, what is next?
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And for me, Canada was the next because uh, as I said, like-minded, similar industry.
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We know a lot of like-minded people within um, you know, Australia, Canada.
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And I feel also that probably your your industry in Canada needs an Intel program because there isn't one.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, no, I completely agree.
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When I first uh learned about this when I was having dinner with Steve Farelli in Vancouver, and he mentioned to me um about time coming to Canada, and he started, and I it hit me immediately.
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It was just like, well, why hasn't this happened already?
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Of course.
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There's a like there's a lot of there's not only a kinship and a lot of similarities between our two industries, a lot of international travel companies that are based in Australia open up their offices in Canada, and you can think of a few examples of that.
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Um, and the uh not only uh tour operators, but travel agencies, you know, a lot of their headquarters for North America are in Toronto.
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There is obviously the Commonwealth and similar laws and also business structure and and and there is a common bond between Commonwealth countries, and um and and so as you were deciding to uh make your foray into Canada, that's the one thing I would I'd love to understand is that the demand for a mentoring program, when Steve mentioned it to me, I was like, of course, it makes total sense.
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Like, there's not anything like this here, and there's so many people in my uh in my network that I thought of right away that could really benefit from this.
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And so many of the younger generation that don't, you know, they well, when I used to hear about the program in Australia, I was like, this is so valuable.
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Um so tell us a little bit more about uh the demand that you think um is here in Canada, and I'll I will add to why I think it's going to be successful.
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But um, what about the demand?
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Like, was it just the fact that this keeps coming up, people keep mentioning it to you?
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Obviously, you've got people like Steve that have been through the program who are now based here.
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So I'm sure there's other examples of other people that have like moved to Canada who are Australian or know the time program.
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Yeah, look, I think Steve did have a a good conversation with me a while back about it, and um he did say that there there was a need for it in Canada.
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I I think there's a need for it anywhere, to be honest.
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It does it's not just Canada, it's global.
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I'm not necessarily going to go global, but um definitely I think mentoring is needed everywhere.
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And as I said, you know, we need we know people within the industry that not only possibly would get so much out of the mentoring program, but amazing mentors in Canada as well.
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Yeah.
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So, Penny, with the plans to come to Canada, I want to make sure all of our listeners, whether they be tour operators, travel agencies that could be partners, could be mentors, and listeners to our podcast that could be travel advisors, people working within travel organizations that could really benefit from this.
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Tell us a little bit about how it's going to work in Canada.
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I know there's a cost for partners in Australia, and then there's a cost for registration for mentees.
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Tell our listeners a little bit how this is going to work as you prepare to launch it here in Canada.
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Yeah, so the mentees uh fill out an expression of interest, which is quite a detailed form, but we need to have all of that detailed because uh when we do the matching, we need to really understand what they want to get out of the program.
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So they fill out an expression of interest.
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The mentors also fill out an expression of interest, and there's a matching process.
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And then once they're matched, there is a um induction and they meet their mentor, and then they're obviously, as I said earlier, 24 hours one-on-one with them.
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But throughout the program, there's also amazing networking workshops, online workshops, and then they graduate after six months, and graduation speeches are incredible.
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I mean, I think um every time I hear a graduate speak, I'm like, oh my God, this is incredible.
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We've changed lives.
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Yeah.
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Well, and those people become the all-stars within their organizations.
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And it's what I've seen is that the people who choose to participate in programs like this, these are the up-and-comers, the next leaders.
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And, you know, it's it's often who I'm trying to speak to with this podcast, is these are the decision influencers that are going to become the decision makers.
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They're the ones that are not currently at the Focus Right conference yet, but they want to get there.
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They want to get on stage, they want to be an executive in this industry.
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And this is one of the most uh powerful ways for them to be able to do that.
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So that's why I'm so excited for it to uh for it to come to Canada.
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When you do launch, obviously, with that partnership, uh, the idea of uh people filling that out being matched with someone.
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Let's talk about some of the the benefits that you've seen and the power of mentorship, specifically for the individuals that are you know benefiting, because that uh you've highlighted obviously the mentors seem to love this whole process as much and keep coming back as well to mentor others.
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Um, but take us through what you've seen as the real benefit for people being mentored in this program and giving these amazing speeches and then rising up in the industry.
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What is happening during that mentoring process that is like strengthening those individuals and how they can contribute to the travel industry?
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Yeah, look, it's it's confidence.
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I have to say that the biggest thing that you see is the is the confidence that they get from having a mentor, having a sounding board, having someone supporting them, having someone transfer their knowledge to them.
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And a lot of the EIs that I get are around, you know, I really want to be a public speaker, public be a better public speaker, I want to um have confidence, I want to lead better.
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Uh, and a lot of people that you see that come out of the program when they start.
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So when we first induct them, we I always get everyone to go around the room and talk for two minutes about why they're why they've joined time and what they want to get out of the program.
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And you see everyone in the room just absolutely go stiff and like, oh how am I gonna do this?
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And then you see them at the end of the program six months later, speaking at the graduation, and the difference is incredible.
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And um, I've got an an example actually of one of my own staff who I put through the program and she couldn't even speak in staff meetings.
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She was just so always nervous.
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If if she was tossed a question in a staff meeting, she'd go bright red and stutter.
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And she went through the program and she uh delivered her uh graduation speech beautifully.
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And then they have an opportunity once they graduate to MC a graduation, and she emceed a graduation not long after that.
00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:07.359
Yeah, that's a great example.
00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:28.799
And you what you highlighted there about public speaking is certainly one of those things that you don't often get taught in school or university, um, but it's incredibly important in uh in executive roles, you know, to be able to get up on stage and be able to not only um be able to present uh um but to inspire and to uh inform and engage.
00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:31.200
Like it is such a skill, and you do need to learn it.
00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:39.359
Like it's one of those things people often say to people who do it quite regularly and look comfortable that you know this must be something that you're just it's a natural gift.
00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:46.799
And I think anyone um uh on the receiving end uh end of that is like there may be some natural ability, but really it's about practice.
00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.960
It really is, and it's something that can be learned.
00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:49.359
Yeah.
00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:51.519
What what are what are some of the other things, Penny?
00:20:51.599 --> 00:20:54.079
So obviously public speaking, that's a great example.
00:20:54.240 --> 00:21:00.319
Um what are some of the other uh ways that you've seen people advance in their careers?
00:21:00.480 --> 00:21:12.640
And because when you mentioned things about, you know, that now in the age of technology and like when you're doing webinars, obviously you're continually making sure that people are relevant to the industry and the roles they're doing.
00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:17.599
What are some of the other things that you're seeing that they're learning or um ways they're developing?
00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.799
Confidence and public speaking are obviously two huge developments.
00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:24.000
What other areas would you highlight that people benefit from?
00:21:24.640 --> 00:21:31.519
Uh I think there's also a big imposter syndrome that that's going on in the world right now.
00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:38.000
And um I see a lot of that happening where they don't think they're good enough to be in that role.
00:21:38.720 --> 00:21:53.119
And I think having a mentor brings that out of them and and what I've seen from that as well is that not only have they got the confidence to say, Okay, I'm good enough to be in this role, but actually get a better role.
00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:54.079
Yeah.
00:21:54.480 --> 00:21:56.720
So there's there's there's been a lot of that.
00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:04.880
Um actually standing up and saying, I'm I'm Good enough to actually apply for this next role in my career.
00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:07.440
Um, and that's what we want, obviously.
00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:13.839
But um, I think also, you know, technology definitely um conflict resolution.
00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:20.799
People come to their mentors, obviously, when there's conflict happening within their business or even in their personal life.
00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:27.359
We try not to have too much of the personal life um mentoring because that's not really what they're there for.
00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:31.279
But obviously, we know personal and business always cross.
00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:34.319
Uh so you know, there's sometimes a bit of that.
00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:50.559
We've had um the latest graduation actually uh uh someone talked a lot about having been in an abusive relationship and how much a mentor helped her get out of that due to supporting her through that.
00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:59.680
So it it it's so broad, there's so much that comes out of it, and you just never know which way it's gonna go.
00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:16.160
Well, and that's where there's always that crossover from personal and professional, because if you're developing more confidence and and and and we carry so much of our personal lives into our work, whether we realize it or not, and this next generation, you know, there is no separation of church and state when it comes to work and work-life balance.
00:23:16.319 --> 00:23:16.880
You know, yeah.
00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:25.759
So um the other thing I wanted to ask you, one one other thing that stood out to me that you know, there's that expression about when people get moved up and out of organ organization, some people get promoted.
00:23:25.920 --> 00:23:46.640
And that so when you mentioned about that imposter syndrome, I've certainly seen countless examples in the corporate world where people get promoted and they're not they were great at the role they were doing, but now they're in over their head or you know, their and I what I think is unfair when I see people in those situations is that some other people are just happy to see them sink or drown because some of the corporate culture.
00:23:46.799 --> 00:24:12.400
Whereas a mentor, what they actually need is someone who's been in that role that can give them a helping hand, help them really understand their new role, their new surroundings, and how their role has changed, because it's very, as you know, as you've made your way up the corporate ladder, it's very different when you have skill sets that you have to accomplish tasks to all of a sudden managing other people and then actually managing an organization and the decision making and what the new expectations of you are in that role changes.
00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:14.640
You can't just be heads down at your desk.
00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:20.160
Uh, Jeff Element, who was a great um mentor for me for many years, he was the president of Travel Corporation Canada.
00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:22.720
I reported to uh to Jeff and to Brett Tolman, the CEO.
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:27.279
And the reason I mentioned Jeff in this instance is because he was great at running the Toronto office.
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:28.240
Everyone loved Jeff.
00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:29.839
It was a great uh environment.
00:24:29.920 --> 00:24:33.519
And one of the things he did very well was the whole management by walking around.
00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:40.319
He spent an hour and a half in the morning and an hour and a half in the afternoon walking the office, talking to everybody, cheering people up.
00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:42.720
And it was like it was a key part of his role.
00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:46.480
And um, and and that was key for him to lead the Canadian office.
00:24:46.559 --> 00:24:48.480
And that's something that he was an accountant.
00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:56.319
He would otherwise, as he said, if he didn't get some of the mentorship and training he received, he would have just kept focusing on the numbers and spreadsheets and wouldn't have left his office.
00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:01.920
But he he needed to learn new skills, new behaviors that he learned from his mentors, like Guy Young.
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:06.799
And so this is where, again, there's so many ways that this is going to be valuable.
00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:12.480
Tell us a little bit, you know, as you now you know how successful this has been in Australia and New Zealand.
00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:16.160
Obviously, you have a lot of proud moments of what you've accomplished over the years.
00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:24.640
Tell us a little bit more about what excites you most about bringing this to Canada because one thing I learned about Penny as we were kicking off, you haven't been to Toronto before.
00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:28.720
You've been to Canada multiple times, but this is going to be a new city for you.
00:25:29.039 --> 00:25:30.559
Yeah, absolutely.
00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.559
I'm so excited to get to Toronto.
00:25:32.960 --> 00:25:35.359
Um, I'm excited to build a community.
00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:42.640
I think um the the thing that I'm most proud of with Time is uh the community that we've built.
00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:44.960
You know, it is so strong.
00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:50.559
And I say to mentees all the time, use this community like it's a safe place.
00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:54.079
Everyone in the time community is here to help each other.
00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:57.279
And the interesting thing is there's no conflict.
00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:06.559
So the thing I loved most about our 15th celebration, 15th birthday celebration, was the room was full of competition.
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:15.039
You know, there was um Virgin and Quantus, and there was um, you know, I don't know, Carnival and Rural Caribbean, you know.
00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:20.240
Everyone everyone in that room was there to help everyone in the room.
00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:26.720
And everyone was hugging, and there was no, oh my god, I can't go over there because Quantus is over there.
00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:33.839
So that's that's the community we've built, and um that's what I'm looking forward to building in Canada.
00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:34.559
Fantastic.
00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:40.880
And tell us a little bit about you know, with the launch in September, and there's clearly a long-term view here, you're gonna have a lot of support from the industry.
00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:46.079
Many people who listen to this podcast, you know, is that Canada's the second largest market after the US.
00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:50.240
So I'm sure many of Americans listening to this might be intrigued about this concept as well.
00:26:50.400 --> 00:26:56.319
But for the Canadians that are gonna start to benefit from this, tell us about what you think the first year and two years.
00:26:56.480 --> 00:27:03.599
Obviously, I'm not looking for the five-year plan, but like over the course of the next couple of years, what success looks like for you launching time in Canada?
00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:09.119
How, how are you gonna approach year one and what does success look like after a year or two in this market?
00:27:09.680 --> 00:27:14.559
Yeah, so year one, the the launch will also be an induction.
00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:16.960
So that will be our first program.
00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:19.680
So program one in Canada.
00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:24.640
And I hope to have at least five mentees on the first program.
00:27:24.799 --> 00:27:27.200
So five mentees, five mentors, obviously.
00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:30.240
And I would love to have five partnerships.
00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:33.200
So um that that's the ideal.
00:27:33.440 --> 00:27:36.720
So we've got till September to get that goal happening.
00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:44.480
And then for year one, if we if we got five to ten mentees per program, I'd be thrilled.
00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:49.839
Uh New Zealand started out with uh I think four or five to start with.
00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:53.519
They are now putting 14 through each program.
00:27:54.240 --> 00:28:03.599
So as as the programs come along, it grows because obviously people start talking about it and everyone's like, oh, I have to do that program.
00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:12.000
Uh but if we can start with five mentees five mentees, five mentors, and five partnerships, I'll be very happy.
00:28:12.400 --> 00:28:17.440
Well, that sounds very achievable, very realistic, and I think you're gonna exceed those expectations.
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:28.960
And I hope, you know, uh from our listeners, I hope you get um I I I hope you get two or three as a result of this podcast and this discussion, partners and uh mentors and mentees.
00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:37.440
I, you know, when I mentioned Jeff Element, I just realized too that I know Steve met with him when he was in Toronto, and I know Jeff Element's now the chief operating officer at the travel agent next door.
00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:45.359
And one of the things I love about this industry is that I always say, good people know good people, and you move through different organizations and you have different roles.
00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:54.480
And those people, like a Christian Walters from Intrepid, for example, he worked at Tor Radar for many years, and these people that you meet in your journey that you get on with, you have great relationships.
00:28:54.640 --> 00:28:59.440
The travel industry is so much about relationships, reputation, and trust.
00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:04.960
And so, you know, um having an organization like this come to Canada is hugely exciting.
00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:06.960
Um, and I think it'll be a huge benefit.
00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:09.279
So I'm I'm looking to forward to see it scale.
00:29:09.359 --> 00:29:12.720
The one one uh two two last questions for you, Penny.
00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:18.559
One thing in my mind jumped to was, you know, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work in Australia.
00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:24.960
And as I said to you, I love Australia, would gladly divide my time um over the course of the year between Canada and Australia.
00:29:25.200 --> 00:29:31.119
And I'm sure people joining the program uh would also like the benefit of being able to work in different markets.
00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:32.799
And we do see that in our industry, right?
00:29:32.880 --> 00:29:36.559
You work for a travel company that's global, you have those types of opportunities.
00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:54.799
Um, is there any way that with time being in Canada and Australia and New Zealand, that there might be some cross-pollination or opportunities that are then created by virtue of mentors in Australia realizing someone graduated from the Time program in Canada, opening up opportunities for Canadians to work in Australia and Australians to work in Canada?
00:29:55.200 --> 00:29:56.240
Yeah, absolutely.
00:29:56.400 --> 00:30:02.079
As I say, the Time community is huge and we have that between Australia and New Zealand.
00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:13.200
We also do the um, if we can't find the right match for a mentor, we might have a mentor in New Zealand to mentor someone in Australia, vice versa.
00:30:13.440 --> 00:30:15.359
We can do the same with Canada.
00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:20.240
Uh so you know, you can get the best of best of all countries.
00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:21.759
That's really exciting.
00:30:21.920 --> 00:30:33.599
Now, just to close off, for any of our listeners, whether they be a potential mentor or mentee, I'd love for you to leave them with your message for getting involved.
00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:45.680
I know I've asked you a similar question already, but if for all the travel professionals listening to this as we prepare to close off that are wondering whether they should become a mentor or a mentee, what would be your uh parting message for them?
00:30:46.480 --> 00:30:52.319
Uh once we get the website up, to go onto the website, follow us on LinkedIn now.
00:30:52.480 --> 00:31:00.880
We have LinkedIn now, but once the website's up, which hopefully is in the next two weeks, go onto the website and fill out an expression of interest.
00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:04.960
It's an online form for both mentors and mentees.
00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:09.599
And um, yeah, let's get this this time in Canada happening.
00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:11.759
I was gonna say, let's get this party started.
00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:13.599
Yeah, exactly.
00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.119
Oh, that's great, Penny.
00:31:15.200 --> 00:31:17.200
I'm uh I'm thrilled for you and the team.
00:31:17.279 --> 00:31:23.200
I'm obviously uh I can't wait to uh to see you in September for the launch, which is gonna be at Intrepid's office.
00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:25.359
So they've kindly opened up their space.
00:31:25.519 --> 00:31:27.039
They've done a number of events with us.
00:31:27.119 --> 00:31:29.920
It's a beautiful space in downtown Toronto.
00:31:30.079 --> 00:31:38.240
That uh for those of you who have the privilege to be involved and invited, obviously I would highly encourage you to uh find out more information about that when the website's live.
00:31:38.319 --> 00:31:50.799
I will make sure, Penny, that as this episode goes out, uh for anyone listening to this, you can just go to Travel Trends Podcast, you can look at the show notes, you'll find the link to the website so that you can register and plan to get involved.
00:31:50.960 --> 00:31:52.559
Um, but Penny, I'm so excited for you.
00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:56.960
Congratulations again on the plans to launch in Canada, and I can't wait to see you in a couple of months' time.
00:31:57.119 --> 00:31:58.079
Yeah, me too.
00:31:58.160 --> 00:31:58.960
Thanks, Dan.
00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:01.519
Thank you to all of our listeners as well.
00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:03.440
Obviously, this is a really exciting development.
00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:15.359
I really appreciate Penny Spencer taking the opportunity to join us to give us the background on this amazing organization that she created in Sydney 16 years ago, and as you heard, expanded to New Zealand and is now coming to Canada.
00:32:15.519 --> 00:32:20.640
And I can't wait to see the success of this program in the years ahead.
00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:31.200
So make sure that you do check out Time Travel Industry Mentor Experience on LinkedIn and check out the website in the show notes and make sure you register to get involved.
00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:33.519
Thanks again for joining us for the Spotlight episode.
00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:34.559
Safe travels.