#179: Irish Loyalty Summit and Awards 2022

PAULA: Welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty, an industry podcast for Loyalty Marketing Professionals.

PAULA: I’m your host, Paula Thomas, and if you work in Loyalty Marketing, join me every week to learn the latest ideas from loyalty specialists around the world.

PAULA: This episode is brought to you by Epsilon and their award-winning People Cloud Loyalty solution.

PAULA: Personalization should be integrated into the entire customer experience, including your loyalty program.

PAULA: With this in mind, Epsilon recently released a guide outlining six key components that will put you on the path to personalizing the entire loyalty experience.

PAULA: This guide challenges you to do some housekeeping and reconsider how you think about your current and future loyalty personalization efforts.

PAULA: So to download your copy of the report, visit epsilon.com forward slash Let’s Talk Loyalty.

PAULA: Welcome to episode 179 of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

PAULA: And my guest today is a former colleague and a friend from back home in Ireland.

PAULA: Eileen McGuinness is the co-founder of the Irish Loyalty Awards and the Irish Loyalty Summit, which are happening in a beautiful Irish castle just outside Dublin on April 28th this year.

PAULA: Eileen joins me today to share the fantastic loyalty content and speakers that you can expect to hear at the event.

PAULA: So whether you’re listening today in Ireland, in Europe or even further afield, there are loads of reasons to plan to attend and connect with loyalty professionals from around the world, including me at this wonderful event.

PAULA: So Eileen McGuinness joining me from my home country of Ireland, welcome to Let’s Talk Loyalty.

EILEEN: Hi Pauline, thank you so much for inviting me on your show.

PAULA: Delighted to have you Eileen, which part of the country are you in at the moment?

EILEEN: So I’m in the west of Ireland.

EILEEN: So it’s great.

EILEEN: I’m not moving as much as we used to.

EILEEN: I think Pauline, we were working together.

EILEEN: We were on the road a lot.

EILEEN: So thankfully, I’m a little bit more based in the west of Ireland now.

PAULA: Okay.

PAULA: So working from home, like a lot of people, but a lot of activity, I guess, up in Dublin as well, which we’ll be talking about today.

EILEEN: Absolutely.

PAULA: Great, great.

PAULA: Well, listen, I’m excited to get into talking about the two different things that you’re working on at the moment, which is obviously the Irish Loyalty Summit and the Irish Loyalty Awards.

PAULA: So we’ll talk through all of the details about those.

PAULA: But before we get into all of the detail, as you know, I asked you, what is your favorite loyalty program for listeners to hear all about?

EILEEN: Yeah, and I thought it was an easy question, but it’s not.

EILEEN: And in preparation for the show, I decided to be debated around the dinner table.

EILEEN: And the consensus was that none of us could come to an agreement.

EILEEN: So I think that’s what we came away with, really, like beauty is always in the eye of the beholder in my eyes.

EILEEN: And that kind of shows the challenges out there for loyalty marketeers in trying to get a program that suits everybody and suits every age group.

EILEEN: Yeah, you’re right.

EILEEN: You know, it’s really, really difficult.

EILEEN: We really could not agree on anything.

EILEEN: So I’m going to give you my perspective on it.

EILEEN: And, you know, it would be missing me not to mention some of the wonderful, wonderful local initiatives in Ireland really could compete on the global scale.

EILEEN: Yeah.

EILEEN: And some of my top picks are the more traditional programs, you know, the Supervalue Reel Rewards, the Sky VIP Rewards, M&S Sparks.

EILEEN: But I think you’re going to say, come on, Eileen gets the answer.

PAULA: Give us one.

PAULA: Go on.

EILEEN: Give you one.

EILEEN: So I think my favorite and the one that I’m most engaged in and have been a member for over 20 years is the British Airways Executive Club Freak or Flyer program.

EILEEN: So and some of the some of you out there who know some of my background might say, oh, she was going to say that.

EILEEN: But really, anybody that knows me well knows that I love to travel.

EILEEN: And 20 years ago, we joined the program and, you know, we had the American Express credit card.

EILEEN: And our annual goal was to get the companion voucher.

EILEEN: And, you know, it was very simple, it’s a it’s your traditional Freak or Friar program.

EILEEN: But, you know, it worked.

EILEEN: We were totally engaged and still am.

EILEEN: I’m still totally engaged in collecting avios for upgrades, probably use it more for lounge access or, you know, discounts or flights more than the long haul flights.

EILEEN: But back in the day and to this day, you know, I still remember my last redemption was in 2019.

EILEEN: And that’s obviously with everything else that happened.

EILEEN: But it was to South Africa, you know, with a companion voucher, as well as, you know, redeeming my avios.

EILEEN: And what an amazing trip.

EILEEN: What a way to start a holiday, you know, and you don’t forget that, Paula, you know, that stays with you.

EILEEN: Yeah.

EILEEN: So I think you’re you’re you’re keen on Freak or Friar programs as well, Paula, because I know you’re actually engaged in them.

EILEEN: So, you know, for sure.

PAULA: But I think you’ve trumped me, Eileen, with the 20 years of membership.

EILEEN: I’m showing my age.

PAULA: OK, we’re actually, I think, a similar age.

PAULA: So and so I don’t think that’s actually it.

PAULA: But I probably discovered the power of loyalty programs, I would say, 20 years ago, from a business perspective.

PAULA: But I wouldn’t have been actually I was on the airline side.

PAULA: So I probably didn’t have a consumer perspective of, you know, what behavior I wanted to change because I had the airline tickets already.

PAULA: But you and I did a lot of work together with Avios.

PAULA: And I really think that that’s an extraordinary currency.

PAULA: I suppose particularly Eileen, because of the sheer global breadth now of the all of the different airlines that do use the Avios currency.

PAULA: I still think it’s probably not as well known as things like air miles, for example, where in the past.

PAULA: But but I’m ex British Airways myself, as you know.

PAULA: So I love the brand and love the 20 years of loyalty by you to them.

PAULA: And so, yeah, I think it’s a brilliant start and fair play, because I know it’s a tough call, given that you are, you know, I suppose in the context of the Irish loyalty market, you are creating an event for everyone.

PAULA: So very hard.

PAULA: It’s almost like asking your favorite child.

EILEEN: Yeah, but I think it’s important that we’re you know, I’m totally honest.

EILEEN: And, you know, anybody that knows me will know that I am definitely the travel junkie.

EILEEN: I’m the one that organizes the trips.

EILEEN: So, yeah, I mean, I’m it’s it’s it’s such a valuable asset to me to definitely have a Freak with Fire program under my belt.

PAULA: Absolutely brilliant.

PAULA: So and so how did you get into, I suppose, first of all, setting up the Irish Loyalty Awards, Eileen, because I think we both agreed maybe when we chatted before that Ireland doesn’t always do a lot of things focused on, you know, I suppose a very tiny niche, you know, we have our wonderful marketing awards and marketing events, but loyalty marketing obviously is another tiny segment.

PAULA: So what made you realize that there was such a big opportunity for Irish loyalty marketeers?

EILEEN: Yeah, so, you know, having worked in the UK and working in loyalty for a number of years, it’s quite a vibrant community.

EILEEN: There’s a lot of stakeholders.

EILEEN: There’s a lot of kind of influencers in loyalty in the UK.

EILEEN: And it had a good community.

EILEEN: It’s definitely improved over the years.

EILEEN: And when I was involved in the launch of Air Club in Ireland, it became very kind of evidence that we didn’t really have our own loyalty community.

EILEEN: You know, you were kind of dealing with marketing departments who touched on loyalty, but they didn’t really have many kind of specific kind of special, special people working in loyalty.

EILEEN: And, you know, it just kind of said, OK, listen, that has to be the opportunity here.

EILEEN: I did it more for a selfish reason, because I found it very difficult to get everybody in the room together and to meet everybody.

EILEEN: You know, and you can say, OK, let’s let’s see what they’re doing in the UK and let’s see what they’re doing globally.

EILEEN: And then the gap was there.

EILEEN: You know, there’s a need for an Irish Loyalty Awards.

EILEEN: So I touch base with my colleague, Marian Kelly, who has huge experience in building successful awards programs.

EILEEN: And Marian’s experience and my experience, it was like marriage made really so and delighted.

EILEEN: It’s gone from strength to strength.

PAULA: It certainly has, Eileen.

PAULA: So well done to you and Marian because, again, I know there’s a lot of risk involved with, well, I suppose any new business, Eileen, but particularly in the event space.

PAULA: And we all know the past couple of years haven’t been the easiest, particularly in your business.

PAULA: So I’m super impressed that you guys are, you know, full steam ahead for April 2022 for the Irish Loyalty Summit and Awards.

PAULA: So with that exciting upcoming event happening, tell us exactly what are you planning to do, first of all, I guess, on the Summit side?

PAULA: Because I know you have some amazing content planned, which actually is going to be relevant for people if they want to travel perhaps from the UK, as you said, or from Europe, or dare I say, even the US?

EILEEN: Yeah, absolutely.

EILEEN: And that’s exactly, even though it’s based in Ireland, it really is targeting pan-European, international people who want to come and meet and learn more from these experts that we have invited to speak at the Loyalty Summit.

EILEEN: So the Loyalty Summit takes place prior to the awards night.

EILEEN: It’s on the same day, it’s the 28th of April, and kickoff is at 9am.

EILEEN: But really the track this year, and I think it’s so, so important, because I think, you know, what we’ve gone through, I think what we’ve proven is that loyalty programs, you know, miss all the challenges that we have, but they’re definitely an effective crisis management tool for organizations.

EILEEN: And I think, you know, I think that team is going to come through in the summit.

EILEEN: And the theme of the summit is very much about remastering you and re-imagine.

EILEEN: Because, you know, there’s so much you can do.

EILEEN: You can only acquire customers and they’ll churn and then they’ll reactivate.

EILEEN: And you can keep your campaigns doing that successfully.

EILEEN: But really there comes a time where you have to say, stop, let’s look at what we’re doing.

EILEEN: Let’s remaster, let’s innovate, and let’s put some new concepts there.

EILEEN: So the summit is very much geared at that.

EILEEN: And Pauline, you know, I’ve spoken to you before about, we have, I think the Irish are very good at looking in and we’re looking at programs here in Ireland.

EILEEN: But I think to really to look at loyalty programs, I think it’s really key to look at it on an international global scale as well.

EILEEN: And that’s why we probably have, we have two speakers, international speakers confirmed coming over from both Canada and the US.

EILEEN: And we’re also waiting on another international major airline to come over.

EILEEN: So, and I think that’s going to give it what we’re all, not just the Irish attendees, but also our neighbors in the UK, in Europe.

EILEEN: I think it’s to give that global perspective on what’s happening across the world is really, really key.

PAULA: Yeah.

PAULA: And I’ve often said it Eileen, like one of the reasons that I always loved being a loyalty consultant was that idea of, I guess, sharing case studies and ideas from one industry that might be completely different, but might just give you an insight into what you can do in your own business.

PAULA: And I think it’s only when you take time out of the day job and sit and listen to, as you said, a leading global airline, or you’ve mentioned, for example, Supervalue, which is Ireland’s leading grocery store, just for anyone who doesn’t know the brand.

PAULA: Leading utilities like Sky, again, do extraordinary work in loyalty.

PAULA: And I think there’s things in there that can be applied, regardless of whether you are a grocery store or an airline, or again, if you’re in a completely different country.

PAULA: There’s always themes that can be picked up and learned by people just by being present there.

EILEEN: Yeah, absolutely.

EILEEN: And we’re not just targeting people who have large loyalty programs.

EILEEN: This is for people who are putting their toe in the water, who are thinking about it.

EILEEN: They want to see, you know, is it worth it?

EILEEN: You know, we’re still, I still say it here, and I still think we’re behind the curve a little bit when it comes to loyalty and getting a fair share of the marketing budget for loyalty is still challenging here.

EILEEN: I think if anything good has come out of the last two years is that, you know, to be able to connect with your customer and engage and talk to them is crucial.

EILEEN: And the way to do that is through a loyalty program.

PAULA: For sure.

PAULA: Yeah, yeah.

PAULA: And again, I think, again, we’ve said this on the show quite a few times, you know, the respect for loyalty has increased exponentially when there, you know, there aren’t the opportunities to meet your customers, perhaps in stores, the way you might have done in the past or all of the traditional ways that loyalty has been left as a nice to do.

PAULA: I think there’s always something that really is, you know, the priority.

PAULA: I remember it actually in the recession as well back in 2008.

PAULA: When I got into loyalty the first time, it’s counter cyclical and it’s when there’s a crisis and there are very few customers available that suddenly, I suppose, senior leaders in business realize that they have to take care of them.

PAULA: And as you’ve said, you can always keep your acquisition campaigns going, but that’s expensive, time consuming.

PAULA: And, you know, at the end of the day, it’s much cheaper, as we know, you know, as professionals to keep the customers you have.

PAULA: So I love all of that.

PAULA: I love the whole theme about remastering and optimizing, I suppose, for, you know, let’s hopefully say the post-pandemic world.

PAULA: So tell us a bit about the two international speakers.

PAULA: Very excited.

PAULA: I know both of them, of course, but for listeners, yeah, tell us about those.

EILEEN: Our first keynote address is from Bond Loyalty.

EILEEN: And Bond, for anybody that don’t know, a lot of your listeners will know they’re based in Canada.

EILEEN: They’re a global customer experience marketing and management and measurement company.

EILEEN: They’ve worked a lot of along, they’ve done, I suppose, one of their piece of work most people will know is the Annual Loyalty Report.

EILEEN: Yeah.

EILEEN: Which looks at 900 loyalty programs across 20 countries.

PAULA: Yeah.

EILEEN: Yes, at the moment, they don’t include Ireland.

EILEEN: But I think what we can do is take some of the insights based on those 900 loyalty programs and give it an Irish lens and look at what programs we’re doing here and what we can take from the learnings that comes out of that report.

EILEEN: Who’s traveling is Kyle West and Kyle’s a great guy.

EILEEN: He’s the Managing Director from Global Insights.

EILEEN: So poor Kyle, he was literally on the runway the last time.

EILEEN: Absolutely.

EILEEN: I literally got hold of him.

EILEEN: I think he was actually in the Departures Lounge and we got hold of him not to get on the airplane because we had to cancel.

EILEEN: So they have been hugely, hugely supportive.

EILEEN: They’re very excited about coming to Ireland.

EILEEN: And he’s hanging around for the night.

EILEEN: He’s available.

EILEEN: Their attitude is very much, listen, I want to speak to your brands.

EILEEN: I’m here.

EILEEN: I’d love to give some insights.

EILEEN: So I think it’ll be a wonderful keynote address and it’ll be opening the Summit, which is a fantastic way to open the Summit, I believe.

PAULA: Yeah, for sure.

PAULA: Yeah.

PAULA: And I don’t know if you know Eileen, but Bond were also on Let’s Talk Loyalty just when last year’s loyalty report came out.

PAULA: So I can definitely say for people, there’s incredible insights.

PAULA: And I remember, for example, talking about things like, you know, there’s actually a shift, which, as you said, is exactly relevant, no matter what country or what industry you’re in.

PAULA: And the shift that they were talking about, just in my particular conversation, was being loyal to your customers instead and before you expect them to be loyal to you.

PAULA: And I remember kind of having, my mind was a bit blown.

PAULA: I was like, oh my God, wow, like we’ve had it back to front for so long.

PAULA: But I think Bond have that kind of very strategic perspective.

PAULA: So I know I only got half of exactly the detail and the value in that report.

PAULA: So super exciting to hear about Kyle coming over.

PAULA: Wonderful.

PAULA: And then the next one, tell us, tell us your second one.

EILEEN: Well, it’s a chap you know very well.

EILEEN: Also, Paul, I don’t know if there’s anybody in the Loyalty world you don’t know.

EILEEN: But this is from the Loyalty Academy.

EILEEN: And this is Mike Capizzi.

EILEEN: Mike, as we all know, is a veteran when it comes to marketing loyalty.

EILEEN: And Mike’s going to, he’s coming here for, it’s twofold.

PAULA: Really, the reason is twofold.

EILEEN: One is obviously to address and speak at the summits.

EILEEN: But also we’re launching the Pan-European CLMP workshop, which will take place in September.

EILEEN: So he’s there to give people information about that, which is absolutely wonderful.

EILEEN: But, you know, Mike’s experience, I think, will be invaluable.

EILEEN: And his presence throughout the event will be absolutely wonderful.

EILEEN: So I’m really excited.

EILEEN: And again, Mike had to cancel his flights last time around.

EILEEN: So he’s keen, very keen to get here this time.

EILEEN: So looking forward to meeting Mike in person.

PAULA: Yes, yes, no, absolutely.

PAULA: And Mike was here recently, Eileen, because also in Dubai, I’m sure, you know, we ran the CLMP, some colleagues, some friends of mine here in the Dubai market.

PAULA: A huge turnout, I will say, for anyone listening.

PAULA: They probably know that I myself have the Certified Loyalty Marketing Professional CLMP qualification.

PAULA: And for me, I think it was, I suppose, the reassurance, Eileen, I don’t know if you’ve ever heard this, I suppose, from all of the kind of brands that you’re talking to.

PAULA: But I think a lot of people come into loyalty from another side of marketing or to your point earlier, where they might be doing an ad campaign this week and a loyalty campaign next week.

PAULA: So they don’t get the dedicated niche training.

PAULA: So I always felt that I wasn’t really up to speed ever, like that there was so much more to know about the expertise.

PAULA: So that’s why I did my CLMP.

PAULA: I had to do it online at the time.

PAULA: But yes, super excited that it’s coming to Europe.

PAULA: I think it’s the first time CLMP has been done in Europe, if I’m not mistaken.

EILEEN: Yeah, absolutely.

EILEEN: It’s the first pan-European CLMP.

EILEEN: It’s going to be a two day workshop held in Ireland, but it’s targeting obviously across Europe.

EILEEN: So I think it’s going to be exciting.

EILEEN: I’m hoping to register myself, take two days out of the everyday work life.

EILEEN: And as you said, just getting that formal training.

EILEEN: I’m trained in marketing traditionally, but you kind of get yourself pushed into loyalty.

EILEEN: I think probably about 15 years ago, I pushed myself into loyalty because I love it.

EILEEN: But trying to get that formal background qualification, it would be wonderful as well.

PAULA: I totally agree.

PAULA: Brilliant.

PAULA: OK, so we’ll definitely have fun and games with Mike and Loyalty Academy.

PAULA: So give us a couple of the other kind of topics, Eileen, as you said, they’re your two international speakers, but there is, I think, almost a full day.

PAULA: And we’ll talk obviously as well about the awards now in a moment.

PAULA: But what other kind of topics can people expect by if they choose to come to the Irish Loyalty Summit?

EILEEN: Yeah, so another one, which we’re just waiting to get final sign off and confirmation is really about accelerating.

EILEEN: And this is hopefully going to be presented from a major airline, but it’s really accelerating the transformation within your business and within your loyalty programs.

EILEEN: So you’ve weathered the storm.

EILEEN: What do you do next?

EILEEN: Where are you going?

EILEEN: And it’s very much going to be about engaging customers.

EILEEN: You know, it’s about that whole piece of personalization, emotional loyalty.

EILEEN: You know, give me what I want in the channel.

EILEEN: I want it.

EILEEN: It hasn’t got much friction, you know, very simple.

EILEEN: And that’s what we’re going to be looking at from another address.

EILEEN: So I think most of us, anybody working in loyalties, that’s what we’re trying to achieve.

EILEEN: Another, I think, interesting area, and it’s more the formality, and it might be the area that definitely, I know it’s the area I struggle with, is the more the financial side of things, is really looking at loyalty liability management.

EILEEN: So another area that I think would be really interesting is loyalty liability management.

EILEEN: And that’s going to be a subject that we’re going to look at.

EILEEN: It’s just really how to effectively manage the loyalty program liability.

EILEEN: And I think that’s always been a question.

EILEEN: It’s always there.

EILEEN: It’s always on the table.

EILEEN: And I think it’s important that we kind of cover that off.

EILEEN: And I think a lot of our feedback we got previously was it was a topic that was of interest.

PAULA: Yeah.

PAULA: Yeah.

PAULA: I mean, my own perspective again on that one, Eileen, is that it’s the type of thing that is probably worthwhile bringing in external advisors of some sort, you know, to give a bit of extra perspective perhaps on, you know, how is, you know, I suppose the return on loyalty, for example, you know, how that’s working.

PAULA: But also, as you said, just how is the liability being managed by the business, you know, is it being done in an optimal way?

PAULA: So I think the financial side for most of us, as we’ve talked about, like we’re coming in with, you know, classical marketing qualifications and really to have a P&L that’s dedicated to something that has, you know, a deferred liability is a big responsibility.

PAULA: So I definitely agree that anything, in fact, I remember going to a conference in London and there was a talk on liability management and, you know, it scared the living daylights out of me because I really hadn’t appreciated, I suppose, the level of risk, revenue and responsibility because I didn’t have the full loyalty program management at the time.

PAULA: So, yeah, definitely a topic and I think people are looking for expertise on that.

PAULA: So that’s a great one to be including.

EILEEN: Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of, you know, it’s probably more the number crunching, but, you know, it’s a topic that has kind of been of interest and it was important that we put that on the agenda as well.

EILEEN: I just also want to mention, you know, I think a fantastic area on the agenda is just and I think it’s really important because, you know, people say Ireland has its own special nuances and we do.

EILEEN: We’re small, we’re small in numbers.

EILEEN: You know, when we talk about Loyalty programs, to have a million members is absolutely huge and wonderful here.

EILEEN: But, you know, our listeners across the globe are like, Oh my God, that’s tiny.

EILEEN: But, you know, we are covering in the summit is that Loyalty programs are not just for large multinationals.

EILEEN: And we’re going to look at some case studies of some really wonderful initiatives that’s happening around the country.

EILEEN: And look how they’re performing.

EILEEN: And, you know, maybe how they’re winning the game in Loyalty.

EILEEN: So maybe I’m hoping that, you know, we can turn the tables here a bit.

EILEEN: And maybe some of the large multinationals can get some insights from some of these case studies as well.

PAULA: Fantastic, Eileen.

PAULA: So an action packed day, plenty going on, plenty of knowledge.

PAULA: And I like the way you’ve organized it as well in that we do the hard work first.

PAULA: And then there’s a big social occasion, please God, in the evening.

PAULA: So tell us about the Irish Loyalty Awards.

EILEEN: Yeah, so the Irish Loyalty Awards, well, we’re now in our fourth year, even though it’s actually going to be three awards programs.

PAULA: Of course.

EILEEN: So it’s taking place in the evening of the 28th of April.

EILEEN: And it’s taking place this year in the wonderful Kilkey Castle in County Kildare.

EILEEN: Absolutely beautiful venue.

EILEEN: I’m hoping the sun will shine.

EILEEN: And I think we’re all ready for a fantastic in-person networking event.

EILEEN: Do you really just celebrate loyalty?

EILEEN: It’s a celebration for everybody who’s been involved in loyalty over the last two years.

EILEEN: You know, we’re rewarding excellence, creativity, innovation.

EILEEN: But we’re also coming together as a community and supporting each other.

EILEEN: I think it’s really important for teams to be able to celebrate.

EILEEN: They’ve had a hard time of it.

EILEEN: You know, what’s gone on in the last few years has kind of a spotlight on loyalty programs.

EILEEN: You know, what’s our customers doing, how are they engaging?

EILEEN: There has been definitely a spotlight, but on everybody out there when they’re working in loyalty.

EILEEN: So I think they’re ready for a night off.

EILEEN: I think they’re ready to get clapped on the back.

EILEEN: And I think also, you know, our stakeholders, and it would be remiss of me not to mention our sponsors, because they’ve been absolutely hand in heart, absolutely wonderful throughout this whole process, supporting us every step of the way.

EILEEN: So I’m not going to mention them individually, but I’m going to thank, they’re all on our website.

EILEEN: And I really want to thank every one of them because they have supported myself and Marian throughout the whole process.

EILEEN: So it’s been wonderful.

PAULA: Yeah, proper partners.

PAULA: I know you’ve said that all along.

PAULA: So well done.

EILEEN: Yeah, absolutely.

PAULA: Wonderful.

PAULA: Great.

PAULA: So the entries, so obviously for anyone in Ireland who’s listening, part of the loyalty community, as you’ve talked about, first and foremost, it’s time to start getting, you know, I suppose sharpen the pencils or, you know, boost up those keyboards and get writing because you’ve just opened the entries for all the different categories.

EILEEN: That’s correct.

EILEEN: So Call for Entries is now open, which is very exciting.

EILEEN: So there’s 19 categories.

EILEEN: There’s something there for everyone.

PAULA: Yeah.

EILEEN: And I know, you know, I’ve been the other side of the desk trying to put an entry into an awards program.

EILEEN: And it’s time, it is time consuming.

EILEEN: You push it aside to do, oh, my goodness, what are they looking for?

EILEEN: You know, how many words submission?

EILEEN: But just give yourself some time.

EILEEN: Prepare.

EILEEN: Look at the criteria.

EILEEN: You know, I get visibility of all the entries.

EILEEN: And, you know, some people don’t do themselves justice.

EILEEN: Just give yourself time.

EILEEN: Look at the criteria.

EILEEN: Pull together your proposal and get it in there, because we’ve had some really surprising winners over the last three years.

EILEEN: And, you know, to date, they still speak about it.

EILEEN: So, you know, I think if you’re not in, I suppose the old cliche, you won’t win.

EILEEN: So, you know, get your entries in and get recognized.

PAULA: Totally.

PAULA: And again, as you know, Eileen, I in the past have been a judge for various, you know, loyalty magazine awards, for example.

PAULA: And I can also say that, you know, the entry criteria is always crystal clear.

PAULA: And that’s because obviously the judges need to be able to evaluate, you know, from a very, you know, independent perspective, who is the best winner of each award.

PAULA: So I often saw entries that were in no way related to the category that they were entered in or they weren’t properly even written, you know, or spell checked or, you know, there’s things like that where if you put the time and effort in, you can have a fantastic entry.

PAULA: And if you do happen to win something, I mean, it’s a, it’s a joy and recognition that you carry for your whole career.

EILEEN: Yeah.

EILEEN: And, you know, it’s the return on winning an award, you know, let’s not underestimate awards have been around for ages, but to stay, you know, that pride you get on the night to stand up there and receive your award, you just can’t take it, take from it.

EILEEN: And, you know, it’s fantastic that you can go back to your business.

EILEEN: But more, I think more importantly, you go back to your business and you can fight more to get more loyalty budget.

EILEEN: And do more and do better and do better.

EILEEN: Use it to your benefit.

EILEEN: That’s what I say.

EILEEN: Absolutely.

EILEEN: It’s a great night.

EILEEN: Absolutely.

EILEEN: It’s a great networking night.

EILEEN: But, you know, use it to your benefit.

EILEEN: Go back to your organization and get your voice heard for your loyalty budget.

PAULA: Fantastic.

PAULA: Absolutely.

PAULA: So for anyone listening, I know the website is the irishloyaltyawards.com and the entries are open, I know, until the 15th of March.

PAULA: And again, that gives you guys then just time to do all of the independent judging.

PAULA: I know you have a panel of some of Ireland’s best loyalty experts independently looking at all of those to choose the winners.

PAULA: And then obviously the tickets are on sale as well for the summit.

PAULA: So April 28th, I know you’re going to be super busy between now and then, Eileen.

PAULA: Any other calls?

PAULA: Yeah.

PAULA: Yeah, it’s going to be super exciting.

PAULA: And I will say, actually, I was at a loyalty conference here in Dubai just in October.

PAULA: And the level of joy that everyone felt by, you know, just being back together again.

PAULA: I can honestly say I felt a little bit high.

PAULA: It was just amazing.

PAULA: So exciting to reconnect with people.

PAULA: So for listeners, I will also say that I am personally traveling from Dubai.

PAULA: I’ve already booked my flight.

PAULA: I’ve got my hotel room in Kilkey Castle because who doesn’t love to stay in an Irish castle from time to time?

PAULA: So I’m really looking forward to meeting all of the members of the Irish Loyalty community, who I’ve probably lost contact with, if I’m honest, since I left a few years ago, Eileen.

PAULA: So from my side, I’m super looking forward to it.

PAULA: So yeah, it’s great fun all around.

EILEEN: Yeah, I think everybody has marked it in the calendar.

EILEEN: Excitement is starting to gather momentum.

EILEEN: We’re all kind of keeping our fingers and our legs crossed.

EILEEN: No curve balls get thrown at us again, but we’re not going to go there.

EILEEN: We’re going to keep positive.

PAULA: It’s going to happen.

EILEEN: It’s all steam ahead.

EILEEN: It’s going to happen on the 28th of April.

EILEEN: We just really can’t wait.

EILEEN: And what I want to say for anybody out there who just wants to talk about it, Marian and I are available at the end of the phone call.

EILEEN: We’re very happy to discuss your entry.

EILEEN: If you’ve got any questions regarding the criteria, we’re always on hand to answer any questions that they would have.

PAULA: Fantastic, Eileen.

PAULA: So what I’ll do then is I’ll make sure that we link to both yourself and Marian in the show notes, obviously, for this episode.

PAULA: And if anybody does want to, as Eileen said, connect, for example, to discuss entries or opportunities or something about the summit, for example, it’s Eileen McGuinness.

PAULA: I’m not sure there’s too many Eileen McGuinnesses on LinkedIn, Eileen.

PAULA: Are there?

EILEEN: I don’t think so.

EILEEN: I haven’t checked Paula.

PAULA: There you go.

PAULA: There you go.

PAULA: Great stuff.

PAULA: Any closing comments then other than that, Eileen, from your side?

EILEEN: No, just really a huge thank you to everybody who has supported this summit and the Loyalty Awards to date.

EILEEN: Our sponsors, of course, I’ve mentioned them already, but also our judges.

EILEEN: But more importantly, our loyalty marketing professionals here in Ireland who work every day tirelessly in butting the best proposition out there to the customers and really to keep the flag flying for loyalty.

PAULA: Wonderful.

PAULA: Okay, well, listen, on that note, Eileen McGuinness, co-founder of the Irish Loyalty Awards.

PAULA: Thank you so much from Let’s Talk Loyalty.

EILEEN: Thank you, Paula.

PAULA: This show is sponsored by The Wise Marketeer, the world’s most popular source of loyalty marketing news, insights and research.

PAULA: The Wise Marketeer also offers loyalty marketing training through its Loyalty Academy, which has already certified over 170 executives in 20 countries as certified loyalty marketing professionals.

PAULA: For more information, check out thewisemarketeer.com and loyaltyacademy.org.

PAULA: Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Let’s Talk Loyalty.

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