Emma Durrant: creating musical memories

What were your initial feelings when your name was announced as winner?

I was genuinely surprised and obviously absolutely thrilled. It was completely unexpected, and I made an involuntary noise because I didn’t expect to win. I felt it was really special to be recognised and celebrated and I did feel like a bit of an underdog as I am quite new to this compared to others.

What was the reaction like from your group?

My group felt like it was ultimately a win and recognition for the whole group which of course it is. I love that because obviously without them there isn’t a group. They are trusting me to bring them together and recommend really fantastic experiences.

When they saw who else was attending the awards they were really pleased and told me I deserved it and were also quite surprised.

Have you had any early plans for your prize money?

I’ve been looking at a trip to Nashville because everything that we do has its roots in music with all of the group being a choir. Not everything we do has music involved in it, but I will often look to add that musical feel and Nashville really works in that sense, marrying the holiday experience and cultural interests.

I’ve done some research and there are some great things in and around Nashville like backstage tours, places where overseas groups can come together to sing, talks and musical events. I thought a research trip in that area to establish those contacts before the process of taking a large group would be really useful and interesting.

How will the win help your group?

It has cemented that our group is really something to build upon and it gives me the confidence to build new relationships within the industry to explore more of what’s on offer for the group. We’ve taken a tentative step into the world of cruising, we’ve done one cruise already and we have another booked for about 80 people next December.

I’m now looking beyond that because I’ve been able to find out about things to do and organisations that are on offer that I didn’t already know about. I’ve discussed an AGTO membership with them and I’ve been looking at the other people and attractions that won at the Group Leisure & Travel Awards.

What’s your favourite part about being a GTO?

There’s a real magic in seeing everyone have a fantastic time on our trips and really lighting up. There’s a genuine joy and satisfaction to it; despite how much work and responsibility I have to bring it all together but seeing it all come together is really rewarding for me.

The other part of it is seeing the difference that it makes to people. The friendships and the connections that group members make on our trips, whether that’s a day out or a weekend away are really special.

For some of the people what the group does is really allow them to live their life again. Some of them may have lost a partner or they don’t want to go on these days out on their own and may have not been to the theatre or something for 15 or 20 years. So by offering trips and holidays you are really allowing them to enjoy themselves and live again.

What kind of trips do your group enjoy the most?

What I have noticed is that my group members will back me with whatever trip I suggest. I’ve really been looking for some variety and the things the group have loved recently are our recent cruise because they were able to spend time with family members and also come together with the wider group.

They also really enjoy trips, especially when it’s put together as a full day trip, so we’ll go up on a coach and go for an afternoon tea or a backstage tour and then also a show, and those trips are always a winner.

Are there any new locations you are looking at?

I’ve looked at Liverpool as an option, which gives us somewhere like the British Music Experience which I found out through Group Leisure & Travel magazine and I would like to combine that with a trip to the Cavern Club, a dinner and a hotel stay. We would also like to link up with a local choir to take part in a singing workshop together.

I think a coach tour in Ireland would be amazing. It obviously won Best International Destination at the GLT Awards and I think it would be an exciting country for us to explore.

What trips have you got coming up?

We have several local theatre trips, which are 80s and 90s experiences and we have quite a few people going to those, around 30 to 50 booked in the new year. We also have a Christmas Market Cruise booked with Ambassador Cruise Line for around 80 people booked for next December and we have a weekend at Potters Resort in Norfolk booked for September where our choir will be performing on the Saturday evening.