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Tony was born & raised in Bluff, the son of a fisherman, and
enjoyed a “true red & white Bluffie upbringing”. He describes his
schooling as simply eating his lunch until he was old enough for
someone to decide if he was bright enough to steer the boat or just
work the deck.
Just seven years ago, Tony and wife Tracey decided to open their own
Travel Agency in Invercargill. Every travel industry expert (not to
mention the Bank Manager) warned it was a terrible idea and
proceeded to list a host of very good reasons why.
Against all odds, Laker House of Travel has quickly
become one of the largest Travel Companies in New Zealand with a
staff of twenty and an annual turnover in excess of $19 million.
Compare that to the average sized New Zealand Travel Agency of 3
staff and 2.9 million.
Join Tony for his talk he has entitled “How the Hell did that
Happen”? which he describes as a no-nonsense, common-sense, good
fun, 45 minute roller-coaster ride of adventure, controversy,
intrigue, some good ideas, and if time permits – a little bit of
travel.
Find out the secrets to the Laker House of Travel success and how
anyone can apply these very same simplistic principals to their
business and life.
“Tony recently spoke at our first Travel Managers conference in
Australia. He was a huge success with our travel managers and they
found his talk both inspiring and educational. Some comments from
our delegates follow: “What an asset to HOT, that guy should be
dipped in gold, he is really amazing”. “Fantastic! Could relate to
all that was said. Very real and down to earth. Great timing and
got us all inspired and laughed at the same time. Loved his sayings
especially ‘Life’s hard, get a helmet!’. “Funny, funny, funny! Made
a great point and got the message across to us. Broke up the day
with a lot of humour, whilst it was still educational”
Retail Travel Managers Australia
“Very personable, positive and keeps audience attentive. We would
have him back again” Harcourts “Thank your for giving up your time
to speak at the Merchandise Strategy session and sharing with the
team some very valuable insights. It was beneficial to everyone of
the team. We really appreciated it very much and I have received a
lot of positive feedback. I plan to print out some of your quotes
and hang them on the walls around Merchandise."
Mitre 10
“I just wanted to say thanks for inspiring me, our company and
later those that will now hear about your ‘simple’ philosophy on
life - ‘Attitude, Belief and Focus’. You said you thought the
philosophy was simplistic – I disagree, judging by the number of
people that kept telling me how much your speech and words
resonated, I’d say you hit the mark a million times over and that’s
not simplistic, that is sheer brilliance.”
Michegro Chisholm, House of Travel Conference
“On behalf of the LAPA Committee and conference attendees, I am
writing to congratulate you on your amazing speech at our recent
conference. I’d heard great things about your public speaking
abilities from several sources but to experience it was something
else again. You managed to combine real humour with your
inspiring and challenging story; to do that and to deliver it in
such a personal and heartfelt way is certainly a gift. Your
story is simple and very powerful yet something that everyone can
bring to their work and their life every day”
Local Authority Property Assoc.
“Tony’s ‘performance’ is a flawless expose of a boy growing up in
the rough and tough town of Bluff, who struggled through school (due
to boredom), took major risks and ‘made good’ in his mature years.
I watched my team who were totally enthralled by his speech, hanging
on his every word, and soaking up his messages like sponges. I
loved the way Tony utilised his real life experiences, links in
humour and brings it all together with a permanent smile on his
face. From a frontline perspective through to an Executive
long-term strategic level Tony covered it all. I look forward
to hosting Tony again soon and hearing all about space travel!”
Southland Building Society
“I loved working with Tony Laker. He is an
amazing man. His presentation was superb. I have seen a
lot of motivational speakers and Tony is particularly impressive –
he is self-deprecating and yet incredibly inspiring. Very
funny, very moving and with ideas that anyone in any business could
use. He is also tremendously efficient at the whole organising
thing – creative, efficient and always calm and good-natured about
everything. There were many last-minute changes with Southland
winter weather throwing us a few curve balls, and Tony always
cheerfully managed to accommodate the changes and find ways to make
things work. Positive attitude, generous spirit and very safe
hands”
Michele A’Court, Speaker
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Testimonials
“Tony was brilliant – the best speaker yet”
Local Government Committee Advisors Conference
“The perfect balance of humour and motivation emphasizing the
importance and value of people and relationships”
NZ Pork Industry Board
“Excellent”
Encore Events on behalf of Romeo Bragato Conference
“I was a little apprehensive about choosing a travel agent from
Bluff as our keynote speaker, but I should not have worried. Tony
was simply brilliant and immensely enjoyable. A successful
businessman in his own right, Tony delivers clear simple business
messages in an entertaining presentation that’s hard to beat”
Retail Meat NZ
“Excellent, fantastic – very relevant to retailers being a practical
not theoretical address”
Composite Retail Group
“Once again thank you very much for speaking at our workshop dinner.
I think you provided just the right boost of our enthusiasm and
moral that we needed at that time in the meeting. I am now
working on an excuse to book you again to hear you once more”
Otago District Health Board
“Of all the sessions for our PD days, Tony Laker’s
was by far the most popular and received excellent feedback”
AMP Financial Services
“Tony recently spoke at our annual More FM Top Shop Business Awards
Breakfast. He was truly inspirational and held the audience
captivated with his humorous and motivational speech. His ‘simple’
philosophy to life and how he approaches each day certainly makes
you take a step back and reassess what is important. If everyone
took his approach to life, the world would be a more positive
environment. Thank you” RadioWorks Southland |
