Russell woman named as Holiday Parks’ Emerging Star

Einnee Facey of the Russell TOP 10 Holiday Park has been awarded the 2019 Holiday Parks Emerging Star Award for holiday park professionals under the age of 35.

Ms Facey has been recognised for her passion and commitment to both the holiday park industry and her community. She was chosen for her exceptional leadership of the team at the Russell TOP 10 Holiday Park, and her dedicated work to ensure that the visitor’s experience is outstanding.

Ms Facey joined the team in Russell in 2016 as a receptionist after several years in banking and finance. She is a real ‘people person’ and soon discovered that the holiday park sector provided the human interaction she needed.

She showed an immediate passion and aptitude for the sector, and quickly moved up the ranks. Within six months she was promoted to assistant manager, and only 12 months after that she became park manager. Her drive and determination has led to her receiving monthly sales awards, and finishing in the top 5 overall membership sellers in the entire TOP 10 group, despite Russell being a significantly smaller park than those the other top sellers work at.

Daniel Tilton, CEO of Next Generation Holiday Parks, which owns Russell TOP 10 Holiday Park, says Ms Facey is a fantastic leader who has built a stellar team around her. “Staff satisfaction is high, staff turnover is low, and it shows in the consistency of experience that is delivered to park guests,” he says.

Ms Facey is always looking to broaden her knowledge of the holiday park sector, and finding different ways to improve her abilities. She has had first aid training, service training, and is working towards a New Zealand Certificate in Tourism (Level 4) as part of a pilot training programme between TOP 10 Holiday Parks and ServiceIQ. She is engaged in the local community and strives to ‘grow the pie’ for Russell businesses. She’s an active member of the Bay of Islands Marketing Group and works collaboratively with other Northland TOP 10 parks to drive visitation to the region.

“Einnee has a passion for the holiday park industry and shows a deep commitment to delivering world class customer experience. She goes out of her way to ensure every customer feels special and leaves with a smile on their face,” Holiday Parks New Zealand Chief Executive Fergus Brown says. “Einnee has the sort of dedication and enthusiasm you wish you could bottle and give to all your staff.”

About the award

This is the third year the Holiday Parks’ Emerging Star Award has been presented. It recognises a holiday park professional who could be in an ownership, management, office or park operation role. The winner of the 2019 Emerging Star Award receives an all-expenses paid trip to the upcoming New Zealand Holiday Parks Conference to network with other holiday park operators around the country. Entrants must be under the age of 35 as at 1 January 2019.

Click here to view the full media release from Holiday Parks New Zealand.