Jerry Springer earns standing ovation at Advantage Conference
American TV host Jerry Springer brought the Advantage conference to a raucous end following his keynote speech, in which he described how his career progressed from lawyer (to Bobby Kennedy no less), to politician to news anchorman to chat show host.
Among the questions from the audience after his speech, was one from agent Roseann Ratter from Holiday and Flight Centre in Hamilton, near Glasgow, who asked what he would do differently if he lived his life again. "Learn your language," joked Springer, who was actually born in England before emigrating with his parents to the US onboard the Queen Mary in 1949. Despite many return trips to the UK, he said he struggled to understand northerners and Scots.
On a more serious note, when asked what advice he had for agents, Jerry urged them to find a niche and to let customers know what their niche was. He revealed he and his family had used the same travel agent for years.
In what was possibly a veiled criticism of President Donald Trump’s travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, Springer said: "If the holocaust has taught us anything it is that you never judge anyone because of what they are, you judge them because of what they do.
"We can’t sit by and see people discriminate against Muslims."
Ironically, he was speaking at a Trump Hotel in Miami, on the closing day of the conference.
In response to a member of the audience who wanted to know what he would ask President Trump if he was on his show, he joked: "I would ask him to get off, but he wouldn’t come on because they pull hair."
Springer, a former politician and a civil rights campaigner, added: "President Trump has only ever been nice to me. It’s not personal, I just don’t want him to be president."
Needless to say, he got a standing ovation at the end and a round of Jerry Jerry Jerry…..
Next year’s conference will be held in Cadiz, Andalusia, from May 17-20.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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