Preparing for HSMAI European Travel Awards

The HSMAI European Travel Awards is being held for the first time ever on Thursday 5 May next year, according to the weekly letter (in Norwegian) from Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO, HSMAI Division Europe and Chapter Norway. The event will be taking place in London, but the exact venue is yet to be decided, as we understand.

“You should however reserve the day already,” Ms Hofseth underlines, making a point of the event’s long overdue premiere. “HSMAI is prepared to refocus on pan European activities, and for the first time in HSMAI’s 80-year history, there will be a European competition and awards night, featuring representatives from the travel and hospitality industry throughout Europe, with a daytime conference to accompany the event”, Ms Hofseth, recently returned from the U.S. HSMAI Adrian Awards, says.

The European president and CEO will be taking up residence in London shortly, both in preparation of the upcoming event, but also the pan European activities for the next couple of years, including:

2010

• HSMAI Lodging Chief Marketing Officer Roundtable Conference in London
• Consolidate and develop the level of activities in national chapters
• Special Interest Groups Revenue Management and Travel Internet Marketing
• Revenue Management Certification programme
• Webinars
• A digital European magazine; European Marketing Review, four times a year
• European Advisory Board meeting, twice a year
• Starting up chapters in new markets

2011

• HSMAI Roundtable Conference in London Thursday 5 May 2011
• HSMAI European Travel Award, the evening of Thursday 5 May 2011
• Starting up chapters in new markets

“Also, I’m happy to announce that American Express Global has signed up as official HSMAI Europe sponsor, with new sponsors in the pipeline, to be announced as new activities are unveiled,” Ingunn Hofseth informs.

Hurtigruten Travel Marketer of The Year

Norwegian passenger and freight line Hurtigruten, sometimes referred to as Norwegian Coastal Express in English, was chosen Travel Marketer of The Year 2009 at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards in the Oslo Congress Centre on Thursday 14 January.

There were a number of prize winners in totally twelve categories, among whom several received honourable mentioning, during the festive Oslo evening.

Charming yet professional

The jurors emphasised Hurtigruten’s “[…] ability to communicate in a charming, yet highly professional way, with marketing measures deeply rooted in the company’s philosophy,” with which, obviously, they have succeeded, given the company’s impressive turnaround, from considerable 2008 losses to a healthy 2009 profit.

“We have an extremely tough year behind us,” said a grateful Hurtigruten CEO Olav Fjell, adding “so you can imagine how pleased I am that we’ve managed to turn the ship around.”

“Only one year ago we had one foot in the probate and bankruptcy court, and I’m immensely proud of this achievement. At an opportunity like this I find it only timely to send my heartfelt thanks to our some 2000 employees, who’ve managed to push in the right direction, in spite of the hardships,” Mr. Fjell said.

Ingunn Hofseth, president and CEO of HSMAI Chapter Norway and HSMAI Europe, expressed her contentment with the award, too:

“I’m extremely pleased to see Hurtigruten win the prestigious award,” she said, “Especially taking their recent challenges into consideration. Also, I expect that a recognition from peers is particularly welcome,” Ms Hofseth added.

“We’ve seen a tremendous increase in the number of contributed works this year, and I have to say that I find the standards especially rewarding.”

A sample of Hurtigruten’s overseas efforts can be seen in this U.S. TV commercial:

And a few pictures, just to capture the feel of it all:

Lise Karlsnes, lead vocal of popular Norwegian group Briskeby. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Comedian and master of ceremonies Ørjan Burøe gave the audience a good laugh on several occasions. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

And of course: Lots of mingling! Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

Great deals

The HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards followed a daytime agenda on the HSMAI Meeting Exchange, taking place at the Reiseliv B2B Fair at Lillestrøm, on the outskirts of Oslo, where travel and hospitality purchasers were given a unique opportunity to meet up with some 100 vendors from a wide range of agencies and suppliers.

The HSMAI Meeting Exchange is an annual occurrence, based on the speed-dating principle, offering buyers a chance to book meetings with the industry’s leading participants.

Top photo: A happy brand and marketing manager Christian Bue Nordahl (left) and CEO Olav Fjell (centre) of Hurtigruten ASA with co-workers at the HSMAI Chapter Norway Awards. Photographers: Catharina Wandrup/Knut Joner

European SIG’s en route

A conference was held in Oslo this week, focusing on Special Interest Groups and Revenue management, also featuring two sessions on Travel Internet marketing, Resort marketing, an environmentally sustainable hospitality industry, and theme-based adventures. The conference drew an interested crowd from all parts of the industry, eager to set up SIG’s, initially within the fields of Revenue management and Travel Internet marketing.

“I’m thrilled that HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Bob Gilbert took the time to attend, both in Oslo and Stockholm,” HSMAI Europe’s president and CEO Ingunn Hofseth says, adding “There’s little doubt that Revenue management SIG’s are in demand, as we saw in Oslo on Wednesday”.

Huge U.S. success

Marion Hughes, vice president for business development in Intelligent Hotels, gave a lecture – and supervised workshops – on revenue management, supported by HSMAI Global’s president and CEO Robert A. Gilbert, who shared the American experiences with an interested audience, focusing on the financial situation and the importance of establishing acceptance for the ROI (return on investment) pertaining to marketing expenses. He also pointed out that revenue management and travel Internet marketing are closely linked, and, as such, quite often overlap, in terms of special interests and their groups.

“The SIG concept has been very well received in the Americas region,” Bob told us. “This has been a huge value proposition, with somewhere in-between 700 and 1200 members per special interest group, and you know, HSMAI members are free to opt into all SIG’s for free. Turns out that lots of people want to learn, and we’re only happy to comply”.

“Crucial to the SIG concept are the various groups’ advisory boards, consisting of leading professionals within their respective fields of expertise,” he says. “And the user evaluations have been nothing short of fantastic. We have sponsored whitepapers, strategy conferences, web-based toolboxes and work on numerous platforms, both through the Internet and in more conventional settings”.

Much to gain on unfiltered customer response

When it comes to social media and opening up for member and user dialogue, the HSMAI boss is surprisingly open-minded:

“From a hospitality perspective, I think we’ve only benefited from the unfiltered feedback these new media offer. Whether a company decides to act on that response or not, is entirely up to them, but it provides a whole new set of opportunities. Also, it’s changed the paradigm of marketing completely, although, granted you have to give up some of the control, but gain so much more,” he says.

“We shouldn’t fear criticism. Criticism is good. And you know, sometimes, issuing an apology, if criticism is due, can earn you lots and lots of customer trust”.

When asked about the chief challenges facing the hospitality industry today, Mr. Gilbert replies unhesitatingly:

“The threat of new standards on all levels of travel and hospitality, especially in the corporate market. Travel and conference expenditures have been kept at a minimum throughout the global recession. We see this in all regions of the world, and I think we need to address that challenge, the sooner the better. If the industry allows that level to establish itself as the new normal, we’re all in deep trouble,” the global president and CEO concludes.

European Revenue Management Executive certification on the way

The author of this article also gave a lecture on travel Internet marketing, for an equally interested audience, eager to make use of the opportunities offered through blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube – and the plethora of social media outlets available today.

“I’m happy to say that a special interest group for travel Internet marketing is en route already,” says Ingunn Hofseth, who, by the way, has become quite the Internet socialite herself over the last couple of months. “But that’s not all,” she says. “In a matter of weeks we’re ready to launch a European certification programme on Revenue management, entitling the graduates to use the CRME (Certified Revenue Management Executive) designation, which has proved a great success in the Americas region, and which fills a void in the European hospitality industry’s follow-up studies,” Ingunn concludes, promising more news on the matter in two weeks.

Top photo: Norwegian HSMAI members from all parts of the industry listened carefully as Marion Hughes and Bob Gilberts shared their experiences with Revenue management in Oslo on Wednesday 18 November. Mobile photo: Jarle Petterson

French-Dutch traffic decline

According to a press release from Air France/KLM the October passenger load factor went up, with 1.3 points, to 82.5 percent, with capacity reduction (-5.6 percent) exceeding decline in traffic (-4.1 percent). The companies also saw a slight improvement in cardo, with a 67.7 percent load factor.

In other words, traffic once again declined less than capacity, leading to a 1.3 point improvement in load factor, to 82.5 percent. All networks, apart form Africa and the Middle East, saw higher load factors. The group carried 6.3 million passengers.

Although unit revenues remained under pressure, they recorded a lesser decline.

Photo: An Air France A320 landing at Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Photographer: Philippe Delafosse

Warsaw, Oslo, Stockholm go SIG

HSMAI’s European division faces a busy month with one-day conferences on SIG’s (Special Interest Groups) in the capitals of Poland, Norway and Sweden this November, with a golden opportunity to revive the Swedish chapter, as well as the chartering of a chapter in Poland.

In addition to an introduction to the SIG concept, all conferences will offer a walk-through of HSMAI’s Revenue Management programme.

HSMAI global’s president and CEO Mr. Robert A. Gilbert will give an introduction at the Oslo and Stockholm conferences, whereas Mr. Tomasz Janczak gives same at the Warsaw conference, taking place at the Warsaw Hilton.

All conferences also feature Ms. Marion Hughes’ insights in Revenue Management. She currently makes her home in New York City as Vice President, Business Development for Intelligent Hotels, a global leader who have developed and deployed intelligent revenue strategies for a wide range of hotel groups, including Leading Hotels of the World, Preferred Hotels and Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Loews Hotels, Le Meridien, Relais & Chateaux, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Capella Hotels, Holiday Inns, Ramada Hotels, Choice Hotels, Marriott, Hilton International, and Mexicos Grupo Posadas.

Marion has worked for a European luxury hotel group managing sales and marketing for 6 of their hotels and overseeing 14 sales executives. She has extensive experience from working in online distribution and has held a global marketing role in a key European Travelocity business unit.

The conferences will be opened by HSMAI Europe’s CEO and president Ms. Ingunn Hofseth, also CEO and president of HSMAI Chapter Norway.

The participant fees in Warsaw include one year’s HSMAI membership, with access to the SIG’s in question – as well as future SIG’s and other HSMAI activities and benefits (the article continues below video clip).

The conferences take place in the Warsaw Hilton 17 November, Oslo Conference Centre 18 November and the Clarion Hotel Stockholm 19 November.

The Oslo conference also features the launch of SIG’s within the following fields of interest:

• Revenue Management
• Resort Marketing
• Travel Internet Marketing
• Environmentally Sustainable Travel-Business

As Norway already has a fully operational chapter, participants are also offered an introduction to theme-based adventures, by Innovation Norway’s travel director Mr. Per-Arne Tuftin. The Travel Internet Marketing session is conducted by journalist and social media specialist Ms. Ingeborg Volan of Sermo Consulting.

Register now!

Please read further details – and register – on these pages:

• The Warsaw conference (PDF)
• The Oslo Conference (web page in Norwegian)
• The Stockholm conference (PDF)

HSMAI.no makeover

HSMAI Chapter Norway relaunched its website, hsmai.no, yesterday, based on HSMAI Europe’s overall functionality and design, but with a domestic twist.

As opposed to HSMAI Europe, the Norwegian chapter also sports a section for career opportunities, as well as a soon-to-launch password-protected member network, Facebook-style.

Rumour has it the redesign and the new functions have been very well received.

“After preparing the redesigned website throughout summer, we’re very pleased to welcome you to our refurbished site, especially facilitating news and two-way integration with the social media,” says Ingunn Hofseth, president of HSMAI Chapter Norway – and the European division – in a statement, branding the new site a lot more “vital, dynamic, copious and informative”.

Up until recently the chapter’s communications have largely been based on the weekly newsletter, HSMAI Weekly, which is now fully incorporated in the new website.

Succesful meeting on social media

OSLO, Norway — HSMAI Chapter Norway’s breakfast meeting on social media last Tuesday was a success, spurring members and other attendants, as well as the Norwegian chapter itself, to explore the Web 2.0 possibilities.

The 45 attendants were met with fresh coffee and croissant outside the auditorium of VG (Norway’s largest daily newspaper) at eight o’clock, before the immensely inspiring lecture given by Sermo Consulting’s Ingeborg Volan, who, for more than an hour gave numerous concrete examples of successful corporate use of the social media, after an in-depth introduction.

“You simply can’t help feeling happy and inspired by someone able to instigate enthusiasm in the audience, as Ingeborg did during our breakfast meeting,” HSMAI Chapter Norway president Ingunn Hofseth says.

And you have to agree. Only hours following the breakfast meeting, new twitterers from the meeting popped up on our screen, full of praise.

If you don’t have a Twitter profile yourself; hesitate no more. Register here.

The success has led HSMAI Chapter Norway to set up a series of courses on the Internet and social media during the upcoming autumn – with just Ms. Ingeborg Volan.

Here’s a YouTube clip from the event (we’re sorry for the distorted wide-screen format):

Top photo: Some 45 members and non-members attended HSMAI Chapter Norway’s breakfast meeting on social media on Tuesday. Photographer: Jarle Petterson

Avis, HSMAI alliance for better service

Avis Norway and HSMAI Chapter Norway have signed an agreement aimed at improving service in Norwegian corporations.

The agreement, initially to last for a year, will give Avis access to important resources within the fields of service, networking and other resources of importance for the business life, while HSMAI’s member gain from Avis’s service expertise.

“We’re very pleased to be accompanied by just Avis, a beacon in the field of service,” says Ingunn Hofseth, HSMAI Chapter Norway’s president.

Service upgrade imperative

She is convinced that Avis, with its long traditions and international network, will contribute to bring important input in a Norwegian area in dire need of an upgrade, namely service.

“There’s no denying that we have a long way to go, which is also the reason why we focus on service especially, not least through our Service Conference and the national competition Serviceløftet [loosely translated: the Service Challenge] in September,” she says.

“A few areas of the agreement are of particular interest to us,” Avis’s sales and marketing director Tonje Fossum says, emphasising just Serviceløftet and the Special Interest Groups (SIG).

“Service is second nature to us,” she adds, with reference to We Try Harder, a slogan the company has lived by since 1962, while underlining the importance of establishing service standards.

“Cooperation rather than deterrence”

“I would hate to find ourselves in a position where we’re surprised in the face of good service. High standards should be the rule, which is where we think that HSMAI plays a key role, with the annual Service Conference, Serviceløftet and its relentless efforts to establish service standards throughout the year.”

Ms. Fossum emphasises that Avis strives to build relations and networks, such as HSMAI’s Special Interest Groups, where businesses cooperate rather than work against each-other.

“We intend to include large parts of our organisation in this. We’re extremely particular when it comes to this kind of agreements, but HSMAI has a good programme, giving us ample opportunity to learn across different trades, but also providing us an opportunity to contribute. Which is a win-win situation for HSMAI’s members and for us,” Ms. Fossum says.

Joint venture from HSMAI Norway and Norway Trade Fairs

The Norway Trade Fairs foundation and HSMAI Chapter Norway have competed with the Norway International Travel and Meeting Fair B2B and The Meeting Exchange. As of now the two join forces in a major effort for meetings, events, conferences and business travel.

The HSMAI Meeting Exchange will take place at the Norway Trade Fairs next year, as an integrated part of the Norway International Travel and Meeting Fair B2B, on Thursday 14 January 2010. The NITMF’s first day will be aimed at visitors from the business life and large-scale buyers of travel services.

“It is time to pull together, not to compete,” says HSMAI Chapter Norway’s president Ingunn Hofseth, while explaining how the organisation has considered new thinking with regards to the Meeting Exchange, its big annual event.

“I am confident that we’ll reinforce each-other, and that both the HSMAI Meeting Exchange and the Norway International Travel and Meeting Fair B2B will become even more attractive to the travel industry and corporate Norway on the whole. This is going to provide added value for the exhibitors,” Torill Engelberg Norway International Travel and Meeting Fair’s project manager, says.

Improved relevance

“The relevance requirements have increased significantly, and the joint venture with the HSMAI Meeting Exchange will contribute greatly in creating a strengthened trade and meeting place. The trade and competence dimension is the very foundation of our annual fair, where we put all our efforts in developing our product in pace with the market’s needs,” Ms. Engelberg continues, adding:

“The cooperation is founded on a joint effort aimed at international buyers (hosted buyers) on this day.”

“Norway Trade Fairs is a strong player benefiting the Norwegian travel industry. They’re deeply rooted in the trade, enjoying immense respect, which is why we find the joint effort quite natural,” Ingunn Hofseth adds.

Imperative cooperation

Ms. Hofseth is convinced that both events gain a tremendous momentum this way.

“We want to show the industry that joint efforts actually make a difference, especially in times like these,” she says, adding that she’s confident that the cooperation is for the long haul, on both parties’ accounts.

Project director Einar Kvalheim at Norway Trade Fairs is very pleased with the arrangement, which has been a give-and-take process, too.

“The HSMAI has positioned itself with the Meeting Exchange, a market channel which increasingly has become an important element with regards to corporate travel services, whereas the Norway International Travel and Meeting Fair B2B is a well-established arena for the domestic and the international travel industry. In joining forces I believe we’ll both have a better product,” he concludes.

Top photo: Norway Trade Fairs at Lillestrøm near Oslo. Photographer: Ole Petter Opøien.