ITB Berlin News 2019 - Review Edition

23
BROUGHT
TO YOU BY
Allison
Heller
Product Development
Specialist,
Gate 1 Travel
ITB Berlin,
the place to get
business done
Simone Lini is Chief Commercial and Product Officer at
Jetcost and Lastminute.com. We started by asking him to
tell us about his time at ITB Berlin.
US customers
opting for authentic
experiences
Allison Heller is Product Development Specialist at Gate 1
Travel, which is based in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
We started by asking her about the company.
Gate 1 Travel is a family-owned
and operated business, founded
in 1981. We operate on all seven
continents and we cater for mostly
an American market. We do have a
sales office in Florida, as well as a
sales office in Australia. In the US,
we send about 300,000 American
clients around the world. We have
over 26 offices worldwide and 400
employees.
What are the main trends you see
in terms of buyer demand?
I work on a lot of independent
packages in Central Europe, as well
as in Egypt. Gate 1 just got back into
Egypt after a 10-year hiatus due to
all the conflict in the Middle East.
We got back into Egypt about a year
ago and it’s one of our best-selling
markets currently. Customers want
authentic experiences. We have a
tour series brand, called Discovery
Tours, which tends to offer smaller
tours. Our Classic Tours are
generally 35-42 passengers per
coach, and that includes a tour
manager; with our Discovery Tours
those have a maximum group size
of 22 people. The Gate 1 clientele
is typically older Americans that
have a little bit more time to travel,
who aren’t necessarily restricted
by work schedules or holiday time.
Did you take part in the Speed
Networking event?
It was a fantastic event, the first
time I had done anything like that.
I definitely need to bring more
business cards next year. I got to
meet a lot of different people –
scheduling of the event was very
easy.
I
DEFINITELY
NEED TO BRING
MORE
BUSINESS
CARDS NEXT
YEAR
Why did you join the ITB Buyers
Circle?
We thought we would try it
out. There are some perks that
come with it, such as the Speed
Networking, which really enticed
me. Having the lounge, to come
and sit down, has been key. I’ll
absolutely be back next year
ITB Berlin has been super
productive. We had a lot of
partners at ITB Berlin and it is one
of the most effective events, where
you can have a lot of meetings.
It’s always nice to see partners in
person, but you’d have to fly all the
way around the world, so it’s great
to have one place where you can
meet them all.
ITB BERLIN
HAS BEEN
SUPER
PRODUCTIVE
What were your key highlights at
ITB Berlin?
I wear two hats, commercial and
product. On the commercial side,
we had a lot of partners and this
was great to meet them to see how
things are going and how we can
improve with them. On the product
side, we are always happy to take
a look at what is going on with
regards to start-up technologies
that were being shown.
On the first day we had 20 meetings,
thankfully I had another three
members of my team with me, so
I didn’t have to do all 20 meetings
by myself.
What are the benefits of being
part of the ITB Buyers Circle?
When you are trying to make
business decisions, it’s key to be
in a quiet environment to have a
private conversation. That’s why I
am delighted to be part of the ITB
Buyers Circle.
How do you sum up your time
spent at ITB Berlin?
There is a reason why I’ve been
to ITB Berlin for the last four
years, it’s so effective. It’s hard
to find other shows where you
have the same density of people
that are working in this industry
as there are at ITB Berlin. Berlin
is probably my favourite city in
Europe, it’s so lively, and there’s
always something going and it’s
very relaxed. I love being here
Simone Lini
Chief Commercial &
Product Officer,
Jetcost
and Lastminute.com.
ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 15 th March 2019