Products & services

Sance’s fourth contract for TUI newbuiding is second biggest in company history

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 23 October 2012 23 October 2012

Sance-Sandelin Consulting and Engineering Ltd, the Finnish engineering group, says it has received fourth contract concerning the TUI cruise ship.

The contract participants are Sance and Shippax Ltd and the contract includes the HVAC- and technical interior engineering of the cabin areas. The engineering work has started and it will employ about 17 engineers and it will last approximately eight months.

This is the second biggest contract that Sance has received in its 10 year history, the company said. However, it did not elaborate.

Previous TUI cruise ship contracts have concerned technical and public areas (HVAC- and technical interior engineering), passenger cabins (HVAC, electrical and technical interior engineering) and part of the cruise ships HVAC basic engineering, the company said in a statement.

 

Luggage Forward chooses DHL Express as its preferred carrier for international luggage delivery service

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 07 October 2012 07 October 2012

DHL Express, the world's leading international express services provider, is helping eliminate the burden of traveling with luggage for global leisure travelers. Passengers can forward their baggage, sports equipment or family items directly to their destination through Luggage Forward, a premier door-to-door luggage shipping service that has partnered with DHL Express as its preferred international carrier.

Through the partnership, Luggage Forward leverages the global shipping network of DHL Express to help travelers avoid one of the most frustrating parts of air travel and assure a faster, more relaxing alternative to long check-in lines and baggage carousel delays.

"Our international clients travel with the peace of mind knowing that their luggage is handled by an international specialist like DHL Express that has more experience than any other carrier in moving shipments across borders," said Zeke Adkins, Co-Founder of Luggage Forward. "We're pleased to have worked with DHL Express since 2006 to bring the utmost convenience and reliability to the travel experience."

Luggage Forward can send luggage directly to a traveler's hotel, golf course, vacation home or even a cruise ship in Europe, Asia, South America, Australia or virtually any of the 220 countries and territories served by DHL Express. Travelers simply book online or by phone and Luggage Forward will automatically select a shipping carrier based upon reliability and speed. On average, DHL Express handles the transportation for more than 90% of the inbound U.S. luggage shipments booked by Luggage Forward customers as well as majority of shipments to and between international points.

Luggage Forward completes all required country-specific shipping and Customs documentation on behalf of their clients. DHL Express team members - all of whom are extensively trained on Customs regulations and international shipping complexities - are then able to expedite the luggage shipments through Customs and greatly reduce any potential delays or issues.

"Our global logistics expertise combined with Luggage Forward's innovative business model affords international travelers the opportunity to enjoy their trip from the minute the plane touches down at their destination." said Ian Clough, CEO of DHL Express U.S."We're pleased to partner with Luggage Forward and help ease the burden for international travelers through our unrivaled international shipping network."

MCP charts bright future for smart phones on cruise ships

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 09 October 2012 09 October 2012

"We’re easily talking 100% gains over current mobile-phone driven revenue on cruise ships,” says Ole-Kristian Sivertsen of Maritime Communications Partner (MCP). And that’s just the beginning. Smartphones are opening up a world of opportunity – a context-aware world – for cruise lines wanting to boost revenue, influence behaviour and enrich their guests’ experience.

The smartphone is the fastest spreading technology in human history, but just how can cruise lines tap into this revolution? “The opportunities start before your guests get on board and they don’t stop when they’re unpacking their bags back home,” says Ole-Kristian Sivertsen, Senior VP, Business Development and Sales, at MCP.

Revenue is increased by providing mobile services, by increasing onboard sales and by tapping into new source markets. “As soon as you can imagine it and make it happen for them, they will expect it to always be there and you have just redefined cruising and given your company leadership.”

Every onboard activity area can benefit directly from increased focus on smartphone opportunities. “When you want to market an excursion what do you do?” asks Sivertsen. “Sending a simple promotional message is just one small part of what’s possible. Think holistically and you can open up much more value.”

 The announcement of an excursion can be combined with a video experience like a virtual tour that can be combined with targeted up-sell. Each contact is connected to a revenue-generating opportunity, and guests can be reached out to with initiatives like this even before they board the cruise ship.

 When arriving at destinations, many cruise lines offer promotions for selected retailers in the port. An alternative to offering these local retailers advertising space onboard could be to offer them delivery of mobile quick response (QR) codes or coupons to targeted groups onboard the ship, charging them a price per guest reached.

“Think about onboard gaming or the evening bingo in the main lounge. By making the tickets available on mobile devices, guests could buy them and play even if they are in their cabin – but in order to stimulate them to be in the lounge where they also spend money on food and beverages (F&B), it could be set up so that they get two tickets for the price of one if they are in the lounge,” said Sivertsen. 

Pre-travel uses of smart promotion can include pre-ordering of F&B, pre-booking of spa services or shore excursions. Up-sell on restaurants or order that nice bottle of champagne to be on ice in the cabin upon arrival. “A post journey opportunity could be to reach out with an invitation to purchase photos and to use this as a means of viral marketing”, says Sivertsen. By allowing guests to purchase photos via their mobile devices, you could offer a discount for pictures that they share on social networks. The advantage to you is the cruise experience gets broadcast virally throughout your passengers’ networks.

“Viral marketing is huge. Take the example of Levi Strauss, who uses social media to offer location-specific deals. In one instance, direct interactions with just 400 consumers led 1,600 people to turn up at the company’s stores — a prime example of social media’s word-of-mouth effect.”

Most developed regions are already way beyond 50 per cent adoption of smartphones. In July this year, two in five accessed travel content from their devices and four out of five are using them for shopping. “It is not just young people, growth in smart phone use by older age groups is stronger than ever.” Ninety percent of text messages are read within three minutes of delivery, and most smartphone users actively access social media.

One of the biggest challenges for cruise lines is to deal with diverse customers, different languages and cultures. “If you have a technology that is time and location aware and dynamically adapts content, look and feel to the real-time context, this could be the foundation for becoming one global local cruise company – or as HSBC says: The World’s Local Bank,” says Sivertsen.

What can you achieve when you have context awareness? You can dovetail specific passenger information with targeted onboard services, sales and marketing promotions, to reach people at the right place at the right time, and thereby increasing onboard revenues significantly. One example: allowing people to have bar or restaurant menus on their device and order F&B services based on their location.

Cruise lines have an array of devices available for entertainment, information and marketing initiatives. From cabin TV and phone to smartphones, iPads, and PCs. “Imagine delivering content from a single platform seamlessly to any device at any moment,” says Sivertsen.

With 10 years of experience serving the cruise and ferry industry, MCP has become the leading maritime onboard communications partner with a portfolio of more than 140 vessels. During the years these services have been available, the cruise line industry, according to MCP, has earned more than $250 million in revenue simply by providing onboard mobile services. There are practically no bill shocks associated with onboard mobile phone use any more,” says Sivertsen.

Today some 30% of all guests actually use mobile services on board. Current trends show a decrease in the number of voice minutes per user and a slight decrease in SMS but an explosion in mobile data, keeping total revenues growing.  “An increase from 1000 to 1500 passengers using their mobile for some calls, sms’s and internet access, easily represents 100% total growth in revenue just from providing the service,” says Sivertsen.

 Company leadership is imperative to realizing and unleashing the full potential of mobile services. Sivertsen explains: “Here, the 80-20 rule comes into play. The importance of the technology itself is probably less than 20% - more than 80% is down to people, culture, processes and organization; and that comes under the realm of company leadership.”

“It is imperative to have a full scale, high quality mobile service on cruise ships that extends across all silos and departments of a company. The alignment of the company's overall mobile strategy must be in place to maximize revenue generation and positively influence guest behavior and experiences,” Sivertsen concludes.

 

Worldwide access to daily boost(er) of inspiration

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Products & services Products & services

Published: 26 September 2012 26 September 2012

A new source of inspiration is available to architects, consultants, engineers, designers and others who practice a creative profession or who are interested. An independent internet portal, www.bolidtbooster.com, is released to be viewed publicly worldwide. Content can be shared by using personal social media platforms. From divergent perspectives, design related information, philosophies, ideas, photography, buildings, projects and more are being shared to give viewers a daily boost of inspiration. 

The content on www.bolidtbooster.com is a collection of worldwide existing and newly shared internet content. The purpose of this new platform is to activate, stimulate, motivate and broaden the creative process of the human brain. The content is daily updated and renewed, to make sure visitors get a fresh boost of inspiration each day. The website also contains information about numerous modern and sometimes even just newly marketed gadgets and product developments.

Furthermore, content that is personally appealing and encourages to meditate on it or that creates new plans and ideas can be shared via personal social media platforms. This results in a beautiful ‘snow ball effect’ of creative (interactive) stimulation and of possible cooperation.