Manager
1 and 1 Travel
Total years of experience :27 years, 7 Months
The Company was established in Slovakia in the heart of Europe handling travel business both incoming especially from Ukraine and outgoing to multiple selected destinations.
Egypt and UAE are one of the most demanded.
Job Role: Marketing/PR + Business Development Manager
The company is involved in several areas of businesses, such as air travel, ticketing, corporate, incentives, GIT & FIT leisure plus hotels, cruises and restaurants management.
Have achieved an increase in sales up to 30% through direct and indirect marketing targeting new markets in addition to creating a business streams by means of creating new products, developing high quality services together with regular training.
My job duties involved the following:
1. Studying competition, conducting benchmark analysis, and identifying market trends.
2. Developing marketing plans, including market analysis, marketing strategies, planning, and budgeting for the company and each of the different divisions
3. Developing advertising strategy, and media planning for the company and the various divisions
4. Developing various advertising material, and collateral material
5. Insuring corporate identity is properly maintained across the company and various divisions, and make sure all guidelines are well implemented
6. Responsible for company PR, events, exhibitions and sponsorships
7. Responsible for all marketing programs at the corporate level: loyalty programs, incentives programs, acquisition programs and others
8. Developing, updating and managing corporate website, and conduct online marketing activities to generate traffic
9. Developing joint marketing programs and activities with partners and suppliers
10. Conducting customer and market research, and analyzing output to generate findings
11. Monitoring and reviewing all marketing activities, and assess all the results achieved
The company though ideally located in the heart of Dubai and having so many potential was unable to achieve any goals or gain any profits to its owners. But with efforts I could get it noticed in its working environment in a very short area. Have managed through marketing both direct and indirect to achieve up to 70% increase in sales during 2006. 2007 we have approached new areas and markets. Developed our products and created some new products considering the high competition. Built a strong relationship with suppliers such as hotels, airline and transportation companies. Have increased the size of staff up to 40% and maintained recognition and status.
Having such success and fast base in growing, I decided to go into partnership in 2006 which allowed us to buy more assets and get involved in more areas of services such as wholesale and Tour Operating.
Due to that we were working with the minimum number of employees as any startup company, my job role as General Manager included the following :-
* Finance and business control, risk management
* HR and training
* Business development
* Marketing ( e-marketing - marketing studies - fairs and exhibitions --etc)
* Quality control and Services Standard supervising
* Reporting & analyzing the overall processes and progress
* Seeking & Contracting new agents and suppliers
* Preparing Business plans
* Preparing and running regular board meetings
* Facilitating the operations and handling problems using the learned and acquired management techniques
Being 26 of age at that time, fully enthusiastic and energetic was completely endowed to the job as a challenge handling operations with big accounts ensuring the highest quality of services and the most competitive prices. Through success have achieved an increase in sales up to 60%, opened new branches and went to target more markets.
Built a very strong network of suppliers worldwide for outgoing travel as well.
• Fully Responsible for all the operational issues of the company
Involved in Tourism such as, Contracting, Packaging, quoting, pricing all services
• Developing markets and sales into the overall income of the department
• Targeting big corporate accounts through different channels of marketing.
• Responsible for all Room allocations worldwide either. commitment, allotment, shots, or case by case
• Schedule training for all staff to raise the skills of the required international tour operator
• Marketing and doing direct sales either by attending international travel fairs or through paying direct business calls to the targeted companies worldwide.
• Professional Travel agent, knowing well places of interests for international travelers, good knowledge of destinations, such as France, UK, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Malaysia, Thailand, China, North Africa & GCC countries.
The company was mainly involved in incoming travel to Egypt from four main markets, Malaysia, Indonesia, Palestine and Jordan. Being a young tour operator, I had the opportunity to get involved in contracting, pricing, representing and sometimes guiding translator. More job duties included the following:
• Making Travel Packages
* Handling Corporate clients
* Quoting, packaging and executing Incentive business
* Contracting & negotiating prices with suppliers such as hotels, restaurants and cruises.
Movenpick Resort El Gouna is a very well-known travel destination to regular travelers to the Red Sea, working at one of the leading hotel chains in the world gave me the chance to get well trained and got to understand very well the basics of Hospitality management. A golden chance to a fresh graduate to prove himself in such managerial position.
My knowledge of MS. Office tools and fluency in English language were my tools to fast understanding of my job duties.
I have managed at a very short time to develop, arrange and give regular training courses for the hotel staff.
Working directly with the HR manager and reporting to the GM and area Training Manager was one the jobs great pleasure. Learned from the best. (Mr. Philip Hoffman GM, Mr. Silvere Merillat Area TM & Mr. Hassan El Ansari HRM)
My job duties were including;
• Running the Training Department, Teaching more than 18 Training Courses in Hospitality & Hotel Management,
- Developing &Creating Training Courses
• Responsible for all training reports for over 520 employees
• Teaching English Language for hotel business
Enrolled for MBA with Both Wharton Pennsylvania Business school & Marymount University in California
Post Graduate Diploma for teaching English Language
GPA - Good Extended studies : professional and specialized diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign
