HSMAI Region Europe is proud to announce the new chair of the Customer & Distribution Advisory Board. Monique Jaspers-Wijn, Global Head of Digital Media at Travelport takes on the role with immediate effect, replacing outgoing chair Nina Nieminen.
The aim of the advisory board is to change the way of thinking, and approach to distribution. As chair, Monique will be the driving force, aiming to initiate a paradigm shift throughout the industry. While there has been a multitude of changes in this field over the years, the future is sure to present many more changes, even a revolution. It’s critical to be prepared for these changes, and that is why the appointment of Monique is pivotal to the future of this HSMAI advisory board.
HSMAI would like to express thanks to Nina Nieminen, Director of Revenue Management and Distribution for SOK Travel and Hospitality Industry Chain Management (Sokos Hotels), as the former chair of this advisory board. As the previous chair of this Advisory Board Nina has been very active with HSMAI as a speaker at our events and has always been sharing her competence with HSMAIs members
HSMAI Region Europe President and CEO, Ingunn Hofseth gave her personal thanks on behalf of HSMAI:
“We are grateful for all of Nina’s efforts of Distribution Advisory Board. Her valuable contribution also includes speaking at many HSMAI events and she has always been willing sharing her competence at HSMAI events and also to HSMAI Europe Digital Expert Lab”.
Monique gave us a unique insight into what she may bring to this role by sharing her personal motto:
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”
With a view to the aim of the advisory board, she added:
“We strive to provide a frictionless distribution experience for all stakeholders involved, throughout all touchpoints of the guest journey.”
Commenting on Monique’s appointment, Ingunn also added:
“For years Monique has been very active with HSMAI in The Netherlands. Some years back, she was appointed to the board of The Netherlands National Chapter of HSMAI. Leading this board is a natural progression for Monique, and a challenge to which she is entirely suited.”
The future will see a move from a channel centric approach to one that is totally customer focussed. The main components of this is the realisation that distribution can no longer be seen as a standalone function. No longer will separate strategies for distribution be able to meet the requirements of anything that puts the customer experience first.
Distribution is now an integrated part of the overall Digital, E-Commerce, Marketing & Sales strategy for any brand or single hotel. From global chains to independent boutique hotels, the time for this new focus is now. Using this omni-channel approach, HSMAI intends to influence the customer journey at all touch points. The result being an enhanced customer experience.
Only recently, in this article By Kaaren Hamilton, CMP, CMM, HMCC, she identified 5 areas where distribution is a priority issue for hospitality professionals engaged with Revenue optimisation, sales and marketing. Solving these pain points will be a key focus of this advisory board, spearheaded by Monique.
Ingunn Hofseth commented on the valuable work of the Customer and Distribution Advisory board, saying:
“Everyone involved with HSMAI knows that customer satisfaction is core. We wanted to bring our customers to the heart of this advisory board, by renaming it the Customer and Distribution Advisory Board. Not only do we focus on eliminating silo’s, but also empowering everyone involved in the customer journey we enable a memorable experience at every touchpoint. By developing an environment where professionals can fail fast, we foster a culture of learning and sharing that enables personal development at the highest level.”
About HSMAI Europe
HSMAI Region Europe is committed to growing business for the hotel, event and travel industry and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable revenue growth on a local, national and European level. The association provides practical tools, insights, and cutting edge expertise to enable knowledge sharing and enhance professional development as well as fuel sales, inspire marketing, transform businesses digitally and optimise revenue.
HSMAI Region Europe sets up meetings and conferences about interesting topics and also around the latest trends and research outcomes. They hand out awards and organise think tanks and roundtables with the industry’s leading experts where, amongst other things, they take on industry questions and challenges. HSMAI offers several globally recognised certifications on revenue management, digital marketing and an Executive Coaching programme on Excelling at Customer Centricity, all to urge the importance to keep learning and developing.
Their six European Advisory Boards (Revenue Optimisation, Marketing and Branding, Sales, Distribution & Customer, Innovation and People & Culture) comprise all fields of the industry. They are HSMAI advisors and at the same time they learn a lot from each other. In addition, they are now about to launch National Advisory Boards in some of the key markets in Europe.
For more information about HSMAI Region Europe, please visit us at https://hsmai.eu/
HSMAI is a global organization founded in the US in 1927. HSMAI Region Europe is the European arm of the organisation.
“After having been active in Europe for many years on National levels, HSMAI Region Europe became a true PAN-European organisation at the end of 2015. Their European Office was relocated to London by the end of 2018. This important and great decision of becoming pan european has led to a rapid growth within Europe,” says Ingunn Hofseth, president & CEO for HSMAI Region Europe.
For enquiries, please contact:
Benedicte Gilroy Bøgh
Email: bgb@hsmai.no
Mobile: + 47 916 52 873
