Ilka Wymar becomes commercial director at KITICON Global Networks

The Inspire Me Award celebrates its fifth anniversary in 2025 and will once again honor leading personalities and brands in the field of luxury tourism. On October 24, the award ceremony will take place at The Fontenay in Hamburg. It is organized by LuxusInsider, the leading German luxury travel magazine, in cooperation with KITICON Global Networks from Bonn, a marketing agency with in-depth expertise in tourism marketing. The event is supported by renowned partners such as Swan Hellenic, HanseMerkur, Visit Monaco, La mer Cosmetics, Regent Seven Sea Cruises and TEFRA Luggage Service.

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Honoring visionary concepts and innovative approaches
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The Inspire Me Award recognizes companies and personalities who are shaping luxury tourism with tailor-made, unforgettable and high-quality concepts. It honors innovative ideas and sustainable concepts in the following six categories: “Goosebumps Destination of the Year”, “Newcomer Product of the Year”, “Top B2B Support of the Year”, “Rising Star of the Year”, “Top Luxury Agent of the Year” and “Ambassador of the Year”. Tina Kirfel, Managing Director of KITICON GmbH & Co. KG and co-initiator of the award, explains: “Selling luxury travel requires more than an exclusive offer - it needs a well thought-out marketing strategy and the sensitivity to understand customer expectations. Luxury today not only means exclusivity, but also authenticity, innovation and the creation of unforgettable experiences."

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Award ceremony with a unique ambience‍
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The festive award ceremony at The Fontenay Hamburg is an exclusive event that not only includes the award presentation, but also offers a high-profile networking meeting. Luxury travel experts, leading industry figures and sponsors from the high-end segment come together to discuss the latest developments and challenges in luxury tourism and provide innovative impulses. In addition to honoring the winners, guests can expect a varied program with keynote speeches, inspiring discussions with industry experts and culinary delights. “It's not just about prizes - it's about sharing visions, exchanging ideas and gaining new perspectives,” emphasizes Iris M. Köpke, co-initiator of the award and publisher of media partner Luxusinsider.

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‍High-caliber jury and strong partners‍
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The independent jury of the Inspire Me Award brings together renowned experts from the luxury and tourism industry, who contribute to the selection of the winners with their sense for exceptional concepts. But strong partners equally contribute to the excellence of the award: The shipping company Swan Hellenic, known for its cultural expedition cruises, Visit Monaco, which stands for exclusive tourism, and HanseMerkur, one of Germany's leading travel insurers. The partner network is complemented by La mer Cosmetics, a specialist in high-quality marine cosmetics, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, a provider of luxury all-inclusive cruises, the TEFRA luggage service, which enables comfortable travel, and the Hamburg luxury hotel The Fontenay. Melanie Haaß, co-organizer of the award, emphasizes: “Thanks to the expertise of our jury and the support of our partners, we can award concepts that offer real added value for the industry.”

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Exclusive partnership opportunities
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The Inspire Me Award offers companies from the luxury sector the opportunity to present themselves as partners or sponsors in an exclusive environment. Interested companies can contact Tina Kirfel by email at  tk@kiticon.global to find out more about participation opportunities.You can find more information about the Inspire Me Award at: https://www.inspire-me-award.com/

The marketing agency KITICON GmbH & Co. KG and acvis GmbH have started working together to further strengthen Travcom24 as one of the most innovative content management systems (CMS) for travel agencies and tour operators. KITICON supports acvis with 1st-level support, targeted press and marketing work, and the development of a comprehensive training and information concept for the customizable complete solution.

Travcom24, developed by acvis GmbH, is a CMS specially designed for the travel industry that sets new standards in its category. It enables travel agencies and tour operators to create individual sales websites with just a few clicks. The system offers interfaces to common booking platforms as well as expansion options such as a live chat, integrated offer functions, price alerts, a list of favorites and dynamic travel advice. In addition, Travcom24 already enables the creation of websites that meet the requirements of the German Accessibility Improvement Act and thus offers a future-proof solution for barrier-free digital offers. Already successfully in use on numerous websites, the system has proven itself in practice and impresses with its performance and flexibility, including at the tour operators Coral Travel, the luxury travel sales portal Just Travel, the special organizer Golfreisen.com and the TUI Travel Star Travel Center Stuttgart.

“We help travel companies in seamlessly integrating Travcom24 into their processes — from the initial consultation to ongoing use,” explains Ilka Wymar, Commercial Director at KITICON. “Our expertise in support and marketing helps customers to optimize their online presence and make booking processes more efficient. ”

Christian Helbling, CEO of acvis GmbH, adds: “By working with KITICON, we offer our customers an even more comprehensive service. The combination of technological innovation and professional customer support makes Travcom24 one of the most powerful solutions for the travel industry. ”

Thanks to its modular design, Travcom24 adapts flexibly to the growing requirements of the industry. In addition, the intuitive modular system enables quick and easy adaptation to individual requirements without in-depth technical knowledge. Together, KITICON and acvis plan to further develop the system and support even more companies in their digital transformation. Many other innovations that will take daily travel sales to a new level are already planned — among other things, KITICON will soon be launching a series of webinars on this topic. Interested parties can find out more about Travcom24 in a non-binding initial consultation with Wymar [book an appointment HERE].

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(Darmstadt, 01.10.2024) From September 15 to 22, 2024, a group of ten selected sales partners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were invited by Royal Caribbean International, Executive Cruises (PSR of the shipping company for the DACH market) and flight partner Condor to experience the impressive offer on board the Allure of the Seas. In addition to product training sessions, discussion rounds and activities on board, the “Perfect Day at CocoCay” on Royal Caribbean's private island was also an integral part of the program.

Alexandra Gärtner, RTK Area Manager, is impressed by CocoCay: “The Caribbean island offers a perfect mix of relaxation and action for all guests, regardless of age. I was particularly impressed with the service in all areas of the island - the staff was incredibly attentive, friendly and always keen to provide guests with a first-class experience!”

“Allure of the Seas fascinated me with its diverse offerings — from the gastronomy and shows to the numerous leisure activities on board,” says Jens Scheidereiter, Managing Director of Select Holidays. “I tried out the FlowRider surf simulator myself and I'm delighted that the modernized Allure of the Seas is set to sail the Mediterranean in 2025.”

On board, the participants experienced the shipping company's spectacular entertainment program and were also able to sample the culinary diversity. At the end of the trip, the group was able to marvel at the largest cruise ship in the world, the Icon of the Seas, and take their first impressions home with them. The trip was accompanied by Arik Vollmer (Country Manager of the DACH market of Executive Cruises), David Hearn (Senior Key Account Manager North Europe) and David Fernández-Müller (Key Account Manager of Royal Caribbean International), as well as Janik Vogel from the marketing agency KITICON Global Networks. André Horn, Head of Sales at Condor, was also on site.

For Country Manager Arik Vollmer, the trip to the USA and Caribbean was a complete success: “We were able to introduce our product to our sales partners on the trip and convince them of the uniqueness of the concept.”