News (hopefully first of many to follow):
Tuesday May 11, 12:48 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Leisureplanet CEO Presents At PhoCusWright LIVEurope99 Internet Travel Conference
- Outlines Strategy for Successful Generation of Advertising for Travel E-Commerce Companies -
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 1999-- - Predicts Sell-Out of All Advertising Inventory By
Top Three Travel E-Commerce Brands Before 2003 -
Pierre Kleinhans, CEO of Leisureplanet, was one of the featured speakers at the PhoCusWright ''LIVEurope99'' conference in Brussels on May 7, 1999. The conference featured leading on-line and off-line travel players, including senior executives from Expedia, Travelocity and Preview Travel.
Mr. Kleinhans addressed the topic of web advertising in the context of travel e-commerce and identified both ad buying and ad sales as key activities in securing a leadership position. He noted that portal partnerships and personalization are key strategies for travel e-commerce companies, and said that Leisureplanet is committed to continuing aggressive moves in these directions.
Mr. Kleinhans discussed three steps to web advertising success:
-- First, the ability to spend significantly on brand marketing to gain customers and establish critical mass internationally. This is best achieved by multinational portal partnerships, which include the extensive acquisition and creation of advertising banners, links and keywords. Since portal brands are deservedly revered by consumers as leaders in the Internet, their strong association with an up and coming e-commerce brand is indispensable to future advertising success.
Mr. Kleinhans said: "Leisureplanet has already committed $15
million to multinational portal partnerships in Europe and we are
ready to spend more for the right opportunity."
-- Second, site functionality such as ease of use and speed. Depth of content, including choice of different travel categories at a range of prices, must be offered, as well as comprehensive after-sale customer service. Finally, pre-sale customer service involving personalization is the key to reducing ''look to book'' ratios. True success in advertising sales depends upon mastery of all these categories.
Mr. Kleinhans added: "In order to master the art of on-line
selling of advertising, Leisureplanet will put at least 50% of
its advertising inventory on its own sites to sell its travel
products to its own customers."
-- Third, the combination of the expertise gained by exploiting one's own inventory for proprietary site-based advertising, as well as the inherent benefits of understanding who one's customers are and what their needs are in the dynamic travel industry, make travel e-commerce an ideal medium for advertising sales.
Mr. Kleinhans predicted that "by 2003, the top three travel
e-commerce brands will sell out all their advertising inventory
just like successful newspapers, magazines and television
companies do today. Leisureplanet intends to be one of these
industry leaders."
Founded in 1995, Leisureplanet is an Internet-based international travel services company with the world's largest image-rich hotel database (including 58,000 photographs); flight, car and hotel reservation facilities; and comprehensive proprietary travel guides for more than 180 travel destinations. Leisureplanet is committed to achieving leadership in global travel e-commerce through offering tailored services in European and other international markets. Operations include multi-lingual call center and customer support facilities, two electronic publishing units, an information system and web site development unit, a hotel recruitment center in addition to a local travel agency partner network.
Leisureplanet offers choice, competitive price and customer service. The company is in the process of deploying localized web sites supported by local customer service agents in European and other international markets. Each local web site will provide a comprehensive selection of competitively priced travel products for local consumers, presented in the local language.
Leisureplanet is 81%-owned by Leisureplanet Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: LPHL - news), a publicly traded investment company whose holdings also include businesses in various industries, including value-added convenience foods and leisure products.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks associated with the uncertainty of future financial results, additional financing requirements, development of new products, regulatory approval processes, the impact of competitive products or pricing, technological changes, the effect of economic conditions and other uncertainties detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Contact:
Leisureplanet
Dagny Mjos
+32 16 310 789
or
Kekst and Company
Roy Winnick or Mark Semer
212-521-4842 or 4802
or
Leisureplanet holdings
Rebecca Freeman
305-857-5009
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