Vienna Tourist Board
How do you turn a dormant luxury market in Vienna into a destination of desire for high-net-worth individuals?
By creating personal experiences and building meaningful relationships with global travel and business gatekeepers.
From 2017 to 2022, I had the incredible opportunity to work with the Vienna Tourist Board, to help bring high-net-worth individuals back to Vienna. This included introductions to influential luxury gatekeepers, which opened doors to unique partnership opportunities with a global reach. To fuel progress, intrinsic motivation was instilled within the teams, fostering a vibrant and open culture. The transformation shifted the perception of the luxury sector from being overlooked, to becoming the most highly sought-after segment within the Vienna Tourist Board.
The Potential
The Vienna Tourist Board had the assets to differentiate from other major capitals, whilst boosting the stagnant luxury market. This was an excellent opportunity to initiate positive changes in their approach, enabling them to establish a distinctive position in the luxury market and contribute to the overall growth of the industry in Vienna.
The Solution
Through a multifaceted approach, we achieved a unique brand positioning and crafted a well-defined strategy to drive success. By coaching and training the team, equipping them with the essential requirements and etiquette of the luxury industry, we unlocked their full potential, paving the way for their personal and professional growth. By forging valuable connections in the industry, facilitating introductions to influential luxury gatekeepers and uncovering exclusive partnership opportunities with a global reach, we were able to create a holistic approach that resulted in meaningful relationships and personalised experiences.
We recognized that continuous evolution was vital, therefore, we constantly fine-tuned our strategy. Beyond individual hotels, we worked towards uniting the luxury community as a cohesive force. This fostered collaboration among luxury hotels, craftsmen, major sights, and other stakeholders, ensuring a seamless experience for discerning clientele. Through these concerted efforts, we laid the foundation for sustained success and growth in the ever-evolving world of luxury.
The Results
A comprehensive future vision and well-structured roadmap were devised luxury hotels in Vienna.
Facilitated connections with influential luxury gatekeepers, unlocking exceptional partnership opportunities with a global reach.
Instilling intrinsic motivation within the team.
Fostering a vibrant and collaborative team culture.
Transforming the luxury segment into one of the most sought-after within the Vienna Tourist Board.
Orchestrating gatherings that brought together luxury hotels and key luxury stakeholders to foster networking, exchange of ideas, and alignment on the future vision and planned initiatives.
Recruiting highly skilled experts and speakers to contribute their expertise.
Thoughts from some of my brilliant, innovative clients.
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Working with Michaela is a true pleasure. Her strategic, yet creative and hands-on knowledge, and her exceptional luxury network of trusted partners, experts and talent, make her a valuable partner. Her holistic approach means that she can take on a lot of responsibility, whilst keeping the atmosphere "light" and "fun", which is a skill that is hard to replicate.
Elke Bachner - Luxury Projects and Market Manager Canada & Australia, Vienna Tourist Board
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What defines luxury today and who are my key clients in 5 years? Personalization is luxury these days - a personal approach towards gatekeepers is how Vienna sets itself apart from the well-travelled tradeshows and crowded marketplaces. Does it pay off immediately? Of course not, are there quicker wins? Yes, of course. But there is simply no alternative to being creative and discovering new markets when challenging the status quo. With Michaela as a leader in this field, Vienna Tourism has found a new approach, mirroring the changes in customer behaviour and focusing on what is really the essence of key clients in 5 years.
Anton Von Verschuer - Director of Sales, Hotel Sacher Vienna