Technology

Cruise Planners Announces New Marketing Initiatives

Published

2 days ago

October 21, 2024

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Cruise Planners, the nation’s largest home-based travel agency franchise network, introduced a series of innovative marketing initiatives at its annual convention, designed to spark fresh travel inspiration.

These initiatives highlight Cruise Planners’ commitment to delivering industry leading marketing programs that empower advisors to achieve new levels of success. Targeted, personalized and automated marketing allows advisors to focus on their primary strengths—selling travel and providing exceptional client experiences.

The Cruise Planners in-house design and marketing team publishes over 30 direct mail pieces each year with distribution to clients on behalf of their advisors. Paired with multi-channel, digital campaigns, these award-winning, turnkey marketing solutions are the best in the industry and help advisors stay top of mind with their clients.

New marketing tools and programs include:

Retargeting Marketing Campaigns:
Leveraging customer behavior and intelligence tools, Cruise Planners will deliver marketing campaigns tailored to clients’ specific travel interests, budget and life stage, ensuring personalized and timely engagement to boost the chances of making a sale.

River & Expedition Guide:
Launching in Q1 2025, the new River & Expedition Guide brochure will provide a comprehensive resource for clients interested in river or expedition cruising. It includes details on popular ports, must-see natural wonders, landmarks, cultural sites, and key differences between cruise lines. This guide will be available in print and digital, expanding the potential reach.

Where2Next Consumer Series:
The award-winning Where2Next consumer series enters its sixth year, spotlighting trending destinations like Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, and the South Pacific. Each campaign features an exclusive offer available only through Cruise Planners travel advisors and is marketed for their advisors through email, social media, and advisors’ websites.

CP Social Enhancements:
The CP Social program, an award-winning social media platform, now offers AI-powered tools that automatically create post suggestions, review responses, and aids advisors in optimizing their local search presence.

Other new tools unveiled at Cruise Planners Convention:

Cruisetours:
Advisors can now access Cruisetour information directly within CP Maxx for select sailings. Searches provide detailed tour data, including name, code, length, and dates. This will allow advisors to better offer enhanced experiences to their clients sailing to Alaska or Europe.

Trip Summary Enhancements:
Enhancements to the existing Trip Summary tool include new filters, easier bundling of multiple trip summaries, trip proposals and a better interface to improve the user experience enabling advisors to provide professional, robust trip summaries to their clients leading to higher sales close rate.

Hotel Sheets:
Advisors can select specific rooms and rates from over 2 million properties worldwide and share them with clients, with dynamic live pricing ensuring the most up-to-date information.

Navitrip Hotel Comparisons with Live Booking:
Hotel Comparison sheets allow clients to view multiple hotel options. New for 2025, clients can now book their preferred hotel directly through the Hotel Comparison tool.

“At Cruise Planners, we’re constantly innovating to equip our advisors with cutting-edge, award-winning marketing tools that make client engagement and business growth effortless,” said Michelle Fee, founder and CEO of Cruise Planners. “By providing fresh, dynamic content with ease, we empower our advisors to focus on what they excel at—crafting unforgettable vacations!”

Cruise Planners announced 20 new and exciting initiatives during their annual convention. For a full list of those announcements, click here.

Company Background: Cruise Planners was founded in 1994 and is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network. As a leader in the travel franchise industry, Cruise Planners positions a nation-wide network of 2,500 franchise owners for success by providing innovative marketing programs, proprietary and cutting-edge booking and technology tools, as well as professional development and hands-on training with the industry’s top executives. The company continues to be an industry leader and was named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 18 consecutive years and awarded by Franchise Business Review as “Best-In-Category” for 2 years.

Cruise Planners received a 99% franchise owner satisfaction report from Franchise Business Review for 2024. Franchise Business Review also ranked Cruise Planners #3 OVERALL on their list of Top 200 Franchises of 2022. Cruise Planners was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology, has been consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and was recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.

Visit our website, www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit https://www.cruiseplannersfranchise.com/.

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SOURCE Cruise Planners Franchising, LLC

Technology

Fortune Reveals Fortune 500 Europe

Published

48 mins ago

October 23, 2024

Volkswagen at No. 1 leads Top Ten dominated by car makers, energy

Germany leads country count; Financials leads all sectors on the 2024 ranking with 100 companies

Fortune 500 Europe list launched in conjunction with Fortune CEO Forum 2024 in London, convening 40 CEOs for invitation-only event

LONDON, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Fortune unveiled the Fortune 500 Europe, the world’s most authoritative ranking of Europe’s largest companies by revenue. Volkswagen claimed the top spot on the Fortune 500 Europe list, with $348 billion in revenue, up 19%, and taking over from Shell, whose revenues fell 16%. While Germany had the largest total of companies from a single country, the Fortune 500 Europe includes companies from 24 different countries in the region.

More than half of all 500 companies come from just 4 countries: Germany (79), UK (77), France (67) and Switzerland (36). But the Franco-German axis is creaking. The region’s most profitable companies are now in Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, and Ireland. In southern Europe, Spain’s and Italy’s companies are marginally more profitable than the region overall.

The Fortune 500 Europe Top 10 List:

Volkswagen (Germany)Shell (UK)TotalEnergies (France)Glencore (Switzerland) BP (UK)Stellantis (Netherlands) BMW Group (Germany)Mercedes-Benz Group (Germany)Electricité de France (France)Banco Santander (Spain)

SEARCH HERE BY COUNTRY, SECTOR, INDUSTRY AND MORE

Grethe Schepers, Lists Director, Europe said, “The 2024 Fortune 500 Europe list highlights the good and the bad, illustrating pressures on innovation and competitiveness. Profits are up 7.6% but when it comes to diversity, women’s leadership is shrinking—female CEOs now lead just 6.2% of companies, down from 7% last year. The technology sector pales in comparison to the US, accounting for just 2% of all list revenue with profits and employment shrinking. Financials, however, staged a remarkable cyclical comeback boosted by higher interest rates.”

Alex Wood Morton, Executive Editor, Europe added, “Europe is at a crossroads. This year’s list has echoes of the Fortune 500 in America 20 years ago, when it was dominated by oil and gas and car makers. The challenge for European companies is innovation at scale–those that can adapt and embrace new technologies will gain the edge in an increasingly competitive global economy.”

This year’s Fortune 500 Europe list is being launched in conjunction with the Fortune CEO Forum 2024 in London (today), which will convene 40 CEOs for an exclusive and invitation-only event to discuss and dissect the business-critical themes at the top of every CEO’s agenda. The day’s session will address mastering AI responsibly, raising European competitiveness, the transition to green energy, and how to thrive in an ever-changing world for consumers and workers.

For the Fortune 500 Europe list, companies are ranked by total revenues for their latest available respective fiscal years. All companies on the list must publish financial data and report part or all of their figures to a government agency. The latest figures in the list are as reported by the companies; any comparisons are with the prior year’s figures as originally reported. Fortune does not restate the prior year’s figures for changes in accounting.

About Fortune:
Fortune is a global multi-platform media company built on a legacy of trusted, award-winning reporting and information for those who want to make business better. Independently owned, Fortune tells the stories of the world’s biggest companies and their leaders as well as a new generation of innovators who are moving business forward. Digitally and in print, Fortune measures corporate performance through rigorous benchmarks, and holds companies accountable, in regions around the world. Its iconic rankings include Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, Most Powerful Women, and World’s Most Admired Companies. Fortune builds world-class communities by convening industry thought leaders for exclusive summits and conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum and Brainstorm Tech. For more information, visit fortune.com.

Media Contacts:
Patrick Reilly
Fortune
Patrick.Reilly@fortune.com

Aslesha Mehta
Fortune
aslesha.mehta@fortune.com

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Technology

JA Solar Empowers Renewable Energy Talent Development with Practical Training Program at Vietnam Electric Power University

Published

48 mins ago

October 23, 2024

BEIJING, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On October 2, JA Solar, a global leader in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, participated in a practical training course to university students in Vietnam, in a move to advance solar PV education and encourage innovation in renewable energy applications.

The course, titled “Management, Design, Construction, and Operation of Rooftop Solar Power Systems,” was part of a session organized by INPOS, a leading Vietnamese renewable energy technology company. The course was held in Electric Power University, a public university in Hanoi which is renowned in Vietnam for its excellence in electrical engineering and renewable energy studies, and is committed to cultivating a new generation of high-skilled talent equipped with both theoretical and practical expertise.

The course was designed to blend theoretical knowledge with practical skills, offering students from Vietnam’s top universities a unique, immersive experience in PV technology. More than 100 students participated in the program, gaining hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of solar technologies through JA Solar’s expertise.

As a global leader in the PV industry, JA Solar shared an insightful introduction on PV module performance, manufacturing processes, and the latest technological innovations, with highlights on the application of high-efficiency PV modules in various scenarios. In the Q&A part, students actively engaged with JA Solar experts in discussions. This dynamic learning environment not only sparked students’ interest but also provided a strong foundation for their future roles in the renewable energy sector.

JA Solar’s collaboration with INPOS and the Vietnam Electric Power University is a continuation of their strong partnership. Earlier this year, in April, JA Solar, together with INPOS, donated a mobile PV system to the university, supporting its research and education on renewable energy. This training program further solidifies their joint commitment to developing talent in the solar industry and advancing renewable energy technologies.

Aiqing Yang, Executive President of JA Solar, commented, “At JA Solar, we believe that nurturing the next generation of solar professionals is vital to the future of renewable energy. We are committed to talent development through various initiatives, including our investment in institutions like Xingtai Polytechnic Institute of New Energy. By partnering with universities such as Electric Power University, we strive to cultivate the skilled professionals needed for the long-term growth of the industry.”

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SOURCE JA Solar Technology Co., Ltd.

Technology

AI Governance Startup DAIKI GmbH Raises €1.5 Million in Seed Funding

Published

48 mins ago

October 23, 2024

VIENNA, Oct. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — DAIKI GmbH, an AI governance and compliance solutions provider based in Vienna, has successfully secured €1.5 million in seed funding to support its European roll-out and further product development. The funding marks a significant milestone in Daiki’s mission to help businesses across Europe responsibly deploy AI.

Daiki offers a SaaS solution for AI governance and compliance with the EU AI Act and ISO standards, including ISO 13485 for medical device manufacturers. Built by a multidisciplinary team of experts, it offers an integrated document and quality management system (eQMS), streamlined processes for AI development, and an AI Copliot for successful AI implementation at scale.

Today, AI development involves complex legal, ethical, and technical issues that most organizations find difficult to manage. These challenges often slow down innovation and make it harder for organizations to fully benefit from AI. Daiki tackles these challenges through its SaaS platform that guides companies towards successful AI implementation, saving time and money spent on costly consultants so organizations can focus on achieving real results with AI.

After 18 months of bootstrapping, the company received €1.5 million in seed funding from Humanitas GmbH, an investment vehicle of Tarek Sherif. Tarek is the co-founder of Medidata Solutions, and current Chairman of Dassault Systèmes’ Life Sciences Sector Board. With the newly secured seed funding, Daiki will accelerate its development efforts, including a new AI model registry feature. The funds will also be used to scale the team and strengthen its market presence across Europe.

Daiki currently caters to the MedTech, healthcare, and manufacturing sectors, with a particular focus on the DACH region, the UK, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia. It also serves companies doing business in the EU, which are obligated to comply with the EU AI Act, across a broad range of industries. Daiki operates on a SaaS subscription model, with discounted rates offered to research institutes, NGOs, and the public sector. With significant market potential, the company also counts the University Hospital Basel and Seco Tools among its customers.

Led by CEO Kevin Michael Gibney, an international sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in high-tech SaaS startups, Daiki additionally benefits from an experienced Advisory Board. Its members represent a diverse range of expertise, featuring leaders in AI governance, philosophy, UX design, and life sciences innovation.

“To succeed in the European market, the effective and ethical development and deployment of AI must go hand in hand. Daiki demonstrates that, with the right technical tooling, it is possible to drive innovation, while at the same time meeting complex regulatory requirements,” commented Daiki Advisory Board member Paula Cipierre.

About Daiki
Daiki is an artificial intelligence startup based in Vienna. Daiki’s SaaS platform combines AI, legal, and ethics expertise, enabling companies to successfully implement AI-based projects while ensuring compliance with industry-specific, local, and international standards.

For more information, visit https://dai.ki

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