2023 sales: $685 million
Previous ranking: 30
Employees: 125 full-time, 20 part-time
205 Datura St., 10th Floor
West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Phone: (800) 497-2175
Website Executives
CEO: Tim Hentschel
CO-FOUNDER/PRESIDENT: John Prince
COO: Bruce Rosenberg
CFO: Joe Groglio
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER: Bryce Fosdick
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER: Leticia Piloto-Rodriguez
CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER: Nick Digiovanni
CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER: Neil Valentine
COMPANY FACTS
* Privately held company.
* Tim Hentschel and John Prince are co-owners.
* Works with more than 1,000 independent contractors.
* Brands include Meetings.com, EventSquid.com, Cleverdis, Lucid Travel.com and VenueExplorer
* Sales: 85% leisure, 11% business, 4% other.
2023 DEVELOPMENTS
* Experienced historic revenue growth, an almost 96% increase from $350 million in 2022.
* Acquired Cleverdis, a France-based content provider for more than 17 international trade shows across several industries.
* Acquired Eventsquid, a platform that specializes in streamlining event registration, creating apps, exhibitor sales, attendee communication, agenda management and surveys.
* Acquired Lucid Travel, a travel management software company that serves universities, sports teams and events directors.
* Incorporated ChatGPT into its search engine, resulting in more than 1 million queries since May 2023. Remote sales agents also have access to this technology, which enhances their productivity and ability to meet customer requests quickly. Within a month, company produced 160,000 customer itineraries in 26 languages.
LOOKING AHEAD
* "Maintaining dry powder" for strategic acquisitions.
* Continuing to incorporate generative AI voice-activated group reservations, and beta testing AI-powered voice, webchat and SMS-enabled reservation.
* Developing real-time transcription capabilities for inbound calls. AI can take calls and transcribe as the customer speaks, which prompts immediate answers.
* Working to incorporate AI into pricing and availability optimization; registration technology; seasonal and regional demand forecasting; graphic design; media relations; venue search; content generation; and spend analytics.
* Expects Europe to be an especially robust destination in 2024 -- not only Paris for the Summer Olympics but also surrounding counties.
* Although international travel from China is yet to return to prepandemic levels, company continues to see a rise in global tourism from India.
* Foresees travelers accessing personalized AI-powered concierge services, potentially reducing reliance on traditional human agents. The recent surge in AI adoption, highlighted by ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, is reshaping industries beyond hospitality.
* Anticipates robust growth in Q3 and Q4 as the travel demand continues to ascend globally, with business travel returning to prepandemic levels around 2025-2026. In terms of leisure, travel within North America is stable and healthy. The general public is now prioritizing travel as a key component of their health and wellness budgeting, the company says. Also continuing to see the rise of digital nomads across the globe in addition to the rise of solo travelers, in particular female solo travelers.