Who The Hell Is Phil Gunter and Why Is He Stalking Me?

9 July, 2008 by Martin Kelly

By Martin Kelly, Editor, Travel Trends

Phil Gunter is at it again. Today I received another email from this man I have never met. He sends them to me every week or two. They extol Virgin Blue’s Velocity Rewards program. The one I got today is an excellent example. It was effectively a riposte to improvements Qantas has made to it Frequent Flyer program. “We’ve been doing that for ages,” it said. Yeah, yeah – whatever – get me off this mailing I thought for the umpteenth time. But I can’t because there’s no unsubscribe mechanism. Which is incredibly poor form, exceptionally unprofessional, and maybe against the law (Privacy Act?). Each of these emails is signed by Phil Gunter, GM of Velocity Rewards.

Phil actually travelled all the way to Instanbul to speak at a conference on customer loyalty in March. But I really don’t think Phil has much of a clue, otherwise his emails to a once-loyal customer would show me some respect. Instead this man I’ve never met is stalking me online. Phil, leave me alone. And tell your marketing staff to do things right. Perhaps send them to the session you have inspired at TRAVELtech – Email Marketing In The Age of Spam. They could learn a thing or two. And while Sydney is hardly Istanbul, it’s not a bad place – perhaps you could also make the trip. Travel Trends: July 8, 2008.

Share and Enjoy:

Events

'REAL TIME - Sydney, March 30'

When: March 30, 2012
Where: Amora Hotel Jamison
Program: Real Time
Bookings: $499 + gst Early Bird

BOOK now to get the Early Bird rate for the No Vacancy accommodation industry conference in Sydney.

Real Time is the theme of No Vacancy 2012, reflecting the fact that we live in a world where everything happens now, or not at all.

In no business is this more obvious than tourism. Booking lead times are now measured in hours not days or weeks.

To succeed requires a new way of doing business, a fresh mentality and a fair amount of nerve.

The program is packed with the information you'll need to thrive in today's just-in-time world with a focus on distribution, marketing, innovation, consumers and technology.

Speakers confirmed so far include the following, and there are a few more on the way...

Rachel Argaman, CEO, Toga Hospitality
Dave Audley, Heading of Consulting, Experian Hitwise
Quentin Briard, GM Australia & NZ, Club Med
Daniel Bridges, Head of Travel, Trade Me (NZ)
Julio Bruno, Global Vice President Sales, TripAdvisor
James Cassidy, HomeAway.com.au
Robbie Cooke, CEO, Wotif.com
Will Deague, CEO, Art Series Hotels
Dean Dransfield, Director, Dransfield Hotels and Resorts
Bob East, CEO, Mantra Resorts
Leah Lipman, Area Director Reveneue Management Australasia, IHG
Simon McGrath, CEO, Accor Australia
Bryon Merzeo, Analyst, STR Global
Bernard O’Keefe, Group Online Marketing Manager, Hamilton Island
Todd Parker, Founder, Parker Travel Collection
Nikolai Pitchforth, Head of Online Travel, Google
Brett Pointon, Founder, Oaks Hotels and Resorts
Anton Stanish, GM, The Stayz Group
Janet Wilson, Managing Director, Nationwide Hospitality

It'll be a great day. As usual, the focus will be on distribution, marketing, sales, innovation and technology for both hoteliers and Online Travel Agents.

Sponsors:

Program and Speakers
Bookings

Returning September 17, 2012

The date has been set for TRAVELtech 2012 - Monday, September 17.

Meanwhile, thanks to everyone who attended TRAVELtech: Best of Enemies in Sydney recently.

It was a fantastic event, lots of fun with a touch of controversy.

Please check out the photographs or use this link to see great 360 degree panorama shots of the conference from Panedia.

TRAVELtech is Australia's original web travel, marketing and distribution event, featuring a compelling program, great speakers and fantastic networking.

Program and Event Info