Back to News

ESSEC Bootcamp

May 23, 2014
Snapshot team
ESSEC Bootcamp

SnapShot proudly presents the First Generation of Demand Managers

As ever, the hospitality industry is facing a wide range of challenges. There are however two distinct factors which in our opinion will continue hindering the industry in the next few years to enhance their profitability. One of them is the lack of integration between the key commercial disciplines of sales, revenue, distribution & finance and the second – the potential disconnect between the industry and academia.

And let's face it - commercially-driven workshops & industry-facing e-learning programs aren't going to fix it. What is needed is an engaging dialogue blending the existing theoretical concepts taught at hotel schools with the practical know-how and forward-thinking mindset of the leading industry think-tanks. Plant that on the fruitful soil of the motivated and hungry-for-a-challenge young industry talents' minds – and you have your recipe for the Demand Managers of the Future.

This is exactly the approach we took when designing a series of bootcamps targeted at students & recent alumni from leading European hotels schools. Over a period of six months 30 industry professionals were working closely together to create a compelling content all around the topic of demand management, which translated into an intense five-day session.

True to our motto "educate, debate and motivate", two weeks ago we have successfully completed the first bootcamp with MBA students (IMHI) from ESSEC, Paris. With a guidance of on-campus presenters Cornelia Kausch (Owner, CK Hospitality Advisors), Michael Levie (COO, citizenM), Lennert de Jong (Director of Distribution and Business Development, citizenM) and David Turnbull (COO and Founder, SnapShot) the students were able to obtain first-hand knowledge in the areas of Asset Management, Demand Generation, Online Marketing, Revenue Management and Communication.

With a "question everything!" attitude emphasized by Michael Levie and Cornelia Kausch in the beginning of the bootcamp, the students made sure the dialogue throughout the bootcamp remained interesting and challenging for all parties involved.

We could have left it there, but we strived to give the students a chance to put their newly acquired knowledge into practice. So, as if the five intense days of interactive sessions were not enough, we presented the students with a challenge of taking on the role of a Commercial Team and compile a report to the owner of SnapShot (case study) hotel.

On the final day of the bootcamp and after four evenings (and nights?) of work four student teams presented their findings and recommendations. The level of professionalism and proficient application of concepts reviewed were beyond any expectations. Although a tough call, we decided to give the award to the group, which called themselves "The Sponge" (as in "those absorbing knowledge"). The winning group received a special prize of a two-night stay in any of the citizenM properties of their preference.

What's next? Having collected first-had feedback and recommendations from the first Demand Management bootcamp alumni, we have further improved the content and the flow of the five days. As they say, perfection comes with repetition. We are excited about the bootcamps to come.

Read what the students had to say about their experience at the bootcamp on their blog.

Want to know more about our bootcamps? Contact us at learnmore@snapshot.travel

Full list of collaborators

ABCD Consulting, Adfiliate, Avvio BKKR, Booking.com, citizenM, Colliers International, Design Hotels, GOP Digital,Hospitality Visions, J.Moore Consulting, KL Consulting, Pandox International, Pervorm, PPHE, Raspberry Sky, Relactions, Ruby Hotels, Starwood Capital, STR Global, Trust You, Yeeld Solutions

Sneak a peak into the ESSEC bootcamp