FCm Travel Solutions wins Asia-wide IBM business

SYDNEY: For the first time, IBM Corporation has appointed an Asia-Pacific based global travel management company – FCm Travel Solutions – to manage the Asia-wide fulfilment of its channel incentive business.

In one of the most innovative and significant channel marketing and incentive initiatives, FCm Travel Solutions offices in most countries are now managing the local fulfilment of both travel and non-travel incentive rewards for more than 10,000 IBM resellers and distributors across the region.

The appointment follows FCm’s successful implementation of the awarded* ‘Know Your IBM’ (KYI) channel loyalty programme in Australia and New Zealand, where IBM’s return on investment reached as high as 103 per cent.

FCm has also been appointed to manage KYI loyalty fulfilment across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, in what is expected to become one of the world’s largest channel loyalty programmes.

KYI was created in 2004 by FCm Australia’s event specialist team, CiEvents, to boost the education and sales performance of IBM resellers and distributors across Australia and New Zealand.

It comprises an online ‘learn and earn’ component, including incentive rewards for sales achievements. Rewards vary from country to country and in many cases include merchandise in addition to travel and accommodation.

In Asia Pacific, KYI is strategically managed by CiEvents out of Australia, while FCm offices across Asia are locally managing rewards, and customer/reseller helplines.

CiEvents’ general manager relationship marketing, Dr David Cox, said he was unaware of any other travel management company providing this scale of coordinated fulfilment in Asia for a single client.

“FCm is not only creating a fulfilment niche for its business in Asia, but one that provides a new revenue stream that is unrelated to travel,” Dr Cox said. “This represents a vast shift from the traditional role of travel agencies in Asia and could potentially spark a new focus for travel management companies in the future.”

Jamie Simon, associate marketing manager for the KYI Program in Australia/New Zealand, said IBM regarded the program as a “phenomenal success”.

“KYI has exceeded our wildest expectations in what is a very competitive market,” he said.

“In Australia and New Zealand, we’ve already seen results such as a 254 per cent increase in the number of registered partners in the programme, and a 612 per cent increase in the number of rewards claimed. These are the truest testaments as to the perceived value KYI offers in the market.”

According to Dr Cox, the program’s success was driven largely by FCm’s local operations with teams based in many of the countries where IBM is represented.

“FCm offers the knowledge and market understanding to select incentive rewards that are culturally in tune with local market interests,” he said.

“For example, FCm quickly recognised that because passport and travel restrictions still apply in some Asian countries, merchandise rewards will be the preferred option in certain areas. In some countries iPods are the most popular and practical rewards,” he said.