As we prepare for the exciting challenges to be tackled in 2019, we reflect on the major events of 2018. From launching GetYourGuide Academy to reaching 1 million bookings in August alone, there is much to celebrate. Below you’ll find a roundup of our top 10 milestones of 2018.
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We reached a major milestone in August with 1 million bookings made in a single month. This was followed by even greater excitement in September when we reached 20 million all-time bookings. To round out this news, we also appointed a new member to our Board of Directors, Sharon McCollam, former Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer at US electronics retailer Best Buy.
While this milestone will be echoed most certainly in 2019’s year in review, we’ll take any chance to talk about our new office. Earlier this year, we announced we will be opening a new campus for our headquarters in Berlin. Everyone who is currently spread across the city will finally be under one roof in Prenzlauer Berg’s historic Ampere. The doors won’t open until next spring, but 2018 has been abuzz with whisperings about the look of the new office. In September we sat down with Marcus, Head of Technical Support and one of the primary project owners, to discuss what to expect in our new home.
2018 brought many new additions to the GetYourGuide team including Udi Nir, CTO. Having led many Engineering Departments, most recently as VP Engineering of Instacart, Udi came onboard with an unparalleled depth of experience and understanding of the modern marketplace. Tasked with shaping our long-term technology vision, we are poised for great advancement in 2019.
Following months of work in 2017, our Learning and Development team introduced GetYourGuide Academy this year. The academy offers a range of high-quality trainings to all employees, such as online courses, internal workshops, and tailored trainings by external experts. Designed to enhance, encourage, and support individual and organizational effectiveness, GetYourGuide Academy has helped us bring our learning core value to life.
To join our growing list of locations, we further extended our global reach by opening offices in Brazil, Japan, Austria, and South Africa this year.
Vincenzo, Destination Manager turned Regional Manager for Southern and Eastern Africa, leads our growing team in South Africa out of Cape Town. Check out Vincenzo’s post on the ins and outs of his career growth and the skills he developed along the way.
For many of us, the first warm days of summer were made even sunnier with the unveiling of our new brand. With a new color palette, tone of voice, and brand behavior, our new look and feel made a big splash. We also announced our new product concept, GetYourGuide Originals. GetYourGuide Originals is a curated list of top experiences custom-branded with our new identity across physical and digital environments. Working with our local partners, these activities offer a can’t-miss experience unique to GetYourGuide.
Following our rebrand, the creative forces who worked to make it happen banded together to form Creative Studio. Creative Studio is a collaborative group that brings together all of the creative disciplines working on marketing and brand topics. This includes designers, copywriters, and the visual team. In short, Creative Studio is a one-stop-shop for all creative and brand needs.
In January, Think Global awarded GetYourGuide the Company of the Year Award for our work in localization.
Think Global aimed to recognize a company actively embracing change, growth, and demonstrating a real ability to think globally. Our Localization teams work hard to bring clear and compelling translations to our customers, and we are delighted to see this work acknowledged on such a scale.
None of these milestones could have been achieved if it had not been for our rich inventory of experiences and the hard work of our partners. This year, we chose to recognize incredible tours, activities, and local partners through our first annual GetYourGuide awards. Learn more about the awards, the methodology, and the judges.
Christopher Street Day, Berlin’s Pride Parade, is an annual celebration and demonstration for the rights of LGBTQQIA+ people and against discrimination and exclusion. This year, our summer party coincided with the parade, and a large group of GetYourGuide employees from around the world joined together to walk the parade route and show their support.
Hear from the participants and check out pictures from the parade.
Another year gone by with immense professional growth and development across the organization. Congratulations to all of those who were promoted, reached a career goal, or are making headway on career plans. Prepare for 2019 and read career advice from some of our leaders:
Becoming a Leader: Female Forces - Stephanie, Regional Manager Australia and New Zealand
Becoming a Leader: Female Forces - Sara, Regional Manager Benelux and the Nordics
Becoming a Leader: Female Forces - Marlene, Director of User Experience
Leadership Thoughts - Mathis, VP Global Sales and Supply
Will it make the boat go faster? 3 Thoughts on Execution to Drive Growth - Tao, COO
Cheers to a wonderful 2018 and an even better year ahead!