16 DIGITAL INNOVATION
Pick a Pier transforms TransEurope T
By Melanie Symes*
oday’s rallying cry from global institutions pushes for the tourist industry to embrace sustainable and digital transformation. Whilst still
largely registered within the transport industry, marina operational models are often more akin to nautical tourist destinations and yet still rarely reflect the level of customer-centric digital innovation now increasingly commonplace in the travel and hospitality sphere. The nautical tourism sector is known for being
highly heterogenous, due in part to geographical separation and very distinct management profiles and methodology. This lack of operational coherence has complicated the job of advancing a digital agenda with affordable off- the-peg solutions. Correspondingly, the industry has struggled to produce reliable data as regards its economic impact. Enter centre stage: Pick a Pier, founded by
brothers Idan and Asaf Cohen. Dynamic and highly focussed, this relatively new start-up has been quick to step in, having perceived a vast potential for operational optimisation, which they were able to validate upon attending the ICOMIA World Marinas Conference in Athens two years ago. Their first move was to identify a suitable candidate and start putting theory into practice. Idan Cohen, Pick a Pier’s CEO, described his
team’s objectives: “We wanted to work with an eminent international network to have a good base and positive disposition towards collective innovation, and from a development perspective, a decent range of variants and management systems”. Fulfilling all these requisites, TransEurope Marinas was a prime candidate, with representation in 11 different countries, including a healthy variety of languages, currencies and time-zones, and a strong focus on quality services and collaborative interaction. For its part, TransEurope Marinas was looking
to adopt a new digital membership system, with members keen to reduce paper use and sensitive to their customers’ increasing reliance on user- friendly smartphone-based communication. A first, but eventually unsuccessful foray into digital development had taken place some years ago, so there was some reticence, but also a fairly well-informed understanding of the task ahead. Jean-Michel Gaigné, President of TransEurope Marinas, relates the experience: “A decade ago, we were very lucky to work with some excellent systems specialists (perhaps too far ahead of the curve in their day), who helped set up a digital membership programme. It is highly possible
MARINA INDUSTRY • FEBRUARY 2021 Poole Quay Boat Haven in Dorset, England, has adopted Pick a Pier.
that no-one anticipated the amount of work, time and expense involved in shaping the service around both boaters’ and operational teams’ requirements and despite producing a workable application, barely half of members finally registered as active users and so regretfully the project inevitably ran out of steam”. Having chosen their suitable model, Pick a Pier then approached TransEurope Marinas with the offer of a new digital membership platform, transforming the administrational tasks of managing berth-holder membership and offering many additional benefits for both berth-holders and marinas. Surmising the need to start simple, Pick a Pier has taken the time to conduct countless interviews and visits, paying close attention to what managers need and carefully structuring their products for ease of use. Idan Cohen confirmed, “One of the most significant challenges has been trying to drive a shift in thinking. We started our onboarding process prior to the pandemic fully prepared for some resistance to operational change, even though our research had reassured us that for the most part, managers recognised digitalisation as an opportunity and logical step forwards. We’re talking to people who have often spent much of their career in this industry and who are highly aware of their markets and the complexity of their business, which covers multiple disciplines and is particularly sensitive to external conditions, such as weather and tide. Where these managers have been reluctant to consider new systems, it is less a matter of a distrust of technology and more the simple reality of already having to deal with multiple challenges on a daily basis.
“Some of our initial efforts were dedicated to helping to prepare marinas to incorporate more advanced tech, updating operating systems and identifying existing drawbacks in admin and communication procedures. Data security is, of course, an issue of major concern and we have gone to great lengths to guarantee GDPR compliance, including anonymising and encrypting personal data, restricting access to personal data and setting up the means to thoroughly test security measures. As part of the service we offer, marinas are also given options to set up additional security features in order to further protect data. This has been a huge learning curve and we genuinely appreciate the chance to develop ideas with experienced managers.” TransEurope is naturally delighted with the new
system, now accessible for berth-holders via the association’s website:
www.transeuropemarinas. com Further digital initiatives and plans for the
future include helping to enrich the customer experience, optimising current operational systems and working with partners to both develop new features and functionalities that will make boating easier and more accessible, and also create new sustainable and environmental standards that will encourage more boaters and marinas to implement and endorse ocean stewardship and responsible practices. Pick a Pier
idan@pickapier.com
www.pickapier.com
*Director, Innovamarina, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain.
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