Q&A: JOHN LEE CULTUREMEE
INT E R VIEW
CultureMee is an app that helps travellers learn about other cultures and was a runner-up in the GTMC Entrepreneurs In Business Travel Awards. Co-founder John Lee tells Matthew Parsons how it works
Where did the idea come from?
It started with a plug! We were travelling in Zanzibar, off Tanzania, and the plug socket there was different from on the mainland. We asked ourselves: why isn’t there an app available to help solve typical traveller frustrations like this?
Do business travellers care about the culture of destinations they visit?
Can they afford not to? What we are doing is not a “nice to have” for travellers, it is essential. One cultural mishap can cost a multimillion dollar deal, so why not make a small effort to understand the cultures we work with, sell to or travel to?
So you’re saying it can help clinch deals?
Between 50 per cent and 70 per cent of international M&A deals fail due to cultures clashing, which can be company or national cultures. While we all spend time understanding a company culture we can forget to think about national cultures. People appreciate it when you make a small effort to learn the local culture. It can really cost you if you don’t.
OK, give us examples…
When giving a business card in Japan, bow slightly and hold it in both hands. If not, it may be seen as disrespectful. The Dutch have very flat organisations, are famously direct and are fond of simple DIY sandwiches, even during meetings.
Is the app best for research or in-destination?
Both. Videos educate travellers before they arrive. The app is used during the trip to navigate local customs, such as dining etiquette or business negotiation. People also use the app to learn about the cultures of other nationalities they work with.
How does it work exactly?
We present the content in our app, which is free to download, or via an API we are in the process of building. For now, any travel buyer can test the app with staff for free. We will be careful about selecting the partners we work with initially – we want to make sure that we offer them real value.
How do you plan to expand the business?
We’re launching a 90-day pilot with Gray Dawes Group, due to its scale as well as its high-profile customer base. ■ Find out more at
culturemee.com
buyingbusinesstravel.com
TRAVELPORT PARTNERS WITH AIRPORT PARKING SPECIALIST
TRAVELPORT HAS PARTNERED with off-airport parking provider The Parking Spot to make parking available to book through Travelport Smartpoint. Agents using Smartpoint can install The Parking Spot plug-in – built by technology consultancy DataArt – to select and reserve airport parking during the booking process.
Ed Orkand, vice-president of field sales at The Parking Spot, said: “By partnering with Travelport, The Parking Spot is able to reach a larger audience of travel managers, agents and their customers. We can better serve them by helping create a seamless travel experience for customers at the point of booking.”
Smook named ACTE regional director for EMEA
STEPHANIE SMOOK has been named as regional director for EMEA at ACTE. She has been serving in the role in an interim capacity since July 2017. Smook will work with ACTE Global members and partners to further the organisation’s mission to bring the best in education and networking opportunities to the corporate travel community. She began her career with ACTE Global as education programme manager for EMEA in 2014 and later became global relationship manager. Prior to this, she was a corporate travel buyer for Nike Europe.
2018 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 27
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