News for the Hospitality Executive |
“We are thrilled to partner with VFM Leonardo to further equip meeting planners with all the tools necessary to plan a successful event,” said David O’Donohoe, SVP, Global Supplier Sales & Operations, StarCite. “This arrangement will give hotels a great opportunity to present their properties to the world’s largest online community of corporate meeting buyers using rich media including video, virtual tours and still images, and also gives planners a complete scope of venues so they are assured that their needs are met.” Under the agreement, VFM Leonardo will manage and distribute photos, videos, virtual tours and other rich media of properties listed within StarCite’s online marketplace, where corporate buyers from hundreds of Fortune 500 companies and many others can link up with more than 93,000 hotels, destinations and meeting suppliers. In 2008, corporate meetings business representing an estimated $8 billion passed through the StarCite electronic marketplace. “We are delighted to power the hotel visual content for StarCite’s marketplace,” said Paolo Boni, President and CEO, VFM Leonardo. “By bringing comprehensive content to the fingertips of meeting planners around the world, we aim to make the difficult task of choosing a venue much easier and more streamlined. By expanding VNetwork™ to include enhanced distribution of all types of rich visual content to StarCite, we are expanding our customers’ online visibility to the meeting planner and buyer segment, and in turn providing increased revenue opportunities for hotels." In addition to providing StarCite with an easy, streamlined way to manage thousands of digital assets in one place, VScape also eliminates the manual steps hoteliers would otherwise take to get photos, videos, virtual tours and other rich media into the StarCite marketplace and keep them updated. Through VFM Leonardo’s VBrochure™ Online Merchandising System’s integration with VScape, individual hotels will have the option to enhance their presence and showcase their venues and meeting facilities in front of thousands of meeting planners using the StarCite platform. About StarCite, Inc. StarCite, Inc. provides a technology platform that makes meeting and event planning, booking and management simpler and more cost-effective for corporations, hotels, venues and meeting suppliers worldwide. StarCite’s solutions deliver visibility, cost savings, and control over meeting spending for businesses and enhanced revenue opportunities for suppliers. Through Web-based, on-demand technology, StarCite automates and supports every key element of the meeting planning and procurement process: planning, budgeting, buying, attendance, payment, and results measurement. Using StarCite’s proprietary online marketplace, meeting buyers can connect and conduct business with over 93,000 hotels, venues, destinations and suppliers globally. StarCite is based in Philadelphia, PA. Its equity holders include Internet Capital Group (NASDAQ: ICGE), TPG Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), and TL Ventures. For more information about StarCite please visit www.starcite.com. About VFM Leonardo VFM Leonardo is a technology leader in online visual content management and distribution systems. VFM Leonardo’s VScape® and VBrochure™ products leverage the distribution capabilities of the VNetwork™, the most universally accepted and largest online visual content distribution network for the global travel industry including all four global distribution systems (GDSs), Pegasus and travel-related channels including online travel agencies, travel research and supplier web sites, search portals and major travel intermediaries. VFM Leonardo offers the hotel industry the most effective digital asset management and online merchandising systems available today and efficiently delivers over 1,000,000 visual images (photos, virtual tours and videos) to more than 30,000 travel channels and websites in the VNetwork including Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, Worldspan, Pegasus, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Tripadvisor, Yahoo! Travel, Kayak, Google and many more for 90,000 hotels worldwide. For more information about VFM Leonardo, visit www.vfmleonardo.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VFMLeonardo. |
Contact: StarCite Kristine Nalbone Sloane & Company 212-446-1897 [email protected] Julie Vieth |