Global Hemisphere is a leading company specialized in marketing golf courses, hotels and destinations in the golf tourism industry. Behind Global Hemisphere is Monica Diaz Vecino, an entrepreneur in the world of golf tourism and a great professional recognized by the most relevant experts in the tourism sector with a long career as Director of Golf Sales and Marketing in several luxury resorts.
Monica founded the company in 2013 and it emerged as a professional challenge based on her accumulated experience of 15 years as director of Golf Sales for different hotel chains. “I realized,” she says, “that companies that had a commercial department focused on golf sales had more production, more business opportunities and greater product visibility in the golf industry than those that had one person a little bit for everything.”
“Many golf courses,” he continues, “have a salesperson on the course who doesn’t travel, or travels little, who doesn’t get to sell or bring in new business, or follow up because it’s unfeasible to get there on a day-to-day basis.”
Global Hemisphere acts as an additional person on the sales team specializing in golf sales and improves service and work productivity. This translates into more sales.
“We work”, Monica continues, “as a sales consultancy, contracting with travel professionals, tour operators, webinars, we attend specialized fairs, tournaments, fam trips, work shops, events, etc. We work in the marketing area through content that generates sales, email marketing, promotional campaigns, prizes, etc.”.
-What services and value does Global Hemisphere provide to the companies that hire you in the golf tourism sector?
-Mainly the know how of a person who has been in the golf sales market for more than 15 years, with a great knowledge of all the source markets and a large number of contacts in the sector. This makes it easier for a golf course or a hotel that starts with a little specialized base to enter the market. In addition, I have the support of a commercial partner, Kirby&Co, focused on solutions for tourism companies. This makes Global Hemisphere have a much more commercial vision and global than just golf.
Nowadays, outsourcing a commercial service is an added value. It saves on promotion and takes advantage of a greater number of opportunities. We have 14 fields and 7 destinations. This means a great knowledge of the market, we take advantage of every opportunity that arises and every new contact to include our portfolio of clients.
For example, an operator selling Andalusia may be interested in the Canary Islands, Madrid or the Caribbean in the future. A client travels today to the Canary Islands and tomorrow to the Caribbean. In this way we take advantage of each contact to sell the products we carry and cross-sell. This is one of the points I like the most. The business opportunities we can generate with just one contact.
-We are experiencing a change of business model as a result of this crisis. How do you see the future post covid?
-From now on, hotels and golf courses are going to start changing their business model. Until now, many tourism companies closed guarantees with a number of tour operators. From now on, and seeing that in the face of a crisis there is no guarantee, companies should diversify their business entry and open up to new channels that generate sales in the medium and long term.
Consider new direct selling technologies, ease of purchase, being closer and easier than ever to the golfer.
As work tools, in this crisis I have taken advantage of webinars, which I did not do so much before. Travel professionals who sell golf are convened and the presentation is made over the Internet. This saves a lot of travel costs in the future and supports the agencies. Now I make many more Facetime calls than before, which was more by phone. The contact is more direct. To sell, it’s better to get to know each other.
On the agencies’ side, they will also diversify their products and sell new destinations that they did not have before.
-You are known as a great professional in the world of golf tourism and with a long career in this sector. How is your training progressing?
-I am very passionate about technology and the digital world. I am constantly training myself in the latest golf projects where I can include all my clients. I do a lot of research in the United States, because it is the most important market, they are much more advanced than us and we learn from them.
And above all, I am very up to date learning marketing techniques focused on sales, learning new formats and strategies that help marketing. Nowadays not only tour operators sell: We have to be constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. There are many channels and campaigns to attract the traveling golfer, and there is not always a tour operator in the middle.
The search for new accounts, for opportunities, I would say that it is practically daily; that is why we have a very good data base.
-The outsourcing of services in recent years has gone from 30% to 60% and it is estimated that it will continue to rise. Why should a hotel or camp outsource its commercial department services?
-By outsourcing the commercial part of golf, the golf course or hotel can focus on other services that also generate income. Many times opportunities are lost because the day to day does not let you move forward and also you need a part of market research that you do not always get. In addition, the improvement in quality due to the specialization to do this type of work and, of course, the cost savings. It is not the same to go to a fair representing one field than several. The cost reduction is obvious and you also reach more sales channels.
By being able to focus on one objective, specialization is better achieved by reducing equipment costs and focusing effort on key business areas and a faster response in productivity and quality.
Outsourcing provides the company with a more flexible structure and improves the level of sales service, making it more efficient and guaranteeing annual availability.
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IN FIRST PERSON
Graduated in TEAT (Technician in Tourism Companies and Activities), I have a Master in International Marketing and another Master in Revenue Management from the University of Deusto. I developed my professional career in the commercial department of luxury hotels, passing through golf and finally creating my company Global Hemisphere, to provide solutions to the commercial golf sector.
I have lived in several countries, speak four languages and have always been very proactive, entrepreneurial, and creator of the first incoming golf agency in Madrid. I founded Global Hemisphere and I am immersed in two new projects that have been incubated at the Covid stage and will be presented very soon. Among my long list of clients, I could highlight Teeth of the Dog, ranked among the 100 best golf courses in the world
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