When the potential investor steps out of the airport after a long flight and looks for the ride with the horsepower he requested, he’s probably not anticipating a neighing stallion. Miscommunication, bad timing, botched greetings wreck businesses. GruupMeet aims to see that last mile logistics go off without a hitch.
GruupMeet is a mobile application that enables destination management companies (DMCs) and event planners to manage communication and provide outstanding meet and greet services.
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The travel industry and startups have come together like peanut butter and jelly. GruupMeet helps coordinate guest greetings by providing flight tracking, GPS to track event attendees, modules for communication / support, live updates and logistics, and customized platforms. The chauffeur waiting with a cardboard sign is a quaint touch simply inadequate for today’s event professionals.
Ground transportation eats up 8%-12% of corporate travel budgets alone. Efficient and comfortable transfers from airports to events play a huge role in determining whether or not guests have a good experience. GruupMeet’s smooth handling of arrival logistics allows DMCs to operate proficiently and saves planners both headaches and money.
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GruupMeet offers service businesses solutions for single-events, annual plans that cover multiple events, as well as partner programs with additional branding and API integration. The company is still in private beta but also plans to provide users analytics in an overlooked segment of the industry.
Founder Russell Wyman came up with his startup idea and marketing design while at a retreat in Costa Rica. He interned with a DMC in 2006 and immediately was drawn to creating destination solutions. Wyman started Group Dispatchers, LLC, (parent company of GruupMeet) with a longtime high school friend, Lorielle Iglehart.
The Dallas duo will build upon previous experience working with Fortune 500 companies and associations. They’ll be hard at work forging strategic partnerships at launch. Only four months after beginning, they’ve already been featured in web articles such as “Event Startups Watch: 10 Services You Should Try Now!” by Julius Solaris.
When Wyman isn’t championing his startup, he practices Bikram yoga. Also in the works: a charity to provide lost yoga mats to children in countries where yoga mats are expensive and limited. GruupMeet is a family endeavor, with Russell Sr. investing, and Russell Jr. in line to study the events industry then assist in expanding services.
Whether you need to pamper the VIPs, shuttle conference goers from the airport to the auditorium, or (hey, let’s help the young company dream big) provide logistics for greeting the athletes at the next Olympics, check out GruupMeet.
Photo Credits
Courtesy of startup founder | GruupMeet
