For dire problems, dire solutions!

For great ills, great remedies!

Thursday, December 26, 2019

In 2019, Jervis's activity was marked by two important events: a change of office in Lisbon and the strengthening of its international client portfolio.

Office Change
The real estate boom in Lisbon resulted, among other things, in the sale of the building where we were headquartered, near Praça de Espanha, to a Chinese group (who else?!) that decided to convert the offices into housing. When we received the friendly letter announcing that we had a year to leave, we set out on a seemingly impossible mission – to find a central office, with good public transport access, a larger area than we had (we were bursting at the seams), parking spaces and a warehouse, all for a price at least identical to what we were paying. As "whoever seeks always finds," we actually achieved everything we wanted – we went from a 130m² space to a 350m² one; instead of one warehouse, we have two; Instead of four parking spaces, we have six; instead of one metro station line, we have two; and, last but not least, we managed to create synergies with two long-standing partner companies to share space and human resources, which allowed us to greatly optimize our cost structure.

Moral of the story: We should always take advantage of setbacks. Sometimes we fall asleep in our routines and need a shake-up to put everything in its right place.

Strengthening the client portfolio
This year we were distinguished with some new clients, including three major multinational brands that started operating in Portugal for the first time: Qatar Airways, Dubai Tourism, and Ford Trucks.

Qatar Airways, a multiple winner of the "World's Best Airline" award, launched its first regular flight to Lisbon in June 2019, and we had the honor of providing media coverage for the launch. It was a remarkable event because, together with all the guests, we shared the emotion of a baptism that was also a historic moment in the political and geostrategic relationship between the two countries.

 

Dubai Tourism, leveraging the success Emirates has had in the Portuguese market, has launched a series of promotional activities, focusing primarily on raising awareness and training the national tourism industry. In this case, we were selected to organize and oversee the initial contacts with the trade, given our recognized experience in promoting tourist destinations.

 

 

Finally, Ford Trucks, one of the world leaders in the sale of heavy vehicles, also benefited from our support at the brand launch event and in the subsequent media coverage. In the year that the F-MAX was considered the “International Truck of the Year”, Portugal was the gateway chosen by Ford Trucks to expand into the European and African markets. Another exciting moment that we were able to share with the approximately 20 journalists who attended the event.

 

 

In conclusion: 2019 was a year rich in new beginnings and emotions. But the new challenges would have been useless if we hadn't maintained the strong performance of our anchor client network. Tourism Thailand, AEP, the Travel Fair, and others continue to actively shape our daily lives, constantly reminding us that it's not enough to do well – we have to be the best!

It is this level of commitment that motivates us, guides us, and makes us smile every day of the year.

 

Happy holidays to all!

Rosário Louro