myconcierge.com

We catch up with Rob Nicholas, Managing Director of npimedia to find out everything you need to know about the digital platform and latest addition to the concierge portfolio…

When is the launch of myconcierge.com?
The platform will be open for business as of March 9, 2015, and we are holding three separate events over three days to introduce it to our partners and clients.

What is the concept behind myconcierge.com?
To bring the luxury concierge to life on a digital platform that is accessible to both residents and visitors, and to create an environment that features the best activities, experiences, shopping, dining and hotels. myconcierge.com has been developed as the luxury department store for the best of everything that the UAE has to offer. It is not a place to find cheap deals, but it is a place to find value, information and inspiration. myconcierge.com is also dynamic, so the shop window changes according to who’s browsing – whether resident or visitor.

Who is the visionary behind the platform?
A fantastic team of people has helped not only shape, but deliver the vision. We started with an idea that has become so much more over almost two years of development and the contribution of more than 50 people. This project has been the most involved team effort in the 15-year history of the company and drew upon every ounce of experience gathered over this time.

Will it be exclusively online?
myconcierge.com is part of the concierge portfolio of media that also encompasses five magazines – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and UAE editions in Arabic, Mandarin and Russian. However, myconcierge.com stands apart as a completely unique proposition and draws on very few assets from the rest of the portfolio. The editorial we prepare and films we shoot are exclusive to myconcierge.com – although we will be linking to online features from the magazines via custom QR codes.

What are the main features of myconcierge.com?
Video is at the heart of the site and we have had a team of directors working on myconcierge.com for almost a year, producing broadcast quality, 30-60 second video. With more than four billion videos viewed every day on YouTube, it was a no-brainer to lead with this. As we are also facilitating our users to purchase experiences through the site, we know that they are 64% more likely to buy after seeing a related video than when reading about it or browsing photos. But as concierge is also a brand, we couldn’t just get journalists out filming. Each video is also a piece of art and filmed by a top director using cinematic equipment.

Who is your target audience and how will you market towards them?
Our target audience is the customer with five-star expectations. The person who wants to go somewhere where quality is assured. It comes back to the luxury department store concept and if that is the retail environment you are comfortable in, you’ll be very much at home on myconcierge.com.

How will myconcierge.com stand out in the market?
There is nothing like myconcierge.com. We have spent two years conceiving and building it based on 11 years of working with brands, luxury experience providers and creating the concierge portfolio. When we looked at the market, we saw high-end experiences being marketed in places that I’d compare to seeing Burberry in Debenhams. Brands have been doing this in the absence of something more appropriate and myconcierge.com is the environment they have been looking for.

Will you be working with a dedicated editorial team, or are there opportunities for freelancers?
We have a permanent team of eight people dedicated to myconcierge.com and a further ten people devoted to the concierge portfolio. However, freelance assistance will be used when the opportunity arises and we will also be further growing our team.

How can PRs get involved?
They can encourage their clients to be a part of myconcierge.com, to be present in the shop window and grow with us as we develop.

Are there any advertising opportunities?
myconcierge.com is a responsive site that is perfect for rich media. We have developed it with advertising and sponsorship opportunities in mind. You’ll see activations that are possible on myconcierge.com that you’ll see almost nowhere else in the UAE!

Are there any future plans for myconcierge.com once launched?
Big plans and further investment, but we’ll leave the big talk for when plans are turned into action. Claims are easy to make and we see too much of that in the technology space. Visit myconcierge.com when it is launched to see the possibilities for yourself!