Kiwi Experience website garners a gong at Microsoft Awards

thl interactive team Bryn Irwin and Reuben Hais

The recently redeveloped website for iconic New Zealand tour company Kiwi Experience has taken top honours for development partner Gen-i in the Business Productivity Portals and Collaboration Solution of the Year category at Microsoft's Partner Awards. The site, which is fully compatible with Web 2.0, has been built using the Web Content Management features of SharePoint with extensions to upload posts, videos and images quickly and without complication.

The award is given to a company whose website demonstrates an exceptional level of interaction and information exchange between internal and external stakeholders, supported by tangible ROI results.   Visitors to the revitalised Kiwi Experience website will now find   themselves able to post and share videos, interact with other travellers via an interactive community board and collaboratively plan their journeys via an interactive map.

Head of Software Solutions Patrick Kouwenhoven for Gen-i  says "the development of the Kiwi Experience site really tested both THL and Gen-i  teams to design and build something that would resound strongly with the target audience while providing the interactivity and 'fun' factor that the client is best known for."

Mr Kouwenhoven, says "This project was a success on all fronts. We've managed to create something that absolutely fulfills the client's needs - it delivers on business objectives, technological requirements, but most importantly the company's bespoke 'flavour' has been retained throughout while increasing customer traffic."

General Manager Sales and Marketing of Kiwi Experience's parent company thl, Sue Sullivan, says winning in this category is a real coup for the organisation. She explains the company made the decision to invest heavily in its website, despite the recent downturn in the tourism industry.

"We made the decision to go all-out on the website backed by the knowledge that Kiwi Experience customers have a strong affinity with the company and the unique travel experience we offer. A website where travellers can interact with each other and the team was seen to be an extremely astute commercial investment," says Sullivan.

The upgrades to the site all underpin the overarching goal of driving sales and brand awareness through a heightened internet presence, and Sue Sullivan says the early indications point towards success.