Members of Norway’s consulting industry gathered yesterday at Gamle Logen to honor outstanding industry achievements. The anticipation was high before the announcement of the awards. “This year there were an unbelievable number of strong nominations worthy of winning. The work of the committee has therefore been both exciting and challenging,” says Ola Furu, chair of the awards committee and CEO of Capgemini.

Wild Card Award of the Year
By awarding d2o with this prize we want to honor a company which has identified a niche in the market-a niche that creates very good return on investment and profit improvement for the hotel and restaurant industry. We think it is great that a small Norwegian company is expanding its footprint in the international market,” say Anne Cathrine Røste, CEO of Konsulentguiden, who handed out the prize.

All four winners are covered extensively in Kapital, a leading business magazine in Norway.

About the Consultant Awards
The Management Award was established to reward outstanding players in the consulting industry, and to promote the importance of consulting in Norway’s economic growth. The awards are based on a concept developed and implemented by our Danish and British sister organizations, respectively. Danish Management Council and the Institute of Business Consulting.

Behind the consultant awards are:

• Abelia, a non-profit business association of Norwegian knowledge- and technology-based enterprises,
• Konsulentguide, a publishing company providing consultancy overview and news, and
• Institute of Management Consultants Norway (IMC), an institution for CMC certification. IMC is a member of International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI)

• To read the original announcement in Norwegian, click here: Source Article

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL and OSLO, NORWAY (December 13, 2011) d2o, the innovator of performance navigation for the hospitality industry, today announced the addition of two industry veterans to key roles in its expanding US operation – Eric Orkin as Chief of Research and Development and Bernard Ellis as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

d2o is bringing its transformative performance navigation technology to the US, building on its track record in Scandinavia where it holds over 60% market share. Offering a new category of software-as-a-service for the hospitality industry, performance navigation provides real-time revenue and productivity management for hospitality operations that need to continuously balance supply and demand fluctuations across a large number of service and food & beverage departments.

With d2o’s Performance Management Intelligence (PMI) solutions, department heads see their latest business on the books as well as their real-time progress against goals, and have the ability to modify forecast expectations to reflect changing market conditions.  This creates a powerful living platform that guides dynamic decision making as inter-dependent departments optimize their staffing and purchasing levels based on the most current information, and senior management can easily see which departments are off track and need coaching midstream.

“As we started out on this venture in the US, we wanted to tap the experience and insight of innovators who have helped redefine the market before,” said Founder and CEO Young Nguyen, who recently relocated from Norway to the United States to lead the expansion.  “Eric and Bernard stood shoulders above others in their understanding of the industry and how to translate transformative technology and practices into positive outcomes for hoteliers.”

As Chief of Research and Development, Eric Orkin will advance d2o’s offerings with even more sophisticated forecasting science as well as ensure that the technology evolves with the unique needs of the US market.  Best known as the founder of Delphi Management Systems and OPUS2 Revenue Technologies, Orkin has been pivotal in shaping today’s hotel performance concepts and has been a trusted consultant to the world’s major brands as well as a thought leader to the industry as a whole.  A member of the HFTP Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame, he attended the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, and has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Performance navigation is a new concept for hotels and the approach is truly game changing,” said Orkin.  “It transforms performance management from a deadline-driven reporting event into a continuous process that engages teams and systems as it integrates with each department’s daily workflow.”

As Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bernard Ellis will drive US market penetration of d2o’s transformative technology.  With twenty years of experience in hotel revenue management, distribution and operations, Ellis connects with the US hotelier – on both the strategic and tactical levels.  Most recently, he was IDeaS’ Managing Director for the Americas, heading the successful broad market penetration of the company’s revenue management solutions, which resulted in its acquisition by SAS.  Prior to IDeaS, he held executive roles first with Micros-Fidelio, then later at SynXis, now part of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, where he led sales and business development to build a customer base of over 6,500 hotels.  He graduated from the College of William and Mary, and holds a Master’s degree from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

“d2o’s solutions bring a new paradigm to the industry,” added Ellis.  “Continuous reforecasting will become second nature to department users as they navigate through changes in market demand on a real-time basis.  And what was formerly just the purview of the revenue manager – dynamic performance management — will now be embraced by the rest of the enterprise, eliminating waste.”

About d2o

d2o is the innovator of performance navigation, real-time revenue and productivity management for the global hospitality industry.  Powered by enterprise engagement, d2o transforms decision making through dynamic interaction between people, systems and data.  Delivering the right data to the right people at the right time, d2o helps guide hotels to optimize efficiency at targeted performance levels across the hospitality organization.  d2o’s innovative and engaging solutions leverage existing property management, point-of-sale, sales and catering, time and attendance, and business intelligence applications, adding new capabilities for dynamic collaboration, staff coaching, and resource waste elimination. Founded in Norway in 2000, d2o has offices in Europe and the United States serving its expanding global customer base of leading hotel chains, independents, and management companies. For more information, go to www.d2o.biz.

CONTACT
Katrina Pruitt-Andrews
KPA Marketing & PR
+1 301.704.4087
kpadrews@comcast.net

• d2o Leadership Team
• d2o Business Achievements

Asker company d2o stands as the only Akerhus Company on Gazelle list for 6th time this year. Throughout the country (Norway) there are only 22 of gazelles that have been just as long. The company, which is also established in the United States, has grown to sell performance management solutions to the hotel industry. Young Ngoc Nguyen is the founder and CEO.

Gazelle (business) is a term introduced by the newspaper Dagens Industry for Norwegian companies with proper economy and steady revenue growth over several years. Of all active businesses with turnover above 1 million, only about 5% that makes this designation each year. Today’s Business selects annually Gazelle Companies by these criteria:

• submitted approved accounts
• at least doubled sales over four years
• turnover of over a million the first year
• positive operating profit
• avoided negative growth
• organized as a limited company

• Source: Dagens Næringsliv, Financial Newspaper 27 October 2011

With the awards in its first year, the HSMAI European Travel Marketer Awards 2011 recognizes both leading experts and industry professionals for their exemplary work within the hospitality sector and the up-and-coming talents of the young professionals bringing an innovative and fresh approach to an fast-growing industry.

• Read more: HSMAI European Travel Marketer Awards 2011

The_vision
“With the technology today, we don’t need reporting deadlines. We need information faster than before.”

You need real-time access to information, rather than just at the Monday morning meeting with your managers. The product is designed to enable your organization to make the planning, forecasting and budgeting process more accurate, efficient and fun.

The problem
Current decision making processes in hotels are often not logical. To order a $50 item, three signatures are often needed on the purchase order. So you have a lot of managers putting expenses on their credit cards.

Additionally, there is confusion on the part of managers in where they stand in relation to their goals and targets for the year. Matching resources to targets is important.

The solution
We empower people to make decisions before it’s too late. Rather than making a business intelligence database, we designed a “real-time planning cockpit” for each decision maker.

The first thing they focus is the top line revenue, the occupancy – and then the resources linked to that. So we track three elements in Performance Management Intelligence suite (PMI): revenue/occupancy, food costs, labor costs.

What our customers do in the morning is login to PMI and see how the cost forecasts match up with performance.

• Source: Hotel Marketing Strategies, by Josiah Mackenzie on December 18, 2010

In_my opening statement I focused on our vision, objects, values and purposes and, but not least, various HSMAI concepts and activities planned for HSMAI Europe.

Mr. Michael Nowlis, London Business School and member of the HSMAI European Advisory Board, gave an interesting presentation of industry trends, followed by a long – and good – discussion, including several proposals to be incorporated in our forthcoming market plan.

A mandate was presented to the group:

• Mandate: The Advisory Board will act as HSMAI’s eyes and ears to the market, give advice and help HSMAI fulfil its vision to become the leading meeting place for the travel and hospitality industry in Europe. Furthermore, they will be ambassadors of HSMAI, and will, through their own network and the network of their peers, assist actively in recruiting members to HSMAI.

/

The group’s next scheduled meeting will take place in London Friday 6 May, the day after the HSMAI European Travel Awards, also in London, to be held at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel Thursday 5 May.

Eventually the HSMAI Europe Advisory Board will consist of more than 20 esteemed leaders from across Europe. Given the central position of HSMAI in Norway, we will have several representatives from this chapter. Several hotels, airline companies, etc. from international chains and individual actors from all over Europe will be invited to participate. We will, however, make an effort to achieve the right mix of male and female members.

The_ final composition of the group is set to March 2011, but we are very pleased to introduce the current board:

• Carl Weldon, Managing Director BAHA, UK
• Martin Jørgensen, CEO – Chief Executive Officer Net Trans, Norway
• Michael Nowlis, Director, London Business School, UK
• Robin Kamark, CCO SAS, Sweden
• Terje Olsen, Head of Sales Nordic, HRG Nordic, Norway
• Young N. Nguyen CEO, d2o, Norway

/

With everything going on in Europe these are very exciting times, which will benefit members in all countries, and expectations of HSMAI Europe are high.

Please make sure to reserve Monday 7 February already now for the HSMAI Revenue Management & Internet Marketing Strategy Conference, as well as Thursday 5 May for the HSMAI European Travel Awards.

We will get back to details on submitting contributions to the awards at a later stage.
Meanwhile we wish you all a very happy holiday season.

Sincerely,
Ingunn Hofseth
President & CEO, HSMAI Europe

• Source: HSMAI Europe, 15 December, 2010 by Ingunn Hofseth

The PMI system has been heavily involved in the Norwegian hotel industry for several years. The company, d2o, has about 60% of the Norwegian market. Now the cost and revenue management system has gained access into the National Agency for Higher Education, writes Peter Wiederstrøm in HRR no.8.

The company d2o – not to mention its principal owner and founder, Young Ngoc Nguyen – are in demand like never before. A new milestone was reached in autumn when Finnmark College drove initiated a curriculum in which students are introduced to the practical use of the PMI system. With the team’s from Rica Hotels, also the first major Norwegian d2o customer.

CEO. Young Ngoc Nguyen tells about the background of the University College commitment.

– Firstly, this is something that the industry has requested, as the PMI system is so widespread. For a large part of the industry this has become a standard, and something that did not exist previously. Another reason is that we will tie into the academic environment and research. The third is a dream and vision that PMI will be a standard, not only at Norwegian hotels, but in the hotel industry in general.

The first tourism students at the University College of Finnmark have already been inducted with PMI training, and they have been through a mix of plenary lectures and independent study with practical application. In addition, key personnel from Rica Hotels lectured on how the system is used in daily operations.

The essential issue is that students will gain a solid sense of how PMI is used in “real life”. Theory and practice go hand in hand, in other words. The scheme is sewn together in this way:

d2o company has, in collaboration with the University College, prepared a business case based on a variety of real and vibrant hotels. Students have been able to exercise the acquired knowledge and skills in the use of PMI, General Revenue Management, Productivity and Cost Management.

Entirely positive experiences

Finnmark University College, is very satisfied with the project that was recently completed.

– So far, our experience is entirely positive. It’s great to work with a company that is based on theoretical and practical knowledge and have created a system that uses this expertise. This has been a great program for students who have used their theoretical training in a practical context, “said Department of Tourism, Hotel Management and the Media, Arild Røkenes.

Incredibly important for the daily operation

Rica Hotels has been involved in the educational design that d2o and Finnmark University College have put together. Regional Director for Finnmark, Knut Sigurd Pettersen, sees a great value in the connection to the National Agency for Higher Education.

– We have learned to love the PMI in that it is incredibly important to our daily operations. Therefore, we believe it is very important that those going into this industry has insight into the system. The educational plan for the University College has been very good. Through dialogue the University College gets input and ideas to develop the program. We get access to more skilled personnel, also by offering internships to students. In this way we complement each other.

• Source: HRRnet (Hotell, Restaurant & Reiseliv) BY HKP – DECEMBER 6, 2010
• Source: Article as PDF (in Norwegian)

The Norwegian Newspaper Budstikka had a three page article about me last saturday. It is a portrait of me when I came to Norway as a boat refugee and about my will to win as well as d2o’s (deadline 2 online as) plans to expand into the U.S. market.

Askeladden (Ash Lad) is the main character  in many Norwegian folktales. In some ways, he represents the small man who succeeds where all others fail. He always wins in the end, often winning the princess and half the kingdom  (From Wikipedia).

• Source: Budstikka, 27/11 2010, Stig Solheim and Johanne Thorseth (Photo).
• Here you can read the full article as a PDF  (Norwegian)
• Related article: Boat Refugee Manages the Hotel Industry
• Askeladden on Wikipedia

10 students at the University of Finnmark have received a head start in the job hunting queue after they have completed training in the professional hotel management program PMI.

(ADVANTAGE: Lana Stock (left) and Silje Kjellmo Johansen are studying for a bachelors degree in Hotel Administration. This spring, they completed their studies. Now they have learned to use the hotel management tool PMI and this gives them an advantage when they will start to search for jobs. PMI courses are only offered in the University College of Finnmark. Photo: Inger Elin Utsi)

Since 26 October, 10 students at the University College of Finnmark managed their own hotel using the online computer program PMI. Today, 65 percent of all hotels in Norway are using PMI, but it’s the first time that an educational program in Norway offers this training to students. PMI keeps track of room bookings, budgeting, forecasting, accounting, staffing, procurement of food and drink and everything else that the hotel management must keep track to operate as efficiently as possible.

Impressed with the students
- It has been very educational and informative, said student Lana Stock (21). She and the other fellow students were first trained, then ran, their own hotel for two weeks.

- In fact, they managed a real hotel that is in operation today. We collected data from five hotels in Europe, including Rica, Thon and two other chain hotels, as well as individual hotels. Students were told which hotel they ran, says Chief Education Officer at d2o, Kjell Gangdal. His daily occupation is to educate hotel managers around the world in the use of PMI. He is impressed with the students’ efforts.

- They have been very clever and have operated hotels exceeding all expectations, he said. To motivate students to use PMI the school had a competition where the best “Hotel Manager” among students receive a trip to a big hotel in Brussels to see how PMI is used to organize the operation.

- It has been a close competition and the students have really worked hard, “said Gangdal. But it was tourism student Trine Møller (24) from London who drew the longest straw. – It has been incredibly exciting to get an insight into hotel management, she says. In the months of January / February she is going to Brussels. – It is very exciting, “she says and looks forward to the journey.

(Known in the industry: Kjell R. Gangdal teaches students about the use of PMI. PMI is the computer program most hotels in Norway use in the administration of their hotels. Photo: Inger Elin Outsiders)

Should have it in your CV
- To teach students PMI is a really good initiative from the school, continues Møller. This spring she finished her bachelor’s degree in tourism. She will be applying for jobs, and she has plans to use the course diploma actively in the job application process. The same scenario with Lana Stock, which will receive a bachelor’s degree in hotel administration.

- This course will be added to my CV. I am very proud to know PMI. This is a boost for us that these students entered the program, she said. Silje Kjellmo Johansson (24) from Kirkenes currently works at Thon Hotel in Alta at the front desk while studying. She sees only the benefits of being able to use and understand PMI, for it is a tough competition to get jobs in hotel industry. – Today there are only two persons at Thon in Alta that know PMI, and now I know as well, she smiles and thinks this gives her a head start in her career.

Will continue the scheme
Arild Røkenes department head at the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Media Studies, is pleased to hear the positive feedback from students. – Experiences so far are entirely positive – the students have demonstrated that theoretical knowledge can be translated into practical skills and they have also been tested in their leadership skills. It has been gratifying to observe such a high commitment from the students and not least that the results are to be proud of.

Teachers at the course have a clear goal to continue the scheme, this is also an obvious desire of the industry to utilize this knowledge. We thank Rica hotels Finnmark which have made the pilot project possible through financial support, “said Røkenes.

- I hope that the college will continue to provide this service to students. This is one of the most practice-oriented courses I have had over the years I have studied here, “says Lana Stock, who is from St. Petersburg, Russia. Now she focuses on a career in the hotel industry. – I have already hung my diploma on the wall, she boasts proudly.

(DIPLOMA: For the first time students in Norway received training in the professional hotel management utility of PMI. The students have provided feedback to the college that this is a very good measure.)

• Source article in Norwegian: Høgskolen i Finnmark, 26/11/2010 24:25 posted by Inger Elin Utsi

d2o and its solution PMI, is the only product and company which have been nominated in three different categories: Usability; Creativity; and IT-leader of the Year.

Mr. Ola Furu, CEO of Capgemini, received the IT-leader of the Year award for his strong and visible leadership. Mr. Young N. Nguyen, CEO of d2o was honorably acknowledged with second place.

The distinction which ranks higher than all others, The Honorary Award, this year it was given to: Mr. Dag Belsnes, Mr. Yngvar Lund and Mr. Pål Spilling. Mr. Vinton Verf, Internet Evangelist in Google, created the Internet along with Robert Kahn. Mr. Cerf congratulated the three gentlemen at the Rosing IT Award Ceremony. Mr. Cerf finished off by saying: “Without the help of these three Norwegians; Pål Spilling, Yngvar Lund and Dag Belsnes, they might never have succeeded.”

The Rosing Awards are presented each year by the Norwegian Computer Society to honor the best in Norwegian IT. The Society’s Creativity Award was presented for the first time in 1991, and in 1993. This award was named after the Norwegian data pioneer Fredrik Rosing Bull. As early as in 1921, he created the first hole card systems based on patents that later became the basis for the Bull IT-company. The prize ceremony is regarded as the Norwegian IT industry’s answer to the Oscar Ceremony. The prize is highly ranked, and enjoys great recognition in the Norwegian IT-community.

About d2o
d2o – “deadline 2 online” – is a hospitality industry innovator in integrated software solutions. Its Performance Management Intelligence (PMI) suite enables hotel and resort department heads to “think like a CFO” and intelligently manage their daily. PMI eliminates the stress of daily, weekly, and monthly reporting deadlines by improving delivery of performance information. PMI Revenue and Productivity and PMI Planning enhance and integrate currently installed standalone solutions. PMI combines data on labor and food cost productivity, rolling daily revenue forecasting, and budget planning into a single system.

Founded in 2000 and based in Norway, d2o has won numerous international business awards for dramatic growth. Awards include the Deloitte Norway Technology Fast50 every year since 2007 and Deloitte EMEA Technology Fast500; the Gazelle Company award for fast growing, profitable Norwegian companies every year since 2006; the highest financial reliability rating of AAA from Dun & Bradstreet every year since 2005; and HSMAI Award for Service Company of the Year 2009. Clients include Hyatt, Radisson, Best Western, Choice Hotels, Golden Tulip, Prince Resorts Hawaii, Rica Hotels and WORLDHOTELS. For more information on d2o, please visit www.d2o.biz or contact Young N. Nguyen at +47 900 80 123.

• Article Source: Dataforeningen.no