ITIJ Awards 2016!

On November 3 the International Travel Industry Journal (ITIJ) will commence its ITIJ Europe Berlin conference with its annual Awards Dinner Gala.  The night will be especially exciting for New Frontier Group as I am honored to announce that we are a finalist in 2 award categories – Cost Containment/Claims Management Company of the Year and ITIJ Marketing Campaign of the Year.

This is a first for New Frontier Group and it comes after a yearlong process to grow our company. Since category finalists are determined by the greatest number of votes placed by our clients, peers and industry affiliates being a finalist reinforces that our hard work is paying off.

To be a finalist in the category of Cost Containment/Claims Management Company of the Year means more to me than I could possibly express.  Just over a year ago, I took a hard look at where New Frontier Group was and where I envisioned its future.

I examined EVERY aspect of our business from the name of the company to the day to day operations to our marketing outreach. I analyzed every detail of our cost containment process, our arbitration and negotiations.  I set goals for the highest possible standard, to go the extra mile by reaching out and evaluating outcomes.

This process took a tremendous amount of time, countless meetings, endless discussions and a significant financial commitment. Throughout the process, I never once doubted that New Frontier Group was a premier Cost Containment company, with a stellar team of dedicated staff members offering an innovative level of services and arbitration unlike anyone else’s offerings in the travel and health insurance industry. So with that confidence, I set forth to do whatever was necessary to elevate New Frontier Group as a major force in the travel and health insurance industry on a global level.

While changes were discussed, one thing I knew that would absolutely not change was New Frontier Group’s core foundation as an independently owned company which customizes its total solutions cost containment service to meet the individual needs of our clients.  I knew we would not be consolidating with any other companies or seeking investors. We take our charter very seriously and pay close attention to each customer’s needs and request.  We also pay close attention to the latest industry developments in both the medical and insurance fields, worldwide, with special emphasis to the United States where the medical and insurance industry is complex and complicated. To be acknowledged as a Cost Containment / Claims Management Company of the Year finalist is proof that clients recognize that we are a reliable, trustworthy, and quality organization.  When we commit to doing something for our clients, we stand behind our word and do it!

Without a strong marketing plan, we would just be sitting on the Best Kept Secret in the industry. To be selected a finalist for the ITIJ Marketing Campaign of the Year, proves the SECRET is out! As I started thinking about plans to grow New Frontier Group, I knew we would need to map out a marketing strategy that would help us achieve both our short term and long term goals.

Once we selected a marketing partner, we spent hours and hours utilizing their expertise; we incorporated ideas which we knew to match our growth vision for New Frontier Group. Every innovation we put into place needed to support our new marketing goals.

Although each strategy of our marketing efforts were reviewed individually, they were far from independent from one another.  Each was a stepping stone that was designed to unify our message and services. In order to maximize our exposure to new clients and reintroduce our new look to current clients every aspect of design and content was evaluated.

The optimization of our search engine and website took center stage.  It is simply not enough to have a site. The new design and review of content did not come easily or quickly. Our new site truly reflects the New Frontier Group brand and meets our business objectives.  The feedback we have received from site visitors and clients has been extremely positive, including the implementation of my blog.

Last but far from least in our marketing efforts was to aggressively expand our business alliances. Not only did we network with our national associates and affiliates but we also pursued a global outreach to our valued travel and industry health insurance partners.  This effort involved many conversations, significant travel and most of all patience. The ITIJ conferences have been pivotal in our networking efforts. Each conference setting provides us the opportunity to introduce New Frontier Group to new prospects as well as meet face to face with our current clients and discuss how our concierge of services can continue to best serve them.

I won’t deny standing at the podium on November 3 to accept an award on behalf of everyone at New Frontier Group would be phenomenal. There are a few lines in the poem “The Victor”, by C.W. Longenecker that best express my feelings about the journey New Frontier has gone through over the last year.  He writes:

You’ve got to think high to rise

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before you can even win a prize

So although our growth plans are just getting started, I confidently declare New Frontier Group will continue to “think high”. We will continue to raise the bar of excellence for our clients and keep our eye on the real prize which is to be a member of this outstanding and committed travel and health industry.