EU BUSINESS NEWS / European Travel Awards 2022 7 Bruno Thies' son – Hilmar Thies – joined the company as sales manager and authorised signatory and continuously expanded the company together with André. Over the subsequent years, the dynamic duo built a range of city tours into the portfolio and add a tourism company to the group of companies. Today, it is André’s daughter, Heike Januzi-Schlatermund, who reigns as the Chief Executive Officer of all subsidiaries of the group, which now includes: AGT Busvermietung & Touristik GmbH into AGT Bus- & Eventlogistik GmbH, Hamburg Citytours (HCT), Busguru, Sightseeing Kontor (SK), Grindelberg travel agency, and a real estate company. Heike tells us a little more about the firm and what it is that differentiates it from its competitors. “AGT stands out due to its unique selling proposition, which provides an all-round service,” she explains. “Accordingly, the customer is not only offered a simple transfer, but much more a whole concept, which is based on all individual needs and wishes of the customer.” There are various additional services that customers can add-on to their booking, such as a host service, the organisation of hotel accommodations, bus branding, on-site coordination, as well as catering on the trip and at an event. The fleet at AGT includes an impressive range of different vehicles, such as sedans, vans and minibuses for small groups up to 18 passengers. Midi and long-distance buses (including XL versions) and double-deckers are offered for larger groups of 30-89 passengers. In addition, the fleet includes rarities such as a vintage bus, a tour bus, an American school bus and even an armoured limousine. “On top of this, the company’s bus fleet has also been expanded to include sustainable vehicles such as hybrid buses and electric buses,” Heike continues. “Private jets have also been offered since the beginning of 2022 and the customer thus has the option of booking a flight including airport transfers, with the armoured limousine if desired, all from a single source.” In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, AGT was quick to protect the lives and safety of its dedicated and loyal customers, adding work transport and employee shuttles to its service portfolio as a safe transport option for companies. “Demand grew so quickly that within a short time the company was transporting some 10,000 people a day to remote locations,” Heike elaborates. “At the same time, we also supplied a large number of bus partners with orders and protected them from the negative effects caused by the lockdown.” The biggest goal of AGT Bus- & Eventlogistik was, on the one hand, to ensure the company's safety for its employees during the pandemic, because employees are the most important resource for any company. On the other hand, it was to save long-standing bus partners from insolvency. “For the company it was of great importance not only to protect itself, but also to support the industry as best as possible, because tourism has been hit hard,” Heike enthuses. Recently, the firm was recognised in the European Travel Awards 2022 for its diligence and commitment to its employees and clients during the Coronavirus pandemic and rewarded for its hard work by being bestowed with the prestigious title of Best Bus & Event Logistics Company in Hamburg. This accolade is testament to the hard work of Heike, the firm and its staff members, but the achievements don’t stop there. In 2021, AGT seized the opportunity and underwent restructuring that put the company on an equal footing in both the private and commercial sectors. Now, what started as a family business all those years ago, has finally firmly established itself in the tourism sector and it is fair to say that the future for the company, post pandemic, is looking very bright indeed! Contact: Heike Januzi-Schlatermund Company: AGT Bus- & Eventlogistik GmbH Web Address: https://www.agtlogistik.de/ Best Bus & Event Logistics Company – Hamburg
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjM3