Five Senses

History

The Five Senses concept was born in the late 2000s when Mr Bras was managing shopping centres, and the level of the provided information was so crucial for the successful operations of the business.

Later as the Chairman and CEO of one of the largest ports in Greece, he had the opportunity to develop the concept further and create test projects that proved the model.

Since 2016 the company has assisted more than 100 ports/destinations worldwide to improve their cruise business, enhance the provided experience and connect better with the local economy. During the pandemic, the company invested in creating a virtual office and grew the business by more than 400%, offering its specialized services globally.

Profile

Our team of experts analyze and offer tailor made products and support for your development within the industry. With more than 20 years of experience we thrive for measurable results and innovation on our solutions in the following areas:

1. Cruise SWOT and Trend Analysis. Analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats both in an “Internal” and “External” environment will identify all those parameters that will assist in identifying, based on the project objectives, the strategy that will meet and exceed the expectations. Also very important is to identify the future trends concerning the new builds, the itineraries and global movements of ships and travel destination perceptions.

2. Representations. Our company prepares presentations and organizes meetings with the industry’s key decision-makers (virtually, on exhibitions and in location) so that all aspects of the port/destination are discussed. In a balanced well-prepared manner, the “Technology” and “Art” aspects of the port/destination are showcased, and all possible questions about operations, excursions and marketing are answered. Our goal is to make sure that each destination will be considered for calls and then to make the calls successful for both the Cruise Line, the Passengers and the Port/Destination making it a win-win-win operation.

3. Cruise ReStart Services. We have been involved in developing the Greek Health protocols and were part of the team that developed the EUHG tool kit (https://cutt.ly/DRft1jO) that allowed the European cruise market to start operations last spring. Currently, we are assisting ports around the world (USA, Canada, UK & Greece) with the development of the port protocols, procedures and measures that will allow for a smooth operation.

4. Destination Performance Measurement (DPM). The Cruise lines measure the ports and destination performance on every call. These measurements are used to score the port and decide upon results for future calls. It is, therefore, essential to know how the port/destination is performing on several vital factors that will allow setting the Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) of the port/destination. In a double measurement process where we measure, analyze, correct & improve and then measure again and in comparison with the cruise lines results, we identify the areas for improvement and suggest changes in the identified areas. We communicate this process to the cruise lines as they fully appreciate seeing the changes that will improve their passengers’ experience.

5. Secret Shopper. Increased customer experience can make all the difference towards a successful cruise call or turnaround operation. The awareness and the flow of appropriate information guided from a purely operational but also from a cultural/historical and gastronomical background of any Cruise port destination can stimulate, if organized correctly, all of the Five Senses and offer a unique service that will transform the visit to an experience.

A Customer-oriented Cruise port should have a straightforward main goal: “Exceed Guest Expectations Every Time”.

As the ports are the first and last point of contact, they play a significant role in the final experience of the passengers. Every port has its challenges, and its operational efficiency is often judged by minor details even though a system of operation might be in place.

We have reversed engineer the process and assess the port/destination performance from an external experts point of view and then, through a structured, detailed process, access the areas that might need improvement to reach a satisfactory level of experience provision. This way, the port will be actively part of the experience offered, and the passengers are receiving this as part of their cruise trip. Throughout the exercise, the performance is measured from an expert’s eye perspective, and then through a formal process, specific areas that need to be improved to reach a satisfactory guest experience are proposed. This process adds significant value and increases the positive outcome of the total experience offered, leading to higher grading from the passengers and more business from the cruise lines.

6. Experience Enhancement Projects. Every port/destination has a story to tell, but very few are proactive in using the local characteristics and enhancing visitors’ experience. It’s all about the level of direct and indirect information that is used to target consciously and unconsciously the consumer habits in a structured way.

At the same time, we must recognize the importance that social media play in creating the means to create moments to be shared.

Our analysis following the Secret shopper visit will propose a series of small projects that will take into account all the above in a very constructive way that will provide a better travel experience for all.

Operational Services
Ship Agency:	No

Servicing
Cruising:	No
Passenger Lines:	No
Yachting:
Cargo:

Services Supplied
Berth booking:	No
Crewing:	No
Lubricant:	No
Fresh Water:	No
Other Supplies:	No

Delivery Conditions
Delivery Point:	No
Delivery Means:	No

Forwarding Agency
Stevedoring:	No
Cargo Handling:	No
Cargo Forwarding:	No
Warehousing:	No
Custom Clearence:	No
Other Operations:

Tourist Services
Shore Excursions:	No
Tour Operator:	No
Travel Agency:	No
Transfers	No
Ticketing:	No

Other
Pre & Post Hotels:	No
Land Programmes:	No
River Cruises:	No

Philosophy

Five Senses Consulting was created with the main purpose of providing specialized services for the development of Cruise Ports, Destinations and Businesses.

We are a boutique consulting company that has strong and lasting relations with the cruise industry, key stakeholders, cruise ports & destinations worldwide. Our Five Senses Experience Model, develops appropriate actions and gives the highest measurable results for visitor satisfaction through the activation of the Historical, Cultural and Gastronomical parameters of the destination by activating all of the Five Senses.

Covered Geographical Area

Globaly

Represented Principals

Ioannis Bras, CEO

Ioannis, started his career in the U.K., after his degree as a Structural Engineer and MSc in Project. Through different positions of responsibility, like PFI projects and Risk Management in the closure of nuclear reactors, he gained extensive knowledge and experience in the Project Management sector. He has also worked in the development of commercial & real estate projects, the development of Shopping Centers, Project Management Services and Development of new projects.

From 2010 and for 6 years he was the head of Heraklion Port Authority S.A. and he was also the Vice-chairman of Hellenic Ports Association. His prime focus was the strategic planning and development of the port and destination, emphasizing on the Cruise Business and the promotion of relationships with all stakeholders. Results of these efforts, among other things, are the 21National and International awards he has won and his recognition as a Seatrade Ports/destinations Ambassador.

He is the Founder and CEO of Five Senses Consulting & Development, a boutique consulting company that specializes in Cruise Development for Ports and destinations and Digital Destination Marketing projects. His business model for Cruise Development Five Senses©, develops appropriate actions and gives the highest measurable results for visitor satisfaction through the activation of Gastronomical, Historical and Cultural parameters of the destination. His new Audit system for passenger experience identifies all areas for improvement and with a detailed special report new projects are being proposed to increase the awareness and experience of the passengers.

Mr. Bras is also the Project Manager responsible for the creation of 33 Seaplane bases for the Region of South Aegean in Greece and a Seatrade Ambassador.

Partners

Vanna Anninou, Performance Analyst

Vanna began her career in 1993 teaching English and to date over 500 students have perfected their knowledge in the English language.

Subsequently, applying the principle of continuous training and improvement, she attended a two-year education program in the field of aviation studies and travel agency where she obtained the IATA title that allowed to work as a tourism specialist applying innovative marketing and sales techniques. She has also worked as a flight attendant for Monarch Airlines where he was a cabin crew officer and participated in the company’s training programs dealing with sales, first aid and customer service.

In 2002 he worked as a Front Desk Manager with a phone and internet service provider where he was responsible for overseeing retail customer service and performance metrics as well as implementing customer experience improvement actions.

Since 2018 she is part of the at Five Senses team with primary responsibility the measurement of the performance at the company’s cruise destinations and also for data analysis for the company’s Cruise Secret Shopper Service.

George Giannakis, Cruise Development

George is a graduate from the Aegean University department of Shipping Trade and Transport. His inclination in shipping led him to attend an additional diploma program majoring in Logistics and International Transportation with the ultimate goal of being an expert in research and development.

He has been active in the fields of shipping and cruise with an focus on SWOT & Trend Analysis, and Nautical Port Evaluations. He is also responsible for the development of the Cruise Excursions Books and he is part of the Secret Shopper Team.