Haman Group

Before you start asking what kind of job I took on or what company I work for, here just a short summary.

Company structure:
Above all stands the Haman Group, a Scandinavian tour operator with offices in Norway (Oslo), Sweden (Stockholm) and Denmark (Copenhagen) and with Anette Karlsson as CEO.
Under this umbrella of the Haman Group operate the following companies:



1.) Haman Scandinavia: dealing with incoming FIT = Foreign Individual Travellers in the Oslo office and with groups in the Stockholm office
[Read more]

2.) Terra Nova Scandinavia: divided into three departments:
a. the outgoing department
b. another incoming FIT department and
c. the incoming group department
[Read more]

3.) Authentic Scandinavia: the online tour operator of the Haman Group, specialist for packaged tours to Scandinavia
[Read more]

4.) Scandinavian Image: the inhouse Destination Management Company offering "Meetings Incentives Conventions and Events"-services throughout Scandinavia
[Read more]


All offices of those companies focus on different target markets. That is also the difference between Haman Scandinavia and Terra Nova. Both deal with individuals and groups. But while Terra Nova is specialised on the South European markets like Italy, Spain, France etc., Haman Scandinavia works with clients from other countries (e.g. Germany, UK, Holland, Russia etc.)

I'm actually employed by Terra Nova and assigned to its group department which organises trips of mainly French and Italians to Scandinavia.

In my office room we are currently 4 colleagues: Franck (head of Terra Nova), Stéphanie, the trainee Mélia and me... that is 3 French people plus one German.
Mélia actually created once an organisation chart of Terra Nova which I will use also for my blog for illustration:





The FIT department of Terra Nova consists of Elisa and the trainees Céline and Céline Marie.
Michelle, Charlotte and the trainee Jana (who replaced Ulla) are my colleagues from Haman Scandinavia while Trude leads Authentic Scandinavia. Anne, the accountant is assisted by Mery and on the other side of the office Maria, Sara and Wiebke take care of the MICE clients. Last but not least, Egil and Odd Arve are part of Terra Nova in the outgoing department.
(I might add some pictures of my colleagues later, but at the moment I don't have a picture of everyone.)

My position at Terra Nova is "tour production assistant". I got assigned all groups running this year 2009 (since my arrival about 80). Some of my tasks here are:

• to ensure that all services for those groups are booked (hotels, cruises, dinners & lunches, activities, transfers, entrances in parks/museums/farms/churches...) and especially correct
• that services are cancelled on time (otherwise fees apply)
• that deadlines are met with regards to the distribution of important information to suppliers and clients
• the preparation of necessary travel documents (carnets de voyage) for clients, passengers, tour guides and suppliers
• at the airport: assistance and coordination on the spot with arrivals and departures on charter tuesdays
  
• organisation of charter transfers
• working on the bookings for 2010
  
• and of course chasing after un-answered emails, urgent info, pending booking requests or still outstanding roominglists and so much more
  
• and last but not least some annoying paper work together with a lot of coordination

All in all I really do like it. A very good first experience. And the working atmosphere is very very pleasant among all of the colleagues. I really do like coming to the office in the mornings.

Another nice aspect is the common lunch. Each day there is one person on kitchen duty meaning that this person goes to the supermarket and takes care of the lunch preparation for the whole office staff. So we have lunch all together.

Oh, and very nice as well - I nearly forgot to mention it: the massages we get about every second week :-)