Singapore Business Awards 2021

4 APAC / Singapore Awards 2021 , A boutique travel agency that focuses on delivering an impeccable and unforgettable travel experience to its clients, Sonnenkind is a trail-blazing forward thinker in its industry. Complimentary to impressive, curated programs for HNWI, Sonja Piontek and her team are known for their high impact brand building campaigns and incentive programs for powerful influences in the corporate world such as Leica Camera, Land Rover, Cycle and Carriage, and Lamborghini. The agency entered the market in 2018, but despite being a relatively young company, it has not only gained the trust of these renown brands but also that of leading publications – resulting in regular media coverage in travel, lifestyle and luxury magazines such as Portfolio, National Geographic or World Travel Magazine. Founder and CEO Sonja Piontek looks back on an impressive executive career background and has gained an in depth and broad knowledge of how to deal with HNWI and how to effectively build premium brands. Early 2018, she left the corporate world as Director of Marketing for none other than BMW Asia and set off to pursue her dreams. Today, Sonja is not only an award-winning marketer and the driving force behind Sonnenkind but also an acclaimed global keynote speaker and bestselling author on UltraCreativity. What is it that clients love most about Sonnenkind? It is the combination of truly unforgettable experiences, of unexpected moments, impeccable service and a full focus on creating maximum return on investment for the client without an overinflated price tag. “I have never experienced anything like this before” is a sentence Sonja and the team hear from their clients regularly. Be it during a visit to the Mongolian Nomads where guests learned to build a gher tent that was later gifted to the Nomads resulting in a heartfelt “tent-warming-party” that left few without tears or be it lobster fishing by helicopter followed by an open- air BBQ high up in the New Zealand Alps – Sonnenkind will always surprise. Sonnenkind will forever create unforgettable experiences and Sonnenkind will continue to deeply touch people’s hearts. Sonja herself is known in the industry to challenge the status quo and to come up with unusual but highly effective ideas. For Land Rover Asia Pacific, Sonnenkind developed an incredible off-road drive experience through New Zealand – taking a group of 50 VIP customers and press way off the beaten track to places most Leading Influencer in Branding & Marketing 2021: Sonja Piontek Despite its relative youth, boutique travel agency Sonnenkind has been prolific in both gathering a list of highly influential clients and in gaining the trust of big corporate influences worldwide. CEO Sonja Piontek reflects onwhat has gone into the making of its success. Jan21363 Kiwis had never been to and thus beating all NZ based agencies in the pitch. For Cycle & Carriage’s 150th anniversary campaign, Sonnenkind set themselves apart from six competing agencies by coming up with yet another unique idea: a sales campaign that resulted in 150 esteemed customers of C&C being taken on an Exceptional Journey to Mongolia and Nepal. “Creating experiences is the best way to turn customers into fans” is something Sonja Piontek has learned over the course of her career. “If you can then also combine a brand campaign with an effective sales promotion it is where the magic really happens.” Sonnenkind ensures its notoriety in the industry comes from the trust and outstanding results it garners in those work relationships. This makes for excellent word of mouth reviews that find their way around the upper echelons of the corporate world and result in more business for Sonnenkind. Further, much of its business is based on the founder’s own network of contacts and her impeccable standing in the market. As a trusted figure, HNWI, big brands and the key thinkers behind them recognise Sonnenkind as a company that thoroughly understands what they seek. Of course, on the way to success there is always challenge – and for Sonnenkind, the past year has seen Covid-19 present many of these. The pandemic severely impacted the tourism industry, with restrictions making international travel almost completely impossible. Whilst juggling to survive the past year, Sonnenkind used the time in a productive manner and developed new programs that will help get them out of the most challenging of times. These include a VIP Drive Experience to Germany with an exclusive car manufacturer, Coaching Journeys to the local tribes of Namibia and Mongolia, Executive Learning Journeys to Europe for Asian CXOs / Entrepreneurs as well as a series of private Safaris through Namibia. “People are so hungry to travel again and now more than ever before do they deserve extraordinary and truly meaningful experiences” says Sonja Piontek, who herself cannot wait for borders to be fully open again so she can continue to create magic on her clients’ behalf. Company: Sonnenkind Pte Ltd Contact: Sonja Piontek (Founder & CEO) Website: www.sonnenkind.com.sg Email: [email protected]