In celebration of “The Year of the Mobile Employee”
Highlights from the Graebel 2021 Partner Alliance Conference
Graebel’s 21st Partner Alliance conference was held virtually on October 5-6. Registration was up significantly compared to last year and approximately 250 participants engaged in each of the 30- to 60-minute sessions. Attendees also “networked” virtually after hours in web social groups.
This year’s theme, “The Year of the Mobile Employee,” was very appropriate. Mobile employee journeys over the past 18 months have been challenging to say the least. Together with all of our partners, we acknowledged the courage and commitment of these employees. The Conference focused on issues from the mobile employee’s perspective, with content and outcomes aimed at improving their experience.
In his opening remarks, SVP of Global Supplier Development Andrew Pierce reflected on the extraordinary accomplishments of our partners in a year where little was ordinary. He noted that, “Like Graebel, you’ve faced extraordinary challenges and we applaud your resilience and innovation in overcoming these obstacles – and in remaining steadfast partners through it all.”
Andrew also reported on several areas of IT evolution at Graebel, including the launch of our Innovation Hub initiative. The Innovation Hub is our repository of information about the amazing service innovations in all the verticals represented by our partners. We’re eager to hear about more of these process breakthroughs in the months ahead.
Chairman and CEO Bill Graebel also welcomed the attendees. He echoed Andrew’s admiration for the recent work of our partner companies around the globe saying, “We are incredibly grateful for your continued focus on all of the little and big things that make for a successful experience. When you consider the challenges you and your organizations have faced throughout the course of 2021, your successes are nothing short of amazing.”
Panel and roundtable sessions included opportunities for our partners to provide us valuable feedback on our programs and ways to further enhance a mobile employee’s journey. Attendees also explored the state of the mobility industry from three perspectives: Graebel Account Managers, Graebel partners and Graebel clients. A consistent theme in these sessions was that mobility programs remain centrally important to our clients, and agile support for the needs of mobile employees has never been more critical.
We’d like to extend our thanks to MSS, UNIRISC and Gallagher Transport for their sponsorship of this year’s Partner Alliance Conference.
We look forward to seeing our partners from around the globe next year at the 22nd Partner Alliance Conference in Denver in October 2022.
We’d also like to recognize and congratulate our 2021 award winners:
Superior Quality Achievement Awards - Recognizing the Partners in key service categories who demonstrate the highest level of service excellence in support of our clients as recorded in mobile employee surveys.
> Relocation Services — Americas Winner: Synergy Global Housing
Honorable Mention: CORT Business Services Corporation
> Relocation Services — EMEA / Asia Pacific Winner: Intouch Marketing Consultants
Honorable Mention: Palladium Mobility Group
> Move Management Winner: Schiele Enterprises, Inc.
Honorable Mention: Alexander's Mobility Service
> International Transportation Services Winner: PM Relocations Pvt Ltd.
Honorable Mention: Irish Relocation Services, Limited
Graebel Choice Awards – Acknowledging the Partners in key service categories who achieve the highest quality scores as reported by Graebel consultants, coordinators and account managers.
Relocation Services - Americas Winner: LARM
Honorable Mention: Dwellworks
Relocation Services – EMEA / Asia Pacific Winner: Landplus Mobility Solutions Pte Ltd.
Honorable Mention: EO Mobility Consultancy SL
Move Management Winner: Schiele Enterprises, Inc.
Honorable Mention: Atlantic Moving & Storage, Inc.
International Transportation Services Winner: Yokohama System Mover Co LTD.
Honorable Mention: The Family Movers (S) Pte Ltd.
Compliance Excellence – Recognizing the Partner’s commitment to compliance performance improvement throughout their organization.
Winner: SwitchPlace
Environmental Stewardship – Awarded to the Partner who demonstrates a unique commitment to innovation in sustainability.
Winner: Budd Van Lines, Inc.
Honorable Mention: Dwellworks
Fresh Ideas – Recognizing the Partner who invests in an innovative business solution tailored to enhance the experience for mobile employees and corporate mobility professionals.
Winner: Auris Relocation AG
Outstanding Insights - Honors the Partner who invests time and resources in knowledge-sharing with Graebel that positively influences the customer experience or global mobility processes.
Winner: Newland Chase
Pacesetter Award – Awarded to the Partner who demonstrates the highest degree of collaboration in promoting Graebel to secure new business opportunities.
Winner: Ace Relocation Systems, Inc.
APEX Award – Bestowed to the Partner who exemplifies the principle of working together with the Graebel team consistently and at multiple levels within the organization.
Throughout this challenging year, our partners never failed to deliver excellent service to support mobile employee journeys, navigating and succeeding in an unprecedented operating environment. They simultaneously kept the lights on, managed a remote or partially remote workforce and yet somehow delivered excellent customer service. Every organization in consideration for this year’s award faced these circumstances.
Winner: The entire Graebel Partner Alliance network