60 seconds with… Mutika’s Gabriele Finocchio
Born in Sicily and raised by a family who loves to travel, Gabriele is the director of sales & marketing at Mutika Group and is fascinated by the many facets of tourism.
Since his first experience working with luxury hotels in Taormina (Sicily), he hasn’t looked back: earning an undergraduate and master’s degree in Trieste before moving on to work at the prestigious Armani Hotels & Resorts in Milan and gaining experience in the US to understand the hotel industry at a deeper level.
His love for his home country brought him back to Italy and he joined the Mutika team in 2015, where he aims to: “bring energy and passion to achieve best results for my clients, partners and team every day.”
Gabriele will be attending inVOYAGE 2019 in Monaco on 6-9 October.
Brand promise…
Mutika EMC is an Experience Management Company! We do not consider ourselves a DMC because we feel experiences are the most important way to create unique emotions. Mutika is a great place to work and we are a team of passionate individuals who feel empowered and believe in the company and its values and love Italy.
We all have one goal; to drive desired behaviour and create awe-inspiring experiences, providing return on objectives to our clients. We work extremely hard and know how to have some fun along the way, as well as celebrating our achievements.
What’s #trending in 2019?
The hot trend for MICE is to guarantee new experiences! No matter if you are in Italy for a conference or a meeting or an incentive, the most important thing is to deliver the message of a unique and unrepeatable experience.
Italy is always one of the most requested destinations with the beauties of Venice, Rome, Florence, the Amalfi Coast remaining popular. But clients are also looking for different destinations like Milan (with its historical and contemporary beauties), Sardinia, Apulia, Matera (the 2019 European Capital of Culture) and Sicily (south east) with its baroque of Modica, Scicli, Ragusa and Noto.
Luxury defined in 140 characters…
Luxury is not simply lavish accommodations and sumptuous dining, or at least no longer in a world where those comforts are accessible to many of our clients. One way to define luxury from my personal point of view is the EXPERIENCE.
Townhouse or treehouse?
Both! The most important thing to me is an authentic experience everywhere I go! And thanks to my passion (my work) I have enjoyed all sorts of accommodations and, of course, experiences.
The bucket list
Vietnam, Cuba and of course Italy (in my beloved nation there are millions of corners to be discovered every day!)
Old fave
Colonna Gallery in Rome. It’s stunning!
Last meal
At Torre restaurant at Prada Museum where food and cocktails are mouth-watering and the skyline view of Milan the perfect frame! But I also love the 3Ps: Pasta, Pesto sauce and Parmesan cheese!
Aperol or agua?
Aperol Spritz for aperitif, Prosecco Franciacorta for dinner and Amara as digestive.
Proud moment
Without a doubt it was the moment when one of the most influential client in the industry (who still didn’t know about us), told us “You are the first DMC that in few minutes of presentation and with just one transfer from the Airport to Milan, listened to our requests and used your imagination to know how to achieve our goal. This was our proudest moment in our professional life!
Bragging rights…
It was arrivals day for 300 or our guests in Milan and the city was totally closed for the Giro d’Italia (International bike competition). The best result was being able to open a square in Milan (closed for everyone: citizens and tourists) in partnership with the Local Police and the Prefect. Not even the Hotel GM could access! But only our guests have arrived at their destination without delay or complains.
It’s all in the detail…
It is all in ONE detail … listen to your end client and take note about everything! This is the smallest detail (very important detail) but that makes the difference to their experience.
What inspires you?
My country, meeting people, my CEO, who is also my mentor, and my job.
Final word…
I love my job and my country! I feel privileged to be a part of this industry and am lucky to have the chance to get to know the world and travel every month. No day is the same but give me the energy, to evolve and overcome the different challenges.