Big Red Group (BRG) has announced the acquisition of Experience Oz and its hotel concierge booking platform, Local Agent, from holding company TicketMates Australia.
In line with BRG’s ethos to support local, the new additions are Australian owned and operated entities, making them a logical fit to join its portfolio of experience brands which include Adrenaline, Lime&Tonic and RedBalloon.
All brands under TicketMates Australia will move into BRG’s portfolio of brands, with the exception of auto-club business Club Connect, a dedicated member benefits platform serving Australia’s large-scale auto-clubs such as RACQ, RACV and the NRMA.
Queensland-based Experience Oz serves domestic holidaymakers, while its B2B platform, Local Agent, is a one-stop shop for concierge activity bookings, and currently serves 700-plus hotels and provides access to more than 3,000 experiences Australia-wide.
TicketMates Australia managing director Ben Manns will become a shareholder in BRG, and joins the senior leadership team effective immediately, with the remit to refine and grow relationships with industry alliances and supply partners.
Clint Gudenswager, general manager of TicketMates Australia, will continue his stewardship of Local Agent, with the number of experiences available, and hotels across Australia and New Zealand set to vastly expand under the BRG umbrella.
David Anderson, chief executive of BRG, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Experience Oz and Local Agent into our portfolio of experience brands. This is a natural evolution that has been in the workings for over a year.
“And while Club Connect will continue to procure its existing products directly, we have negotiated a long-term wholesale agreement enabling Big Red Group experience suppliers to be progressively introduced to the portal, giving them exclusive access to auto clubs’ 11 million members.”
Manns, who is the newly appointed supply and distribution director at BRG, said: “We want to build much deeper relationships with our suppliers, and now have a tremendously compelling value proposition to partner with us.
“Big Red Group is growing the experience marketplace through its brands, scale and reach, giving suppliers unparalleled access to both direct and indirect audiences, with B2C, B2B and exclusive partnership offerings.
“Ultimately, this enables us to deliver much better outcomes for consumers and our industry partners.”
