Web Design and strategy architect for travel industry
New Zealand
- Current
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- Managing Editor at Travel Generation
- Owner at Xebidy Strategic Design
- Past
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- CEO at TravelFAT
- Operations Director at Stray Travel
- General Manager at Kiwi Experience
- Education
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- University of Auckland
- Selwyn College
- Connections
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24
connections
- Industry
- Internet
- Websites
Dan Roberts’s Summary
Xebidy provides leading edge social web strategy, design and implementation for New Zealand and Australia travel companies.
Xebidy specialises in development of Web 2.0 applications and strategies such Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) for booking processes, mapping, travel planners and shopping carts.
Xebidy boasts some of the blue chip companies in the Australian and New Zealand tourism industry as clients
Dan Roberts’s Specialties:
Internet marketing, internet architectures, web design, search engine optimisation, social media marketing,
Dan Roberts’s Experience
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Managing Editor
Travel Generation
(Internet industry)
January 2009 — Present (11 months)
Travel Generation is a personal project to build up an online travel community.
Travellers explore any content from hotels to activities, restaurants and tours from any website throughout the Internet and bookmark this content to their own personal travel planning space.
These items are then scheduled to create an itinerary which is shared to friends and families. -
Owner
Xebidy Strategic Design
(Privately Held; Internet industry)
September 2006 — Present (3 years 3 months)
Xebidy started in 2006 when I was asked to consult to Adventure Tours and Base Backpackers on their Internet Strategies.
Since then we have gone on to set up a nine person development team specialising in leading edge web strategies and functionality for tourism companies.
I lead from the back - dreaming up with the tourism related ideas, while the real work is done by the developers who keep blowing me away with how good the stuff they are making is! -
CEO
TravelFAT
(Computer Software industry)
April 2003 — August 2006 (3 years 5 months)
TravelFAT was a start company based in Tralee, Kerry. It firstly developed a complete tour reservations system that was built on a unique commission tracking concept.
The system morphed into an online booking system firstly for hostel beds and then for activities and tours.
My role was to develop the market for these products reporting directly to the Directors. In 2005 I took a management share becoming Manager Director. This share was sold to private equity and venture capital in 2006 and the company was renamed Travelonomy. -
Operations Director
Stray Travel
(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)
April 1999 — April 2003 (4 years 1 month)
If you want to talk about fun, once in a lifetime jobs this was it! Stray operated bus tours for backpackers across Britain and Ireland and ran guided trips on scheduled rail passes throughout Europe.
Carrying over 30,000 customers all across Europe, including Greece and Croatia - there was an immense energy in this company as we grew from nothing to being a serious operation.
Unfortunately despite making good profits Stray was undermined by very poor cashflow and low initial start-up capital which saw it close its' doors in 2003. It was a great loss for a great operation and an even bigger loss to the travelling folks. -
General Manager
Kiwi Experience
(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)
July 1995 — April 2000 (4 years 10 months)
After starting in one of the groups retail store I became General Manager at Kiwi Experience right on the cusp of its' success. When I took over the role Kiwi was just completing its financial year with losses of NZD$750,000 - the following year it made profits of NZD$1m
For me it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. The growth was incredible - but at the same time it had to be managed very carefully - and throughout tight management costs were lower in 1996 financial year end than the previous year, despite the growth in revenue. I reported directly to the Board of Directors which included Directors from publicly listed Tourism Holdings Limited (who purchased 50% of the company).
During this period I introduced a number of new initiatives including replacing the entire bus fleet, developing the first website and introducing compulsory drug testing for the crew.
After leaving Kiwi Experience I continued to work on behalf of founders Mike Warren and Neil Geddes in their battle with Tourism Holding Limited which saw them completely sell out of the business. During this period I worked on behalf of these two creating business plans, forecasting and assisting in the raising of significant capital that was available should they have wished to purchase the full business.
Dan Roberts’s Education
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University of Auckland
BA BCOM MSc , Environmental Economic , 1987 — 1993
Bachelor of Arts: Economics and Political Science
Bachelor of Commerce: Accounting and Finance
Master of Science: Environmental Economics -
Selwyn College
1982 — 1987
- Activities and Societies:
- Played football and sailed competitively
Additional Information
Dan Roberts’s Websites:
Dan Roberts’s Interests:
Snowboarding and Skiiing, bike racing
Dan Roberts’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
