CSRwire Executive Spotlight: The Eureka Moment

By CSRwire Contributing Writer Jayne Flannery

Brendan Murphy has pioneered a new concept in online travel. Here he talks to Jayne Flannery about what awes and inspires him about the potential of TripAlertz.

At some point in life, some of us - the lucky ones - hit upon a moment of supreme and life-changing insight. Brendan Murphy, hit upon his Eureka moment in 2009, several years into a successful but staid career in conventional group leisure sales and tourism.

In a single year, Murphy had doubled sales within the key accounts he managed on behalf of one of America's leading delivery companies. However, his rich imagination was running riot and a yearning for creative expression went unfulfilled.

Murphy's moment of epiphany had arrived: "I saw firsthand how important groups are to the travel industry; specifically, hotels, cruise lines and tour operators. At the same time, social media was entering the mainstream. Suddenly, I realised there was the potential to use the inherent power of social media to connect and create any number of online travel groups."

The result was TripAlertz, a new collaborative concept in online travel, which will launch on October 26, 2010.

He believes contemporary travel sites have reduced what is potentially one of life's most enriching experiences to the level of one of the many other mundane routine transactions apart of daily life. Murphy wants TripAlertz to bring an element of lost wonder back into the way we view the world. "People need to rediscover and truly appreciate this amazing world," he says.

Leveraging the economies of mass buying power to deliver prices up to 50 per cent below the leading online travel sites, TripAlertz will offer just eight to 10 of the best deals available.

"The more people who book, the lower the price becomes. What is more, this type of focus also gives us the opportunity to do a 'Green Screen' and ensure each hotel we feature is taking steps to becoming environmentally sustainable," he continues. "Environmentally-friendly hotels that were once out of the price range of the average traveler can now be sold for the cost of a three-star hotel through the power of collective buying."

TripAlertz will feature a unique level of social interaction. For example, travelers will have the opportunity to meet and share their experiences and advice before they travel from people who bought the same deal.

"I love this social aspect to the site," he states. "On TripAlertz, you can meet people before you go who booked the same package to the same destination and listen to firsthand advice on the best activities at your travel destination. If you are traveling on the same dates as other TripAlertz users, why not meet up for a drink, surfing or a hike? I want people to make new friends, or even better, meet their future wife."

His desire to make life a more fulfilling experience extends to a conviction that business and philanthropy go hand in hand. "We are donating $1 to aHomeinHaiti.org, up to $100,000, for every new member that signs up. It's our way of saying we are committed to spreading joy around the world," he explains.

TripAlertz supports many other causes, but Haiti has touched a nerve. "It was a great feeling to be part of the first-ever celebrity tweet auction, TwitChange. Together we raised more than $500,000 to help aHomeinHaiti.org and we were really proud TripAlertz donated $32,000 to help in the rebuilding efforts."

He believes the event illustrates well the awesome power of social media. "We are sharing our message with the 25 million followers of Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest, Jeremy Piven, Demi Moore, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Tony Hawk, MC Hammer, Tony Robbins, Paula Abdul, Gary Vaynerchuk, Stephen Fry, Travie McCoy and Jewel Staite, plus a host of others."

"My goal is to use entrepreneurship as a positive force on the planet," Murphy concludes. "It enables a meaningful impact to be made on the quality of human life at many different levels. The benefits include job creation, greater freedom of expression, the ability to support sustainable tourism initiatives and enhancing the lives of our collaborators and partners. Lastly, I find it great fun. I love what I do and I appreciate every day having the opportunity to do my dream job."

About TripAlertz

TripAlertz is a private sale, members-only distribution channel, which uses the combined purchasing power of its members to negotiate fantastic deals. The company has patent pending social media applications, which will assist in aggregating maximum buying power for members. A "Green Screen" will ensure members can direct their purchasing power to support hotels minimizing environmental impact. The business is also committed to supporting a number of philanthropic causes.