"We are a team at heart"

The Sales & Operations team navigates the organisation and booking of Lake Zug and Lake Aegeri cruises to success. The ladies take around 2300 telephone calls and 1500 written enquiries per month in the high season.

They are event organisers, wedding planners, catering consultants and customer consultants: The Sales & Operations team for Lake Zug and Lake Aegeri Navigation and Zugerland Mobil. - And yes, the crew is female. May we introduce:

Women power, ahoy
Monique Thüring has been on board for 15 years. She has been in charge as team leader since this season. ‘We are a team at heart,’ she says. ’We have such a great spirit, everyone brings so much passion to the table. And we can laugh together even in the middle of stormy times.’

Petra Meile has been part of the team for six years and is responsible for planning offers on Lake Aegeri. She is also the internal IT crack when there are programme turbulences. In addition, the beautiful office orchids thrive under her care. When she is absent, Outlook reminds the others: ‘The orchid is thirsty now.’

As deputy team leader, Carmela Arnold has been in charge of service and event planning on Lake Zug for 26 years and has a great deal of expertise at Zugerland Mobil. She knows every bus, every seat and the entire transport network. And for hectic office hours, Carmela always provides a delicious snack such as chocolate, croissants, etc.

If you hear someone hammering away at the computer, it's usually Marcha Bosshart. She always works in a very focussed and calm manner. Marcha has been hired this season. She supports Carmela with the programme design on Lake Zug - and brings new energy and fresh, exciting ideas to the team.

Jenny Galliker did her apprenticeship with the team during the coronavirus pandemic. She enjoyed it so much that she joined the team during the course season. The energy of the youngest members of the team is like a ‘machine’, so that daily business never comes to a standstill. ‘It's important to me that customers feel they are in good hands,’ says Jenny. ‘From the first contact to invoicing, the customer should have confidence that everything will run smoothly.’

End of season before the season
At the end of the year, the season is reviewed together with Marketing and Gastronautic and the course for the next year is set. The organisation of the special trips is always a joint effort. ‘During the year, we collect ideas and requests from partners and use them to draw up an initial programme,’ says Monique. Carmela and Marcha then take care of the detailed planning: ‘I deal with lots of people who are looking forward to a nice cruise or a great event. And I can then channel this into the appropriate channels,’ says Marcha happily. Carmela adds: ‘Of course, we're delighted when guests give us positive feedback because we've given them a wonderful experience on board.’

Events that will be remembered
The sales team is also responsible for private charters for special events. It helps that all of the ladies have catering experience to create a rough offer. ‘We then get to know each other personally on the ship and discuss all the details with the catering manager to ensure that the event is 100 per cent successful,’ says the team leader. Monique still remembers one special charter today: ‘The MS Schwan, which was still part of the fleet at the time, was fully loaded with red roses - for a romantic wedding proposal. Moments like that make our work very special.’

All for one, one for all
Monique and Jenni work full-time. The others 60 per cent. However, the handovers are always perfectly organised and everyone can look after all the customers. They all love the team spirit. ‘We can always count on each other,’ says Carmela. Petra confirms: ‘We are powerful women, each bringing our own strengths to the table. We exchange ideas openly and are bursting with ideas.’ ‘And we talk, talk, talk - so that everyone is always immediately informed about everything,’ laughs Monique. ‘We offer a variety of experiences. We can never get bored - not with people anyway.’

What are the ladies' favourite trips on board? Marcha loves the evening cruise at sunset, as does Jenny with the sunset à la carte. Petra raves about Ägerisee hell - a trip in the sunset under lanterns with an aperitif platter. Monique is already looking forward to the literary ship and enjoys dancing on the Radio Argovia Rock Classic Boat. Carmela also likes music with the 80s/90s cruise on Lake Aegeri - she also enjoys breakfast on the Saturday morning cruise boat.