My name is Greg Slapp and I have been operating Port Douglas Internet Services in North Queensland since October 1995. I have completed more sites, have more satisfied clients, and received more awards than any other local web publishing company or individual north of Brisbane. With over 450 web sites in place, I have proven repeatedly that I have the experience, resources and expertise to develop a web site that works - not just talk about it.
Having built many sites for individual tours, cruises, and accommodation houses, travel agencies of all sizes, regional tourism promotion bodies, and even destination sites for entire countries, my experience at all levels of the travel industry is one of my greatest strengths.
I have participated in government IT and tourism advisory groups at regional, state and federal levels, and have assisted TAFE in multimedia and IT curriculum development. Perhaps most importantly of all, I have also had extensive prior experience in the tourism industry, having won a NT Tourist Commision Brolga award in my own right, and served on the executive of my local tourism association (at the time) for 6 years.
My clients' web sites have received national and international acclaim having won Site Of The Day and Hot Site awards from Yahoo US, Yahoo Australia, Infoseek, LookSmart, Netscape, Open Directory, Pointcom, and CNet, and I've have had 7 finalists and 3 winners in the Queensland IT Awards. This is in addition to over 50 other awards, and numerous tourism industry plaudits at regional, state and national levels.
Over the past 13-14 years I have seen many other web publishing firms come, and seen nearly all of them go, but I have prospered and grown by providing the right mix of functionality, technology and marketing strategy to our clients. The internet is a volatile industry and only those who can deliver on their promises survive.
Consider the facts:
65% of my web sites have been around longer than 75% of the web development firms in North Queensland. This means that even my clients are more experienced than many of my competitors in web site operation and management.
71% of the local web development companies listed in the 2006/2007 Cairns Yellow Pages, and 24% of the businesses listed in the 2007/2008 edition, didn't last long enough to make it into the 2008/2009 edition. Not a good sign if you're putting together a medium term online business strategy, let alone a long term one.
Of the top 5 local web development companies (with PDIS being 1 of them), the principals of 2 of the other 4 started as trainees of mine, the managing director of one came to work for me when his company changed hands, and the owner of the fourth one used to be one of my clients before doing a TAFE course in web design. Obviously, it's not only my clients that benefit from my professional approach to web design!
My sites take 400,000 visitors per month between them providing me with extensive feedback on what your customers want from a web site.
My company has built over 450 sites - not just associated with, not partially involved with, not employed by someone else to do some of the job - but actually designed, built and deployed. That's a real number, not the vague exaggerated "we've built hundreds" that the wannabe's throw around.
With an experienced and quality list of several hundred clients I am in daily contact with the issues that effect the tourism and travel industry.
The internet is now mainstream, and a critical aspect of business operation, so isn't it a better business decision to be with someone that you know will still be here this time next year? And a firm that understands your business as well as they understand their own?
The following companies are just some of several hundred that have asked themselves these questions and decided that Port Douglas Internet Services is the answer.