At the core of Musement´s innovative digital tools and solutions, enhancing the user experience for our valued partners and their customers, is a dedicated team of product tech experts, making it happen.  

Product Management Team Lead, Lorenzo Fabiani, and his team play a crucial role in the facilitation of efficient and flexible product development, allowing our business to respond quickly to changing market demands and partner needs.

We caught up with Lorenzo to find out what goes on behind the scenes in the product tech department, how the team work to continually improve our technological landscape and foster a culture of innovation that propels us to the forefront of the industry.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your experience?

My journey began in Fermo, a small, beautiful city in the Marche region in Italy. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Economics in Rome, with a delightful year spent in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria as part of the Erasmus programme. I have always been passionate about travel, technology, and digital marketing. Before starting at TUI Musement in 2020, I worked in the innovation department of Europcar Mobility Group for 2 years, and before that, in the digital marketing department of Repubblica.it, an Italian publisher, for 7 years.

Tell us a bit about what you do. What does a typical day look like for the product development team at Musement?

I work in the product and technology department, leading the B2B product area. Our mission is to develop tech solutions, that enable B2B partners to sell our tours and activities in the easiest way possible and providing them with innovative features.

On a typical day, I ensure that time is dedicated to connecting with the team and stakeholders and talking to our partners as that is key to being aligned on common goals and objectives. Then, I move on to the analysis of KPIs, facilitating the resolution of blockers for the team, and identifying areas for improvement.

What projects are you currently working on?  

We are constantly working to improve our current tools and platforms. Currently, our efforts are focused on enhancing our Partner Hub, a digital space where partners can access all the resources they need for optimal collaboration, including tools, technical documentation, reports, and best practices.  

We are actively engaged in facilitating seamless connections with our strategic partners to maximize sales opportunities. In this context, one of the most important integrations we are currently working on is with a key cruise line, a strategic initiative for the business.  

Can you share a particular project or experience that was particularly challenging but fulfilling?  

Supporting the growth of the partnership with Booking.com stands out as the most challenging yet fulfilling professional experience so far, to meet and exceed both the business and technological demands for this pivotal partner. It provided a valuable opportunity for professional development, and perhaps most importantly, it allowed me to contribute to achieving ambitious commercial objectives.  

Can you walk us through the typical product development process?   

We use the Objectives & Key Results (OKR) framework to formulate our objectives and define the key results we aim to achieve. Once those are established, we enter the solution phase, which involves a thorough discovery process, including collecting insights, analysing data, conducting user research, and engaging with stakeholders. Following this, teams start to generate and validate ideas, and if the validation is successful, we proceed to develop and launch the new feature or solution.  

How do you prioritise features and improvements?  

We prioritise features and improvements by assessing the estimated business impact, the technical effort required, and our confidence in the feature or solution. These three factors combined provide sufficient information for deciding how to plan various initiatives.  

How do you prioritise user experience in the development of your platform?  

User experience is crucial for any solution or improvement that we deliver. Our mission is to make our partners’ lives easier when distributing and selling our experiences. This would be impossible without placing user experience at the centre of our solution designs. Therefore, within our team, we have expert product designers involved in all phases of the process who ensure the delivery of excellent customer experiences for every feature we deliver.  

Can you share some examples of how user feedback has influenced your product decisions?  

Last year, partner interviews revealed a desire for enhanced reporting on our platform, aiding partners in understanding sales performance, expected commissions, and effectively boosting potential sales. We listened to their feedback and improved the reporting section with four dashboards, enabling partners to monitor their data from various perspectives. This significantly increased partner satisfaction.  

What emerging technologies do you see having the most significant impact on the future of the travel industry?  

As with many other industries, artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably the most promising technology. We are currently in the phase of testing some use cases, and I am confident that in the coming months, we will witness more impactful examples of AI usage in the travel industry.   

What advice would you give to aspiring product managers in this field?  

To be curious, data-driven, open-minded, and to have a profound understanding of the context in which the company operates, encompassing both the business and customer perspectives.  

Finally, what’s the best thing about working with the team at Musement?  

The atmosphere and attitude of the people here are special; there is always a great spirit of teamwork and collaboration, particularly during challenging moments when we need all hands on deck. This, to me, is something rare and which I deeply appreciate. I would say that in many cases, we have become friends before colleagues, making Musement a great place to work.