their trips as painlessly as possible .
“ Normally you can only book trains up to three to four months in advance but for this tournament we have allowed customers to book more than six months before it begins ,” Gervais explains . Indeed , groups were able to book their tickets as early as September 2015 .
Partnership As well as setting up dedicated webpages for Euro 2016 , a huge marketing push has been a major focus of Voyages-SNCFf ’ s preparations .
More than 50 million Europeans were sent newsletters outlining the ease and cost effectiveness of travel by train , while important partnerships have also helped to drive traffic and bookings .
Gervais explains : “ We have used specific partnerships to amplify our communications on and offline . SNCF is the official transporter of UEFA which means that when tickets have been booked through them it communicates to customers that Voyages-SNCF is the best way to book transport for Euro 2016 .
“ We have seen peaks in traffic and our aim is to make this the most popular event of the year . SNCF has been making this objective very clear across all of the business and my role as head of ecommerce is to showcase Euro 2016 and France to our customers , and how easy and cheap it is to book a train or coach in advance via voyages-sncf . com .
“ We want visitors to remember one experience they can recall in conversation beyond the football – the seamless way they travelled to the matches and between host cities .”
The host cities themselves are also key marketing partners . Voyages- SNCF has 30 partnerships with towns and regions across France , offering discounted entry to attractions when train tickets are purchased .
Repeat custom There will still be plenty of work to do beyond the final whistle on July 10 when the tournament ends . Although the huge influx of train travellers seen throughout the month is no doubt a big boost to business , the real success
28 July 2016