Member interview: Live it Out

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Liveitout_logoIn our latest member interview, Ana Baiget Viale, CEO of Live it Out speaks to us about the growing interest in the Spanish hospitality industry and how young students are offered experience in this field through the organisations programmes.

Tell us your story. How did your business get started?

I had never wanted to be a business woman but when things got too complicated in the company I was working for,  I had to make the decision to go out on my own. It was not easy, but I decided to face the adventure of creating my own company and it is the best thing I have ever done. So in September 2014, Live it Out began.

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What are your unique selling points? What makes you different?

Live it Out offers unique hospitality and culinary internships in Spain.

Spain is one of the three most visited countries in the world so we know a lot about hospitality and we have some of the best cuisine in the world! Live it Out offers hospitality and culinary students the opportunity to gain training and experience in their chosen profession. However, the program does not only teach the students how to be a good receptionist or a great chef, we also teach them to work in a team, to learn about another cultures and to be open-minded and disciplined.

What are some of your success stories?

We try to visit as many students as we can while they are placed at their respective hotels and restaurants. We are proud to say that most of them enjoy their experience and we enjoy watching the students grow in self-confidence and pride, seeing how they interact with the customers and getting positive feedback from hotel directors or supervisors.

We also love to see students enjoying our country, we always tell them they have to be disciplined and work hard but at the same time they should also live this incredible experience, see different places and have fun. The greatest success for us is to receive feedback after the student has left and hear how they enjoyed the experience, and that they would definitely recommend anyone to come to Spain to do an internship.

What are your future plans?

My future plans are to keep working and growing with my clients in Mexico, the Philippines and the other countries we have recently entered. I am working hard to strengthen our relations in Argentina and Paraguay and in particular the USA market. I am also planning to start working in Perú and Colombia.

Which trends and challenges do you see in the youth travel sector?

I see a growing interest among young students in the Spanish culture, including Spanish cuisine, music, architecture and artists. It’s for this reason we will keep working in offering the best hospitality and culinary positions for foreign students and we will also open more options such as tour guides, cultural excursions, etc. to our students so they can get to know even more about our spectacular country.

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What was your motivation to join WYSE Travel Confederation?

I have known about WYSETC since I assisted with the event held in Barcelona in 2011. WYSETC gave me the opportunity to meet many companies and people involved in my sector, people that we are still working with today and that have been essential in my professional and personal growing. I think being a member of WYSETC is important not only for what WYSETC offers (assessment, support, the conference etc), but also for what WYSETC means at international level. I also feel that my company will offer more credibility to my partners if I belong to WYSETC.

Any top tips for people starting out in the youth travel sector?

I think the best tip for anyone to start a new project is to love it and to work at it with passion. Working with young people is beautiful, particularly when you discover new cities, people and lives with them. I could not imagine a better job.

Share your story

WYSE Travel Confederation values all of its members and enjoys hearing and sharing the stories behind the brands and organisations that build up our ever growing community of service providers to the youth and student travel industry. If you would like to see your story here contact us, or join WYSE as a member.

Join WYSE Travel Confederation

If you’d like to join WYSE Travel Confederation and benefit from new connections, free access to industry research, informative webinar sessions, discounts on industry events and brand exposure within the youth and student travel industry, click here to find out more.

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