Founder of the Media Tribune agency, which provides a full portfolio of services that include public relations, promotion and publicity, Antonia Lukacinova, who initiated the Sapphire Pegasus business aviation awards, is also the author of Jet Book: The Ultimate Guide to Business Aircraft and Helicopters.
“This year it will be 20 years since I entered aviation. Currently my main focus is general aviation from different angles as well as luxury brand management and marketing, as they go hand in hand.
I graduated from the Faculty of Business at the University of Economics in Bratislava, Slovakia; and later on was awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with an emphasis on Leadership and Strategic Management from the University of Pittsburgh, USA. During my studies I worked full time with marketing agencies for various clients on their promotional and marketing activities, which helped training me to understand the psychology of customer’s decisions. I was often asked to consult and advise companies to assist them with their brand awareness, marketing activities and promoting their companies on international markets. Subsequently it led to establishing my own business focusing on media, marketing, communication, etc.”
Media Tribune was founded some fourteen years ago with headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2014 a branch office opened in Kosice, Slovakia. It soon became an award-winning communication agency that concentrates on luxury brands and business aviation companies.
«We provide a full portfolio of services including public relations, promotion and publicity for a company to manage its unique corporate public profile. Being the «engine of their business success» is our mantra and the essence of our motto. When we work with clients, we spend lots of time analyzing their procedures, company culture and values prior to creating a tailor-made plan. Pushing our limits often leads to achieving even more benefits than originally expected, developing new contracts and partnerships, and gaining new clients.»
Media Tribune is well known in the aviation industry. A voice for BizAv in Central Europe due to its cooperation with leading aircraft manufacturers and long-term involvement in promoting business aviation, the agency is also renowned for its participation in successful international projects such as – JetBook – the ultimate aircraft guide, which is distributed worldwide.
«In 2014 we opened an office in Slovakia. We travel to and operate wherever and whenever our clients need us to be. Our team is very flexible. Traveling within Europe is quite uncomplicated – we are used to depart around 5:30 a.m. and at 9:00 we are already having coffee at a client’s office, no matter whether we travel to Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland or the UK.
With the growing demand for professional appearance and presence online, we support companies and their employees with several different training programs focusing on efficient communication, gaining or improving their presentation skills (for TV, online or radio presentation), improving the brand management and brand awareness by improving personal profiles and the presentation of their teams online, at events, international aviation shows or VIP events.
A very special segment of our services that we are proud of are producing corporate books, annual reports, and special presentation materials (such as business plans, etc.), which provide an enhanced knowledge and understanding of the company, its clients, its procedures and policies, as well as its strategic moves. Corporate magazines and intranet are great communication tools to disseminate information through the company to every single employee. It guarantees that staff has access to relevant corporate plans, developments, and some of the management decisions before they are made public. However, many companies struggle to deliver updates due to a lack of experienced personnel or dedicated staff members. In such case, we step in to assist with custom designed editorial content, graphics and photographs. We almost become part of the clients’ company and its daily proceedings, which is a unique and precious experience.
Our formula is based on the complex interdependence of the services we offer, a combination of professional marketing, public relations, and activities in the area of trade. We also provide business contacts that deliver key components in developing marketing and communications strategies. Our clients know that business, marketing, and communication are intertwined and only through the brilliant mastery of all three of these areas can business success be obtained. Most of our team members are with the company since the very beginning. Some members joined us during their university studies and stayed with us after their graduation. Others are professionals who are already well known in the aviation industry. Cdr. Bud Slabbaert, for example, recently focused on the JetBook and «Passion for Quality», a book celebrating DC Aviation Group’s 25th anniversary.
Business aviation in the Czech Republic is doing well. The number of aircraft in local registries (Czech and Slovak) is still growing. New Bizav companies are founded to operate or maintain aircraft while others provide charter brokerage. Many of these companies are working together with well-settled local leaders, renting hangars and sharing related services.
Most of the companies operate without territory limits and are well respected on the international aviation market. Which is a significant development compared to 10–15 years ago, when foreign clients, and especially brokers, were asking to double check the pilots’ licenses, inquire after the kind of catering and the level of other services.
International airshows like EBACE, Dubai Airshow or MEBAA where one meets a significant number of companies that are based in the Czech Republic, allow to showcase brand names such as ABS Jets, Eurojet, AERO Vodochody, which are well known across the aviation industry”.
