TOPICS & MODERATORS
April 18, 2014, by Benjamin Buhl
From Business Intelligence to the Sales Funnel
In 7 days, it’s finally here: the 2014 Creativity and Future Workshop will open its doors. All the topics—along with their moderators and mind-mappers—have now been finalized. This year, the topic clusters were identified in the run-up to DestinationCamp through two sequential online surveys.
As in 2013, the industry surveys were analyzed by Claudia Brözel and Cornelius Schäfer from Eberswalde University of Applied Sciences. Thank you very much for your support!
The overarching theme for 2014 is “VISION.” This is the umbrella term for all topic clusters. The cover image for this article shows a tag cloud based on the results of the question “Please indicate your job title/position,” which we asked in the second survey. These individuals, therefore, determined the topic areas that we are now presenting to you here.
Included: selected quotes from the surveys, as well as the respective moderators and mind mappers:
1. Be truly innovative:
HOW CAN TOURISM COMPANIES DEVELOP A CULTURE OF INNOVATION AND ESTABLISH CREATIVE PROCESSES IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY WORK?
(Host: Cornelius Obier | Mind Mapper: Nicole Cogiel)
- Escaping the Rat Race: How Can New Management Approaches Help Prevent the Looming Shortage of Skilled Workers?
- Making Tourism Sexy: How can the tourism industry offer attractive career prospects to qualified young professionals? How can we ensure that there will continue to be talented people in the tourism industry in the future?
- What are the most important steps in the innovation process for destinations? How do we foster a culture of innovation? What are the steps toward consistent innovation management?
- What challenges must we address today in order to be and remain future-ready and competitive? What resources and tools are necessary and useful for adapting to social, economic, and political conditions?
2. The Right Sales Funnel
What are the key factors in e-commerce for qualified traffic and high conversion rates?
(Moderator: Uwe Frers | Mind Mapper: Ilka Leutritz)
- How can you successfully identify the right target audience and reach out to it in a targeted way? What data and information can help you determine what guests expect from your online presence? And how can you meet those expectations to achieve high conversion rates?
- What opportunities and possibilities do technological developments such as mobile services offer destinations and service providers? How can these be used effectively to increase visibility?
- What will be the most important metrics in the future for measuring my success?
- Specific recommendations for action/checklists/guidelines for everyday life
- Specific Sales Activities: Who Does What, Dos and Don’ts, Best Practices, Action Guides
3. Robust Business Intelligence
How can existing data streams optimize business operations through systematic analysis?
(Host: Andreas Feustel | Mindmapper: Stefan Michel)
- What structures and processes can help increase a business’s profit? How can visitor traffic be directed in a targeted manner? (A business management perspective on the topic)
- What data is needed, and which applications are relevant? Which tasks can be delegated?
- Focus: The sheer volume of reports is overwhelming—which ones and how many do I really need? What’s important for my work right now?
- How can effective supply chain management be implemented and maintained? How is the quality of my services ensured?
- A Handbook/Checklist for Everyday Work
4. Fostering Collaboration:
HOW CAN A SUSTAINABLE NETWORK BE ESTABLISHED BETWEEN THE DMO AND ITS PARTNERS, AND HOW CAN IT BE MAINTAINED THROUGH BENEFITS FOR EVERYONE?
(Host: Conny Mayer-Bonde | Mindmapper: Ansgar Jahns)
- Collaboration in Destinations/Regions (Service Providers, Tourism Organizations, etc.)
- How can we achieve sustainable development at all levels? Which stakeholders need to be involved—which partners are relevant? What networks are necessary?
- Partnerships with the Business Community & Tourism. How can I convince the private sector to support the industry when funds are tight?
- A fresh take on partnerships & thinking outside the box.
- Cooperation and Motivation Among All Stakeholders and Partners of the DMO: How Can We Foster a Culture of Collaboration in Destinations?
- From Vision to Action: Collaboration Between DMOs and Service Providers
5. The Path to Media Expertise:
HOW CAN MEDIA SERVICES (ONLINE AND OFFLINE) BE PROFESSIONALLY PLANNED AND EXECUTED EVEN WHEN RESOURCES ARE LIMITED?
(Host: Dagmara Greve | Mind Mapper: Julia Jung)
- Coordination of Marketing Initiatives / Raising Awareness of Hotel Marketing Initiatives by Destinations
- choosing the right media
- Limited resources: How can media services and individual campaigns be professionally planned and executed?
- How can proposals from agencies, marketers, and media companies be efficiently reviewed and evaluated?
6. Visionary Product Management:
WHAT WILL PRODUCTS LOOK LIKE IN 2020, AND HOW ARE THEY ALREADY BEING DESIGNED TODAY?
(Host: Peter Eich | Mindmapper: Carsten Gersdorf)
- Product Development/Focus - Quality of Life Rather Than Product Quality
- Sustainability: Can we tackle these issues together and build a foundation of trust?
- How can trends such as CSR and accessibility be integrated into products in a holistic and credible way?
- How can the development of new products contribute to the development and management of a destination brand?
- A Look into the Crystal Ball – Tourism 2020: Mobility in Tourism? The Tourist Information Center of the Future? Accommodations of the Future?
In summary, a whole new mix awaits us this coming weekend—both in terms of the topics and the lineup of participants. We look forward to discussing our shared “journey into the future of tourism” with you on Saturday and working out practical solutions on Sunday!
P.S.: If you'd like to get a little taste of the "DestinationCamp vibe" over the Easter holiday, you can find the showcases from previous years here. With that in mind, Happy Easter!