DAY 1 #DCHH19

Wow, what a start. Right at the beginning of the opening night of #DCHH19 in Hamburg, host Bernhard Lingg eloquently set the pace, announced the rules and the agenda—and then he, too, jumped onto the stage: Josef Bertl. A “Certified Philosopher of Serenity” and, by his own designation, a Royal Bavarian Coolness Consultant.

At this point, it dawned on most of the more than 240 people in the audience at the Sinus Arena of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce that composure has nothing to do with calmness. Bertl, bustling about energetically, quickly had the audience in stitches: “I wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity to explain to this wonderful gathering of tourism experts and vacation planners, forward thinkers, and destination enthusiasts the socioeconomic opportunities that come with consistent composure and purposeful serenity.”

The most important factor in evolving destinations is still the people involved: “If the people are strong, the benchmark is right, too!” In destination management, a calm approach is definitely called for: “Because if you miss a trend or sleep through a hype, you’ll simply be more rested when the next innovation comes along.”

For 14 minutes and 39 seconds, one-liners and witty remarks on the topic of composure came thick and fast. But there was also encouragement: “Not everyone can worry about tomorrow’s changes; someone has to get today’s work done, too.”

And then it was time to move on: The six pairs of moderators presented the topics for their respective three sessions
and sought to win over tourism professionals and experts from all sectors, including DMOs/LMOs, the hotel industry, sales, IT, research, and consulting.

In between, another interlude from Bertl along the lines of “Let others gather the initial insights. Start second, instead of fail first!” And at the end, the analysis: “Change has never been as fast as it is today, but today it’s probably not as fast as it will be tomorrow. In other words: it’ll probably never be as laid-back as it is now.”

Afterward, people ate, drank, and chatted in the Chamber of Commerce foyer until after midnight. Rhineland-Palatinate once again provided excellent Riesling, Muskateller, and Burgundy wines. The beers came from Blockbräu, the Hamburg vodka from Bazic, the lemonade from Soda Libre, and feratel provided a refreshing kick with cucumber-ginger and lime-mint water.

Ansgar Üffink, aka Vargo, once again created a “relaxed” atmosphere right at the entrance and provided a groovy sound throughout the evening. His chill electronic sounds—sometimes downbeat, sometimes melodic, or deep techno—have been setting the tone for breaks, sessions, and camp events since 2011.

This year, infomax websolutions, Traum-Ferienwohnungen, and Klimapatenschaft present the opening film of DestinationCamp—curtain up: