Travel companies wanting to know how to cash in on the ‘next big thing’ will find the answer at World Travel Market from the man dubbed ‘the ultimate guru of cool’ by CNN.
Global trends consultant Daniel Levine is guest speaker at WTM’s Captains of Industry Lunch, in aid of water aid charity Just a Drop, on November 12 at ExCeL, London.
He will offer his take on how travel businesses can profit by riding on the coat-tails of emerging cultural trends. Levine will also lead a free general-session seminar at WTM on Tuesday November 13, at 12.30pm-1.30pm, North Gallery Rooms 6/7.
“One of the most powerful things a travel business can do to get an edge on competitors and make more money is to learn about burgeoning cultural trends and respond to them in innovative ways,” said Levine.
“Smart travel professionals can benefit by satisfying these cravings with engaging offerings.”
As an example of a cultural trend, Levine cites the interest in everything eco-friendly and carbon-neutral and links in with WTM’s World Responsible Tourism Day on Wednesday November 14.
Levine claims any business can benefit by responding to this trend with creative solutions. For example, a dance club in Rotterdam is marketing itself as the world’s first ‘green’ nightclub.
“It has a specially-sprung floor and, as people dance, the floor moves slightly and generates electricity, which reduces the club’s consumption of outside power.”
As an example of a creative company within the industry that is taking up the cause of global warming, Levine cites the all-business-class airline Silverjet, which requires passengers to carbon-offset their flights with special credits, which they can ‘spend’ on an eco-project of their choice.
Other major cultural developments certain to be on the agenda during Levine’s presentations are the demand for ‘personalised’ products, and the explosion of social networking – both of which are ripe for exploitation by savvy travel suppliers, he says.
Levine believes the travel industry as a whole hasn’t done as much as many other industrial sectors to embrace the most potent cultural trends.
And he should know: Levine’s cultural analyses are in demand by big companies. As executive director of worldwide marketing consultancy the Avant-Guide Institute, he has provided insight and foresight to a plethora of top international brands, including MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom.
But it’s the travel industry that remains closest to his heart. Levine started his career 20 years ago writing bestselling travel guidebooks. Global trendspotting took Levine into the business of identifying cultural phenomena and marketing consulting and, today, Levine’s company employs a global team to produce its own range of chic travel guides, detailing the hippest places to eat, drink, shop and be seen.
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