There is no Zoom-fatigue in sight, says Howard Salinger, managing director of Travel Connection Group
Seen originally by many (including me) as a temporary way to keep the travel sector communicating during lockdown, virtual events have brought invaluable contact, relationship building and information sharing when we needed it most.
I believe they are here to stay.
The greatest challenge that tour operators, hoteliers and other travel businesses have always faced, is how to physically showcase their product to agents in real time.
It obviously can’t be packed-up into a bag to take to an event, so our industry has always relied heavily on brochures and videos, as well as fam trips of course, to introduce new hotels, cruise ships or attractions to agents.
The move to online events, driven by the pandemic, has given the travel sector a welcome opportunity to introduce new products live on location, seen the way the customer will experience them, to a large group of agents at once.
Live presentations from a destination mean that agents can see a wide range of properties and experiences in a short period of time, showcased in a way that couldn’t be done face-to-face.
One event can introduce hundreds of agents to the flagship suite at a new hotel, an opportunity that only a lucky few would get through in-person visits.
For the agent, this opens up the world and their product knowledge soars without spending multiple days away. The client enjoys cost savings as the event can be arranged at a fraction of the budget previously spent.
One of the challenges, historically, with online events was that the content often wasn’t as engaging as at an in-person event. But the pandemic has encouraged more creativity, ensuring online delegates have ‘wow’ moments they won’t forget – like seeing manta rays and sharks swim past the window in the Underwater Suite at Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai during an online Pilates class.
Online events deliver opportunities to network, just in a different way.
Events are hosted on a platform where agents listen to presentations from the client before moving into a virtual room for one-to-one conversations or arrange an individual meeting.
The schedule is kinder as the platform can be kept open after the event, allowing convenient meetings within different time zones and delegates can return to download useful information.
Gifting is of course possible, with just a little more logistical planning required and, for our agent events, prizes are still there to be won.
I know these virtual events will continue to play a key role as we continue to navigate through the challenging times ahead for the travel sector.
From keeping agents’ product knowledge up-to-date with events from suppliers to giving PR teams face-time with journalists through our ‘Social with Media’ online events, continuing to make contacts and share information will be invaluable for our industry to take advantage of the opportunities of pent-up-demand from holidaymakers.
Looking beyond this, even once the current challenges from Covid are behind us, I see a firm place in our sector for virtual events, albeit complementing rather than replacing the face-to-face events we all cherish.
People got tired of virtual events early in the pandemic because the content they were offered wasn’t interesting. The content offered now is engaging, valuable and sought after for agents and extremely cost effective for clients – a win-win all round.
The possibilities online are endless. Zoom fatigue does not exist.