Stardust Global Ventures

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about some hot industry buzz words and phrases that simply don’t excite businesses or motivate people to invest time, money or effort. First there is that tired old standby “convergence” that’s been with us for over ten years. And, for the most part, it means nothing to anyone. We can leapfrog forward in time to “mashups” which is a more trendy and timely term. It means I’ll do some magic to impress you and you’ll go ooooh and ahhhh.

We could shift to the more conservative and traditional language of business. When we do that we speak of Communications Enhanced Business Process (CEBP). If that doesn’t blow your skirt up, we’ll throw in Software as a Service (using the trendy SaaS acronym) or Software Oriented Architecture (SOA). One of these is sure to arouse a fiery lust in even the most staid and conservative business person, right? Nope.

They’re all terms that play into the whole Internet technologies mystique of specialized jargon, and that don’t carry any weight of value to the vast majority of those hearing the message. It’s noise. Sometimes it’s nice and flowery sounding noise, filled with phrases of added value, increased revenue and greater efficiency. But that noise, those words, are mostly fluff and feathers. And I’ll confess why I know this. I’ve written thousands of those words.

They sound nice, they can be fun to read. They do indeed sell services and products, but where the rubber meets the road, they bring little actual knowledge. They are finely crafted to feed the mystique of network technologies. They amaze and astound far more than they demystify. They extend the conversation without getting to the point. They point us down the long and winding road to finding value. I think it’s time we start thinking about shortcuts and getting to the point.

Thinking about that, a word stuck in my craw yesterday that led me to this post. Well, that and some conversation about the very broad industry of tourism in this post.

Popular in describing what’s essentially the mashup between two styles of cooking, it can be a brash and bold combination of very different elements. It also hints at more subtle naunce when we talk about something that’s  been infused. Allow me to place some ideas in your head, and perhaps some tastes in your mouth as a way of setting the stage.

• Apple pie, hot and just out of the oven. Delicious and mouth watering, but for most of us, infused with cinnamon, and incomplete without it.
• On a cold and rainy winter morning, damp, dreary and bleak, we have oatmeal. One of the earliest comfort foods, but today we almost always anticipate the infusion of brown sugar to complete our morning breakfast.
• A perennial staple of American life, the chocolate chip cookie comes from a simple and basic recipe. And while it’s not a major ingredient, don’t fail to infuse the cookie dough with a generous dash of vanilla extract.

I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry now. And you’re probably wondering where I’m headed with this, right? I’m headed to the obvious, but ill-defined fusion magic between technology and tourism. We won’t call it convergence, integration or a mashup, because it isn’t. We won’t call it CEBP because what the heck do tourists care about enhancing communications processes. And we sure won’t call it a mashup, because we simply aren’t talking about potatoes and gravy. And we’re not talking about mashing bananas for your baby either.

We are talking about fusion and infusion. We’re talking a bout a hint of VoIP, a smidgen of SMS, a scintilla of mobilty and a soupçon of social media. We’re talking about flavors enhancing the main dish without overpowering it.

Tourism isn’t a technology industry. It’s a people industry. It’s a services industry. It’s a life of serving people. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about the travel segment, hospitality and lodging, food and beverage, or amusement and arts, the tourism industry is founded in people. Everything else comes in a distant second.

That means that technology tools aren’t on a fast track to reinvent tourism. Air travel is not on the cusp of being replaced by packetizing passengers and shipping them over the Internet. The core foundations of every facet of the tourism industry are fundamental ingredients that the recipe for success is based on. Technology is just a spice to infuse the industry with more flavor, and more flavor makes our dish more popular and desirable. Yes, we can spice up tourism with technology to make it the dish on the menu that everyone is ordering.

Infusing tourism with technology involves subtle nuances of a Twitter presence here, a Facebook fan page there, coupled with video and audio conversations and stories that translate into human interest. When a traveler signs up for the airline’s Twitter feed, they’re looking for schedule and delay information, discount coupons or some other tangible bit of information.  A dash of information to make their travel ordeal just a bit easier.

Web pages are still a primary presence tool for tourism. Information presented in a way that will attract people to visit, to try, to explore. As people, one of the things we love most is stories. Mankind has been a species of storytellers since our earliest days living in caves as hunter-gatherers. Even our lore was passed from generation to generation. In looking at a number of tourism web pages, what we too often see are static histories, lists of popular destinations, things to do. What’s missing? Compelling stories told in pictures, video, music and people’s voices. Our web pages, whether they’re for a restaurant, a park, or an amusement park have to tell a story that draws people in.

Think about the amusement park for a moment. Which would pull you to a new amusement park more easily, a list of rides, or a video taking you on the amazing monster roller coaster (complete with screams and gut-wrenching drops)?

Great destinations in tourism stay at the top by bringing repeat visitors and through word of mouth. That sounds like engagement with your visitors (let’s please not call them customers or users). How we engage with our guests, how we make them feel wanted, welcome and catered to is the experience that brings them back. It’s that special magic that drives them to brag to their friends about the great time they had.

Today’s guest, traveler or visitor uses technology. They all use mobile phones. My mother is in her eighties now, but she uses a laptop and a mobile phone. The iPhone and Blackberry have fueled a mobile craze as market leaders, but everyone today uses some form of technology tool, and they all use the Internet. The key is how we make them feel special when they visit, while they’re here and when they leave.

Pier 39 in San Francisco uses Bluetooth technology to offer discount coupons, advertise when shows are starting and for sharing information with visitors. Tech conferences use Twitter to share session information, but how many carnivals and amusement parks use tools like this to share when concerts are starting or to promote ticket sales.

Ever been to a restaurant that displayed customer mementos. I remember my first visit to the Traildust Steakhouse in Denver. It was at a time when, if you wore a tie in the door, they chopped it off and nailed it to the wall. Somewhere, I hope my tie still hangs there. Pictures and postcards used to adorn walls of restaurants and other great destinations. Today. we have Facebook as a great place for visitors to share their photos and experiences. Better still, have the staff take pictures, talk to the guests, and post the pictures online. Make the experience engaging and fun. People will talk and engage. And more importantly, they’ll come back and they’ll tell their friends. Take the experience online, and they can easily share it with friends and family.

That’s buzz. Buzz for you. It’s sharing your destination. It’s hospitality of the NOW media.

Tourism is a huge industry. It’s one of the largest in the world. It’s a continuous stream of revenue that doesn’t end. All you have to do is be someone people want to visit. Don’t think of customers. Don’t think of users. Think of yourself like the finest hotels do. How can you make your guests feel welcome, wanted, even loved, so they’ll come back time and again. How can you be a destination that people want to share with their families and friends?

Engage. Use technology as a spice to enhance the flavor of your particular spot. When you hear terms like social media, don’t shudder. Close your eyes and count to five. Now consider something. When you greet a dinner guest entering your restaurant, you smile and greet them socially. At the best hotels, the valets, bellmen and concierge excel and being social, putting people at ease and making them feel at home. Sounds like social media the olf fashioned way.

Face-to-face with guests is social media. The web and email are social media too. Why would you think email any less personal or social than a picture postcard? It only is if you make it that way. Social media isn’t some magic mushroom that will reshape your industry or business and change everything you do.

Social media is enjoying what you do and sharing it – with visitors and guests. Make the most of your experience, and you’ll give them the best you have. That’s what brings people back. Don’t treat people like customers or users unless you want them to treat you like a commodity. That devalues your service and makes you only worth dollars. In the tourism industry, you’re worth more than dollars. You’re part of the experience.

You’re part of the experience, but here’s a sad bit of news. You aren’t the most important part. Your food, your wine, your roller coaster are just elements of the experience that builds an unforgettable memory. The most important part is your guest. Making that experience, that encounter, whatever it may be unforgettable is the hidden key to unending success. To do that, you have to pull out the stops. You have to engage at every opportunity. You have to both encourage and enable your guests to engage.

New tools like Twitter and Facebook, video and podcasts aren’t scary, but they are not toys and not things you can afford to overlook. They’re the power of telling your story and sharing your experience. They’re the power of people, laughter and sharing. That’s the power of tourism.

How do you reach out to engage your guests, make them laugh and always leave them wanting more? Ahhh, that’s a question with a million answers. Infuse your destination with a bit of technology and share your story, build bonds that last. It’s a sure win, and there are plenty of people who can help show you how. Sheryl and I are among them. Here are some ideas that might help you get started. And you can always email or call us.

• Use the tools of today. Make sure you’ve got audio and video media available, and make sure it’s in mobile-friendly forms. It has to be easy to find, and easy to listen or watch. Tell your story!
• Make your presence known. Post your website, email and contact information, but enhance it with your Twitter profile, Facebook and YouTube pages. Engage and reciprocate. (HINT: If you set up Facebook, Twitter or the like, when your guests follow you or engage with you, follow them back and reciprocate. If you set up a Twitter account and say follow me, then you never follow back or respond to your fans and friends, you won’t have fans and friends for long.)
• SMS text messaging is a powerful tool. So is email. How many people who walk in your door have a mobile phone? How many of them would you like to have more contact with than one passing visit. Stay in touch. Don’t let a one visit encounter be the end of a relationship.
• Involve your guests. If you’re a restaurant, ask how easy it is to create a photo album online. Now go two steps further. Set up free WiFi for your guests and simply ask them to upload pictures over the free WiFi to share their experience with others. It doesn’t matter if they’re sharing pictures of granddad eating a burger, a bottle of wine, their hotel room, or the merry-go-round. What matters is that they’re sharing and telling others. Make it easy for them!

How many other industries should quit thinking about customers and users and start thinking about their treasured guests?