Workshop Summary DestinationCamp 2013

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SUMMARY OF THE

DISCUSSIONS,

THESES & PRACTICAL

MEASURES,

CONCLUDING

THOUGHTS & PREVIEW

WORKSHOP SUMMARY 2013

FOR SUPPORTING THE DESTINATIONCAMP 2013

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WORKSHOP SUMMARY DEST INAT IONCAMP 2013

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CONTENTS

CREATIVE FUTURE WORKSHOP IN TOURISM

1 Event Format „Creative Future Workshop“2 Keynote 2013

WORKSHOP RESULTS

FINANCING

1 Context2 Scenario Workshop Summary3 Conclusion, Future Prospects & Call to Action

FEEL– GOOD DATA

1 Context 2 Scenario Workshop Summary 3 Conclusion, Future Prospects & Call to Action

COMPETENCY


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CONTENTS

5WORKSHOP SUMMARY DEST INAT IONCAMP 2013

ORGANISATION


COOPERATION


BRAND MANAGEMENT


CONCLUDING THOUGHTS & PREVIEW OF 2014

Group Picture Participants Copyright and Contact Information

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1 EVENT FORMAT „CREATIVE FUTURE WORKSHOP“

The industry get-together was concei-ved as a mixture of BarCamp, conference, and moderated workshops with professional documentation. The ob-jective of the “DestinationCamp” is to initiate an informed debate among all market participants about the problems and challenges currently faced by desti-nations, inviting different perspectives from different levels of expertise.

Similar to a conference that has an open theme (BarCamp), the participants pro-pose which topics and problems are to be discussed. In order to structure the discussions and scenario workshops, an online survey is conducted beforehand, which enables even those who cannot participate to suggest topics for the ses-sions. This process yielded the following six theme clusters or workshop titles:

• FINANCING

• FEEL-GOOD DATA

• COMPETENCY

• ORGANISATION

• COOPERATION • BRAND MANAGEMENT

“Structure” was the guiding theme in all of these six theme clusters.

All sessions were documented meticu-lously to ensure that proposed solutions

The DestinationCamps 2011 and 2012 showed just how enriching it can be to share know-how and discuss questions about destination management with other industry professionals. The recom-mendations for action given in 2012, re-corded in the workshop summary entitled “Courage in Tourism – We are a Major Economic Factor!,” were now to be reap-praised and expanded at the third Desti-nationCamp. With this objective in mind, German-speaking decision makers and executives, destination managers and ex-perts, incoming and inbound hosts from the hotel and catering industry, tourist service providers, scholars as well as political representatives and associ-ation representatives came together in Hamburg’s HafenCity.

netzvitamine GmbH has once again im-proved the event, so that the time to-gether could be used more efficiently and, consequently, more concrete recommen-dations for action could be worked out for the everyday practice of tourism industry professionals in Germany, Austria, Swit-zerland, South Tyrol, and Montenegro.

Just under 180 participants joined the “Creative Future Workshop in Tourism” in the facilities of the International School of Management (ISM) to exchange know-how and ideas. Thanks to the sup-port of the university and 12 hard-work-ing students, the event could be carried out successfully for the third time.

CREATIVE

FUTURE WORKSHOP

IN TOURISM

CREAT IVE FUTURE WORKSHOP


could be made available to a wider au-dience. Many future-oriented theses could be worked out during the many controver- sial and profound discussions on Satur-day, which were developed into practical measures with concrete tasks on Sunday.

2 KEYNOTE 2013

This year, too, a keynote was held at the beginning of the conference. The physi-cian and behavioural therapist, Prof. Dr. Michael Sadre-Chirazi-Stark spoke about the needs of travellers and the trouble-some gap between holiday expectations and holiday reality, unrealistic expecta-tions and exchangeable services.

In his refreshing talk, Stark provided in-sights into his everyday practice and pre-sented the new demands on the tourism industry that could be derived from it:

Holiday as Recreation, Not as Status SymbolGuests should use their holiday to relax and rejuvenate. In the last couple of years, pres-sure in the workplace has been mounting and the individual’s freedom has increas- ingly been curtailed, so that it becomes more and more important for people to have time to unwind.

AttentivenessSince holidaymakers are sometimes not able to listen to their own needs and to choose the holiday or the lo-cation which would be best suited to their particular situation, it is often the case that expectations are dashed and disappointment ensues. Against this backdrop, it becomes more im-portant to bring services into agree- ment with the various types of holiday-makers and to realise and get to know (if necessary with the help of technical sup-port) the guest’s current, context-related needs.

The Way OutThe best way to prevent illnesses like de-pression (which can result from burnout),

is to introduce “relaxing rituals” into ev-eryday life. The greatest holiday with lots of exercise, a healthy diet and conscious relaxation is ultimately worthless if the guest does not include these rejuvenating units into his or her everyday life. This includes stimulating the senses – for example through music or scents – and keeping pleasant memories about the last holiday alive.

With these insights, Stark paved the way for the discussions that followed: They were about social data on the individual guest that can be collected before, during, and after the holiday. Of concern was also how to establish a professional and com-prehensive customer relationship man-agement. A CRM that facilitates the uti-lisation of data, which in turn help create “relaxing rituals” for the customer in his or her everyday life – ideally, connected to the last holiday destination. Discus-sions also centred on the new tasks and organisational units for tourism players in the destination, needed to be able to offer personalised planning tools to guests, giving them less to worry about and thus more of the much-needed relaxation.

The presentation’s key statements could thus be used in all workshops to help consider central questions about man-agement and its future direction from the perspective of an industry outsider.

To review the keynote presentation (in Ger-man), go to destinationcamp.com/keynote13.

Thanks to silberstern pictures & stories for their unremitting efforts to film, edit, and direct var-ious clips, which can be viewed at destination-camp.com/filme13 (in German).

As in the previous years, countless pic-tures were taken at this year’s Destina-tionCamp – during breaks, during group discussions or during creative work on business models: To see the highlights as an album, go to destinationcamp.com/fotos13. Clickable & shareable.


is its subordination as cross-sectional function when it comes to politics and funding policy.

But, as the saying goes, “every crisis is an opportunity”: those concerned are becoming more and more aware of their depen-dence on political tactics, tax ideas, and deadlocked systems. That is why those who hold responsibility in the German destinations are looking for new approaches. In search of new role models they look to the neighbouring countries Austria and Switzerland, which are much more cou-rageous and self-confident when it comes to reforms in tourism.

K EY T H E SE S

Saying Goodbye to Subsidies and Geographical Responsibility• through network and process

management instead of location management (function and processes before territory)

The following pages provide a summary of the most important propositions and conclusions of each of the workshops. Measures, tasks, operational templates and models worked out during the Desti-nationCamp are reproduced.

1 CONTEXT

Not only the evolution of the market en-vironment and technology force tourism organisations to change their way of thinking, policymakers and their wil-lingness to act also change the destina-tion management organisations’ future function and self-image. While the recognition of tourism as an economic factor has increased – 4.4 per cent share of GDP and 7 per cent of the workforce make evident its direct effect on the economy – what has not changed

WORKSHOP RESULTSTHESES, IDEAS, TASKS & CALL TO ACTION FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

FINANCING Dr. Ute Dallmeier KERKHOFF CONSULTING

& Ansgar Jahns HOTELFACHSCHULE HAMBURG

14

chain and structure)• Focusing on key competencies

(allowing outsourcing)• Flexible financial models (when

tourist and bed taxes cease to apply) – collective financing

• Moving from budget to market orientation

• Services ought to be oriented towards the customer, not towards those who pay the subsidies

Managing a Destination Like a Company“Company type of organisation” instead of “community type of organisation”: es-pecially in rural areas, tourism organi-sations have a plethora of tasks ranging from business promotion to maintaining infrastructure, quality management, product politics etc. – and all this while resources are getting scarcer. It is time to make a virtue out of a necessity.

In the future, stakeholders wish for more freedom to conduct business and a broad-er sope of action for• innovation management• controlling• transparent communication• change management (constant trans-

formation to adjust to the dynamics of the market)

• leadership and securing resources• the courage to fail

2 SCENARIO WORKSHOP SUMMARY

T H E WOR K SHOP ’S FOC US

Letting go is not just a yoga mantra, but a prerequisite for innovation. Yet business-oriented thinking is worthless without a business plan. That is why it was decid-ed to focus on creating a business model canvas in the scenario workshop. With questions like “How do you imagine your organisation’s business model might look two, five or ten years from now? Will you be among the dominant players? Will you face competitors brandishing formidable new business models?” in mind, a busi-

• in cooperation with business partners (when it comes to proceeds, i.e. tourist tax, as well as expenditures, i.e. cross-marketing)

• as stated in the “Master Plan for Tourism”: money follows content, structure follows process follows strategy

New Rules Call for a New Business Logic on the Basis of• market relevancy (attention to the

return on investment) as credo• an unrelenting focus on customer

orientation, no matter on which level (B2B and B2C)

• creativity and a willingness to take risks (also the courage to make sacrifices)

• professionalisation (through tailored training and further education)

Impoverishment + Competition Call for Structural Reforms and for First-Movers• in a multi-stage model (criteria:

proceeds, share in the market, poten-cy, function, demand-orientation)

• in the direction of bigger, more efficient and market-relevant units

• with management and marketing through strategic business units (SBUs)

• by learning from best practices (Saxony, Tyrol, Allgäu)

I DE A S

Business Game “Tourism”Re-defining and creating tasks and sour-ces of income. Inspired by organisational patterns in the business world that move “away from temples to camp sites,” new rules are being created for tourism. Ex-pertise, networking and strategic alli-ances take centre stage. Databases and monitoring are important tools.

The key requirements are:• Variable geometry• Partnerships through SBUs• Identifying key tasks

(aligning the fragmented service

F INANCING

WORKSHOP SUMMARY DEST INAT IONCAMP 2013 15

2. RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS CUSTOMER IN-

TERVIEWS, EXPERT SURVEYS, MARKET CHECK

3. DESIGN WORK IN TEAMS TO PRODUCE

PROTOTYPES, WORKING OUT BUSINESS LOGIC

4. IMPLEMENTATION TEST YOUR BUSINESS

MODEL AND IMPLEMENT IT, CHANGE MAN-

AGEMENT

5. EXECUTION ADJUSTMENTS AND MODIFICA-

TIONS TO REAL MARKET CONDITIONS

The success of the approach is that it al-lows for a holistic perspective without the danger of getting lost in details and that it enables you to visualise many single ideas in the grand scheme of things.

FIGURE 02 >

3 CONCLUSION, FUTURE PROSPECTS & CALL TO ACTION

Economic development needs tradition as well as breaks from tradition – in today’s world probably more of the latter – even though this is not always agreeable. It needs idealists, megalomaniacs. This also applies to tourism and the DMO of the future.

ness model was designed, discussed and visualised in team work.

SOLU T IONS (M E A SU R E S / TA SK S)

The business model canvas helped to initiate a lively discussion and provided complex perspectives on possible future business models for destinations. A tour-ism value-creation Ltd. was created:

The solution is not to jump audaciously into the complete unknown, but sticking to the regional approach and keeping one’s service and function while adding business-specific financing. It‘s not about trying to offer the widest range of services, but to not try to offer the greatest range of services possible, but to use know-how, networks, consulting services, and innovation to create a DMO that can oper-ate with self-confidence and flexibility.

FIGURE 01 >

Using the business model as a visualisable blueprint is ideally the third of five phases:

1. MOBILISATION IDENTIFYING THE NECESSI-

TY, MOTIVATION, TEAM BUILDING

FIGURE 01 BUSINESS MODEL CANVAS

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The positive feeling of impending change that was palpable at the Destination Camp 2012 has now given way to an awakening and a willingness to act. There might not be the perfect role model, but there is also no shortage of courageous and crea-tive ideas showing what the future might hold, which themes will become relevant, and how stakeholders will have to pre- pare themselves. Synergies are often crea-ted only through cooperative solution strategies. Now is the time to encourage each other, to take on new roles and, first of all, to create them.

Sustainable destination management is marked by:• Less of a fixation on optimising

existing tasks, and more of an orientation towards transformation processes

• Strategic development• Less attention to territory, more

attention to marketing tasks

In order for these changes to occur, play-makers are needed – professional process managers as well as new career oppor-tunities in the fields of e-commerce and destination management (correspondent proposals were forwarded to Hamburg’s vocational training committee immedi-ately after the DestinationCamp). New structures have to be able to operate across destinations and they will have to be com-patible and cost-effective. A challenge that does not only break down mental walls…

F INANCING

Service partners

Product partners

Controlling networks

Quality control

QM

Brand management Lobbyism

Attractive-ness Locality

Tradition Quality The destination’s communities

Service providers

Member communities,

SPs

Partner relations

Market knowledge

Branding

Portals

InnovationMoments

of happiness

Destination development

Clear profile

Consulting

VisibilityFulfilling

needs

Associa-tions

Regional development

Business location

Tourism businesses

AgriculturePurchasing cooperatives

Recruitment

Infra-structure

Groupdynamic

Renewal bonus

for DMOsEmployee

competencies

Know-how

Guests

University institutes

Legislation

Branding

Staff

R&D

Marketing

Infra-structure

Project financing

Commis-sions

Member fees

License fees

Stakeholder fees Consulting

fees

Project development

Cross marketing

R&D

IT Services

Consulting

Media

CRMProducing

experiences

Coaching

Network management

Advocates

Ad-ministration

Politics

Role Models

Customers

Product partners

Guests

Media

Associa-tions Acquisition

B2B

FIGURE 02BUSINESS MODEL

OF A TOURISM VALUE- CREATION LTD.

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the change is from Big Brother to Big Granny who, literally, knows the colour of my underwear and whether I like my Schnitzel with French fries or potato sal-ad – simply because she wants to make my life more pleasant, wants to iron my underwear and put my favourite food on the table.

K EY T H E SE S

Collecting Data Wisely RequiresTalking to Each Other Collecting data is easy – but you need the right kind of data, need to connect them in a sensible way and interpret them correctly. Less is often more in this kind of scenario; more energy spend on clus-tering and context-building, less energy spend on blind, technical collections. That is why it is important to talk to each other, to ask the right kind of questions. Directly and indirectly – information from guests, relevant partners as well as already existing databases has to be col-lected sensibly. Otherwise Big Data turns into Big Dada really fast.

Using Data Wisely Means ListeningListening means perceiving the guests’ explicit as well as implicit signals, inter- preting them and acting accordingly – al-ways zooming in on the individual person and the specific context (“microlistening”). Oftentimes what a guest states explicitly is the opposite of how he or she acts implic-itly and what is actually best for him or her. “Small indulgences” during a fitness holiday or skipping the action-packed holiday programme to relax in the sun might just be what the guest really needs. I won’t suceed in catering to the guest at a health resort by offering diet advice while he or she is enjoying a slice of cream cake. It is not about restricting freedom, but about giving freedom – again and again supporting and accompanying the guest without being patronising.

1 CONTEXT

Big Data – that is, the processing and utilisation of large amounts of data from various sources – might have become the key issue ever since the emergence of Web 2.0; it is highly relevant in all branches of industry. Not only those in the tech-nology scene are interested in developing concrete applications, building up busi-ness models and optimising processes, the media are also picking up this topic more and more often. They do so, howev-er, not so much to point out the concrete benefits for the individual, for the consu-mer or the guest, but rather to emphasise potential dangers and privacy risks in the context of a “Big Brother” surveillance scenario.

Our guests “produce” various data along the entire tourist customer journey – starting with the inspiration, research, and holiday preparations to the act of book-ing and, finally, the stay at the location plus follow-up – countless individual data which can be merged, analysed and utilised. The result: Big Data in tourism. Large amounts of data snippets – some highly individual, others uselessly gene-ric; some providing highly valuable in-formation, others meaningless garbage.

The challenge for tourism players in gen-eral and destination managements in particular, is to first of all approach the topic and then to filter out truly valuable data beyond the standard statistics. In a second step, data-based, individu-alised services have to be optimised so that guests perceive them as real, person-al value added and not as paternalism or perceived surveillance. In other words,

FEEL– GOOD DATAKonstantin Andreas Feustel FEUSTEL . CONSULTANCY IN TOURISM

& Christoph Schulte-Drevenack FEUSTEL . CONSULTANCY IN TOURISM

20

a sensible way and clustering them in a way that is tailored to the destination and the type of holiday the guests are looking for. There is hardly a DMO currently using a CRM system (that is up-to-date); there are more than a few hotels who are maintaining the data in their hotel soft-ware rather poorly. Different sets of data from all levels have so far been difficult to merge together and to utilise for more than mere statistic statements. “Give and Take” is the motto – the will is there to directly exchange data between the lev-els of web portal and destination, using rating platforms, but also between hosts and other service providers. This is where the DMO is going to have to step in as an intermediary in the future – with the right tools at hand and the required data competency.

• CONTENT CONTROL ALSO MEANS DATA

KNOW-HOW

In the future, it won’t be enough to provide good content – the content will also have to match with the indi-vidual, data-based context (location, time and personality).

• OPTIMISED, DIRECT COMMUNICATION

The hosts will send out pre- and post-stay e-mails using a joint CRM as well as newsletters with clustered contents provided by the DMO; the system will be fed from both ends and simultaneously learn explicitly and implicitly for later applications (click patterns etc.)

• THE CONCIERGE FOR THE WHOLE

DESTINATION

He knows “his” guests from the com-bined data of the hosts, the DMO and other partners and accompa-nies them throughout their holidays. He is there when needed, invisible when one wants to be undisturbed. And he’s always there with a friendly word or a kindly smile.

I DE A S

Trading Service for DataAnalogue and digital worlds are merging noticeably: Adidas’ miCoach sports bra measures heart rates and used calories and sends them to a corresponding app – in this way, (hundreds of) thousands of women virtually share their heart with Adidas. There’s hardly any information more personal. Why do these women do it? Because Adidas offers them great ben-efits: The miCoach app evaluates the data individually and helps build the perfect training plan. We don’t have to invent the “holiday sensor” in the hiking socks – but destinations will have to find ways to provide guests with information and tips in real-time, tailored to their specific location and individual needs (Location- and Time-Based Services). The better I as a destination know my guest, the more mere visitor management will turn into heartfelt care. And if personal informa-tion thus turns into feel-good data, the guest will suddenly be more willing to share it with the DMO.

• PRODUCE CLEAR VALUE ADDED

better recommendations, better ex-periences and individual insider tips; “self-tracking,” gamification and benchmarking – the mountain peaks the guest climbed, places the guest discovered, number xyz on the list; …

• REAL SERVICE WON’T BE A NUISANCE

thinking from the perspective of the guest, taking the guest’s needs seri-ously and building on them; recom-mending the less frequented attrac-tions if long queues are to be expected at the top attractions (waiting in line is perceived as wasted holiday time); …

• THE GUEST ALWAYS HAS THE LAST WORD

only the guest decides how much, how long, how far. At any time the guest must have the option the option of pulling out, of pushing the „log out“ and/ or “delete” button.

We Need a Cooperative CRMWhat is missing at the moment is a tool for merging data from different levels in

FEE L -GOOD DATA


between internal (hosts, retail, recreation- al facilities etc.) and external partners (booking sites, rating sites etc.) needs to be initiated, constantly optimised and made accessible for all participants in the form of a cooperative CRM (“As she is in the family, Big Granny is the mega inter-face for all information.”). In this way, it will be possible to create value added: for the DMO, for the hosts, the service part-ners, websites and platforms and most of all for the guest. However: Before you can be successful, you must know the ba-sics. Only then can you evaluate data in a sensible way, create contexts and build clusters of the guests’ needs.

• Realising and getting to know your own identity, knowing your own guests (linking value clusters with data clusters, working out a data model and then building contexts)

• Building up data sensitivity and data competency (internally in the DMO, with directly associated partners as well as with service partners and external partners)

• Studying market research and statistics (using public databases, evaluating statistic information and putting it in the right context)

• Identifying one’s information and data sources and linking them (utilising stored data from newsletter tracking, reputation management or GuestCard movement and tapping new sources)

• Cooperating (internally as well as externally), creating value added (win-win-win situations) and defin-ing interfaces (technical as well as organisational)

• It’s not about total surveillance, but about inferring comprehensive patterns from “the flocks of guests” (data protection needs to be taken seriously)

Tasks: The Individual Service for the GuestNot only through the customer journey do we know that the perfect holiday starts well before the stay at the holiday location. And “after the holiday is before



After the organisational, technical and content questions as well as the data-based, cooperative ideas of Saturday’s sessions, Sunday was, on the one hand, meant to lead back to the core issues, and, on the other, to be used to work on con-crete ideas for how destinations should approach the complex issue of Big Data. Therefore the scenario workshop’s motto was “I would like to be Big Granny!”


Vision: We Want to Create the Perfect Holi-day Experience for Our Guests The guest takes centre stage. (This not new, but oftentimes it’s not the focal point of our actions!) Everything revolves around the guest and his or her needs along the entire customer journey – we have to create a hosting culture in the ori-ginal sense of the word. The goal has to be to create the ideal holiday experience for each individual guest. The guest has to feel welcome and well cared for, with-out feeling patronised or watched, so that his or her holiday becomes the best time of the year. (“Big Mama leads and con-trols me; Big Granny pays attention to me while still giving me room”). This means: We have to stop being anonymous and start taking care of the guest in a personal way. We want to be there for our guests and offer them the perfect service, do the unexpected, and raise the bar a little bit higher each time: from satisfied guest to exited friend. Strategy: Data Competency as the Future Task of the DMOTo realise the guests’ needs and to offer them the best possible service, the right information has to be available at the right place and time. That is why the cen-tral future task of the DMO, aside from data competency, will be data organisa-tion. The exchange of relevant information

22

as using data systematically on the level of the DMO (creating contexts like “rating, date of visit and weather during the stay;” “especially positive / negative ratings from families etc.”).


The complex issue of “Big Data in Tour-ism” can surely only be approximated in one and a half days of alternating sessions. “Big Granny” as an idea and a po-sitive interpretation has helped to break with striking concerns, (surely real) dan-gers as well as mere technical problems and to focus on what’s important. Be-cause data, technology, and service have to be measured against one thing only: Our guest and his or her holiday expe-rience.

At the same time, fears in regards to the topic could be dismantled. In compa-rison with what the Googles, Amazons, and IBMs of this world know about Big Data, destinations are on a kindergarten level. And yet we have similar approach-es, models and tools – not in the sense of computing power or cloud comput-ing, but when it comes to data models, contexts and algorithms. It is therefore about brains, not muscles. The challenge in tourism is (as it is often) to bring to-gether the different players, to forge co-operation, and to exchange information for the benefit of all the parties involved. If the DestinationCamp 2013 has shown anything, then this: The brains are there, the heart is in the right place and the will to work together is strong.

Google’s chief of research Peter Norvig sees Big Data as a method to deal with phenomena which cannot be described by simple causalities or laws. What is more unpredictable than the perfect hol-iday? And who is the expert in this field?

the holiday.” What might sound banal is a huge challenge for the destination: the optimal service for the guest – before, during and after the holiday. Much of it is out of the destination’s hand – when it comes to the actual experience on loca-tion and to holiday highlights, however, the destination is, in most cases, much more closely involved than all other play-ers. On top of this, the destination from now on has to try to secure the optimal service chain by means of intelligent (and, of course, not only data-based) co-operation. Let‘s get started – preliminary ideas for feasible applications could al-ready be worked out and be initiated:

• Making use of anticipation and encouraging follow-up: Pre- and post-stay e-mails from the booking site are enriched with destination content, ideally clustered according to the guest’s interests (family tips or hiking recommendations with quiet rest stops, tickets to events, weather forecasts with advice on what to pack, links to ratings for the family or hiking tips given etc.)

• Preserving highlights: Connecting with the guest through the “amuse-ment park snap shot 2.0 “– the classic: family by the water slide – (sharing, sending, social channels) but also using this chance to renew inspiration (“Do you remember…last summer at the Nebelhorn?”)

• Involving the guest directly: Linking analogue experiences with digi-tal services, for example, through linking the GuestCard with an experience app (what have I already done, what do I still want to do? → initiating holiday planning, ratings / recommendations of the day → dependent on the weather, on tourist attractions’ capacity and clustered interests / “still 27 attractions to discover” > inspiration for the next stay).

• Building up reputation management: Destination-wide ratings of hosts, re-creational facilities, restaurants and retail; carrying out benchmarking internally and externally as well

FEE L -GOOD DATA

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displacing human beings or can human beings use technology to their advantage? A destination’s guests and citizens as well as staff and service partners have to come together and share their diverse interests, enrich each other instead of fighting each other. Taking advantage of technology is the new mantra for getting closer in the process of tourist travel and stay. But has technology really already evolved enough to map the interests and needs of locals and guests in a semantic search system? Does the traveller who is searching for in-formation even know how to bundle his or her interests in order to articulate them in a search? If this is the case, then destinations and service providers have to be able to jointly distill and bundle their services (and especially their special ser-vices, their USPs) in such a way that they fit the interests and needs of their poten-tial guests.

1 CONTEXT

The rapid development of technology has in recent years challenged the mantra that the guest always has to be at the cen-tre of all operations. Does everything re-ally revolve around the customer or does it maybe revolve more and more around technology? Is it a power struggle or an interaction? In the end, it is the human being who is at the centre of all endeav-ours and services in tourism. Thus, the central question is this: Is technology

FIGURE 03 INTERACTION BETWEEN GUEST / TECHNOLOGY,

DMO AND SERVICE PROVIDER

DESTINATION SERVICE PROVIDER

GUEST

TECHNOLOGY

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Strengthening Collaboration Between the DMO and Its Service ProvidersWhether it comes to the creation of brand images, the training of new specialised staff, the development of communication strategies or the mutual identification with the destination: collaboration on equal terms and a mutually beneficial re-lationship between the DMO and its ser-vice providers are inevitable if we want to work in a future-oriented way. In order to prevent controversies with political deci-sion makers at an early stage, they should also be involved – not as potential trou-ble makers but as potential opportunity providers. Collaboration and the feeling of being “on the same page” make it much easier to win local citizens as ambassa-dors for the destination, to be aware of, understand and share information about the guests’ needs, to communicate and re-alise campaigns, and to prevent conflicts between different stakeholder groups.

Focus on the Human Being in the Destination: A Voice For and to AllThe brand is shaped by many different people who are, on the one hand, all also receivers of the brand / message; on the other hand, they are the brand’s advo-cates. The DMO, the service providers with all their employees, the local citi-zens and the guests are the human beings for whom structures have to be created that enable them to receive as well as spread messages. Technology, here, is the supporting tool (social media, website, communication and exchange platforms, information platforms, mobile applica-tions etc.).

Identification with the destination as a brand can only happen if no group is ex-cluded. This means, first of all, that all parties have to come together (regular exchange) and, secondly, that the brand cannot be imposed from above; it has to be created (and sustained) by all involv-ed. This way, a destination’s citizens also do not feel like tourism’s losers, but rather like responsible co-creators.

If there is such identification with the DMO and its USPs, then a consistent

SOLU T IONS

Semantics and Being Mindful of NeedsThe status quo of metasearches is that prices, master data and ratings are being displayed, but the user can rarely filter offers emotionally and according to his or her individual needs and requirements. This might lead to frustration because, in the end, the holiday did not meet the traveller’s needs. Integrating semantic data into search engines and metasearch engines is therefore an important step to-wards creating more individualised and efficient holidays.

Training, Career Advancement and Valorisation of New Fields of Study and of SpecialistTechnology seems to replace specialist staff in many areas (automatic check-ins, interfaces from the front office to channel management to booking sites, online travel agencies and metasearches) and is therefore often too quickly criti-cised for endangering employment. Yet since technology is becoming a more and more natural and accepted, even prefer-red, component of everyday life and the whole travel process (customer journey), there should be a “re-education” in hu-man resources. It has to be addressed in education – new fields of study need to be created at vocational training schools and polytechnics. At the same time, ser-vice providers as well as DMOs need to realise the increased demand for new specialised staff.

Metasearches, websites, social media and the like need trained staff for content creation and management. This cannot be learned and done “on the side.” Espe-cially because of the rapid development of technology, competition in tourism is getting fiercer. That is also why there is the current shortage of skilled workers. What is important for solving this dilem-ma is that everyone is willing to learn new skills and to take new approaches to not actually be replaced.

COMPETENCY


• Market research – questioning one’s image and service

• Hosting Workshops / Guest Workshops

Touchpoints / Moments of Truth• Talks with hosts: accommodation,

catering services, regional economy, tourist information

• DMO supports their service provid-ers’ similarity and regionalism, pushing authenticity: “Moin” as a greeting in all towns of the North; not trying to change, but staying as you are (conveying the “original” image)

• Presenting videos and pictures on-line, social media, website, blogs etc.

• Press and PR• Formally establishing touchpoints,

locals as hosts (Couchsurfing)→ > Appreciation of local community→ > Creating “jewels” (special unique-

ness)→ > Price acceptance through scarcity• Turning the local economy into

an experience: local productions, language

• Creating ambassadors, for example: “Tom on the island of Sylt,” Night-Watchman at the Timber-Frame Town Hanau, …

The solution lies in cooperation. Mu-tual appreciation can only be achieved through communication between guests and locals. This communication must be sought, initiated, and facilitated; ideally, in such a way that ideas will be carried out independently. The DMO’s goal must be to move away from the position of “politics’ assistant” and thus becoming less dependent on it. Instead the DMO should find a new approach together with its service providers (special interest groups) and citizens. New ideas can then be “sold” to those with political power.

A Catalogue of Measures• DMO as consultant > a task for

trained personnel (SPs? DMO?) Encouraging locals to talk to

guests (roundtable talks, informal gatherings)

brand image can be created and lived, internally as well as externally. Such a brand image helps a destination grow and evolve – because all involved feel re-sponsible – since the brand image is not just an empty shell, far from reality, kept alive for some political gain.



Practical ideas were developed that could potentially be implemented by all involv-ed (guests, citizens, DMO employees or service providers), even without political support.


What Are the Needs of Guests and How Can They Be Met?• I am a guest and not a target group!

I need “ceremony” and want to be addressed individually!

• As guest I want to be heard and no-ticed; I want hospitality and appre-ciation and I don’t want to be treated like a “stranger!”

• A happy and excited guest will talk about his or her pleasant experience; guests should be amazed, their ex-pectations should be exceeded!

• Authenticity is what is wanted, not artificial perfection!

• Getting to know the culture and the people; establishing connections and staying in touch!

How Do I Recognize Needs?• Through surveys and evaluation man-

agement; listening and then acting• Data analysis; asking for special

needs• Putting oneself in the guest’s shoes;

learning inquiring about special wishes from the guest’s perspective, creating “guest moments”

• Marketing by “non-natives” from the most important source market

28

• Honesty about the product and transparency; creating an authentic image online and offline

• Open integration of the guests‘ opinions: Publicly interviewing / nominating regular guests (hotel and destination)

• Making use of rating portals! Chance instead of enemy, dialogue, market research

• Addressing customers according to their needs, specialisation instead of broad appeal, the DMO as manager

• Including guests into the DMO’s marketing, for example, Berlin is looking for a new mascot – appeal to the guests “Be Berlin!”

• Integration: Appreciating dialect and vernaculars; funny dialect trans-lation plaques at the bakery or other retailers (“German for Germans”)

• DMO plaques in other languages (key marketplaces)

• New perception of guests: individuals not target groups

• Training DMO staff: at least one foreign language, openness, reducing prejudices

• Starting with the kids – developing a natural openness towards “difference” (the tourist might be your future salary!)

• Creating touchpoints: Couchsurfing, events

COMPETENCY

FIGURE 04 COMPETENCY:

LET’S ALL START THE DISCUSSION NOW!

TECHNOLOGY

GUEST DMO

SERVICE

PROVIDERS


• Using blogger relations (blogrolls), integrating them into the destination portal to avoid parallel worlds and to foster interaction

• Putting authenticity first, no embel-lished commercials

• Communicating openly with citizens and SPs: defining and presenting ad-vantages – who profits how and why

• DMO gives certifications to the SPs, for example, the label “Hikable Germany”


The participants had a wealth of ideas and many valuable propositions were put forth. The willingness of DMO and service providers to work together and to join hands is there. However, a certain helplessness was often palpable, attri-buted mostly to political influences and politics’ ways of slowing things down.

Therefore, courage and creativity are needed when it comes to implementing and tackling the sensible use of technology in those areas that aren’t influenced by po-litics. Tourism is politics that we have to take into our own hands. The stress felt by the local population in some tourist regions has to be transformed into po-sitive energy. It is not the DMO’s job to do missionary work, but many service providers clearly want more direction. Leadership with a clear vision is required – yet always in consensus with service providers, political decision makers and the local population. And: not based on some thought up image of the destina-tion, but based on the “authentic” brand – which guests and locals live and love. Let’s all start the discussion now!

FIGURE 04<


gent organisational structure that adapts tourist services in a product-oriented way and is also sustainable? What kind of at-titude and mindset are required for the tourism business?

We set out to answer these complex ques-tions. In an ideal world structure offers creative freedom. Without it, tourist ser-vices have no room to evolve because the company’s intense preoccupation with itself takes up all time and energy.

K EY T H E SE S

From our discussions, we developed the following guiding principles:

Truth, Clarity, Consequence:Leadership is a balancing act between trust- ing your employees and expecting results

From Push to Pull:Fewer expectations placed on the man-ager, more expectations placed on the employee. Employees have to take re-sponsibility for their own professional development.

Human Resource Management:The challenge is choosing employees based on their competencies (professional and social skills)

Partner Management Required:Systematic, strategic communication and negotiation planning as well as business partner selection

Corporate Culture:Rights and responsibilities – is sheer pampering productive?

A Fool With a Tool Is Still a Fool!Transferring technical knowledge alone is not constructive

I DE A S

In the end, the guiding principles led to the following ideas:

1 CONTEXT

The tourism industry, like the publishing industry in the field of print media, is ex-periencing significant structural changes at the moment. This change is caused, first of all, by the rapidly developing di-gitisation (i.a. web 2.0) – this has been an accepted fact for at least five years now and many DMOs have already reacted in a professional way. Secondly, the pri-mary source of funding is drying up: the subsidies that, so far, have sustained us wonderfully. We are thus experiencing a classical paradigm shift. This paradigm shift is characterised, first and foremost, by the depth of the needed adjustment to new, yet undefined circumstances. The consequence is large-scale uncertain-ty (along the entire value chain). Merely cosmetic, rash measures are not enough. What we need is a serious and courageous examination of the conditions of our own actions, of the premises of our operative business. And these lie in the organisa-tional structure and development of the individual company.

Consequently, the theme “organisation” was at the centre of all subject matters in the field of “Back Office.” Strategy – Struc-ture – People is the road map that should be used for dynamic organisation-al de-velopment. Strategy was dealt with in the context of other theme clusters. Dif-ferent ways to approach structure was the focus of this workshop. Which form of leadership – internally (employees) and externally (partners) is required to be able to offer creative solutions to the clients – solutions that leisure and busi-ness travellers expect and willingly pay money for? What characterises a strin-

ORGANISATIONAsma Semler ZENON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

& Ilka Leutritz NETZVITAMINE GMBH

32

• Face2face, short input speeches, team meetings, cross-departmental meetings

• It’s about mixing it up!



The key theses developed on the first day led to the following central questions:

• How do I as a manager get my employees to step out of their comfort zone?

• Which leadership tools are available?• How do I as a manager set goals

for and plan my staff’s professional development?

FIGURE 05 <

In what follows, puzzle pieces of the dif-ferent themes were put together. Based on this, a master plan is needed in order to be

Employee Motivation and Management:• Celebrating successes• After work parties• Including relatives• Employee brunch

Recruitment• Job description: Clearly stating tasks,

requirements; avoiding set phrases, including superiors from relevant departments, stop looking for jacks-of-all-trades

• Job interview: Preparing structured key questions, multiple inter- viewers, interview transcripts, casework (assessment centre)

• Selection Thoroughly: comparing the candidate’s profile (transcript) to the job profile

Transferring Know-How• IT-supported blogs, wikis, e-mail

circulars, intranet / extranet, Q&A i.e. for tourist information, log-ins with link directly in the e-mail

ORGANISAT ION

FIGURE 05 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

– FROM COMFORT TO LEARNING ZONE

COMFORT ZONE

LEARNING ZONE


willing or low-performing business partners

Transferring Know-How • Do not let knowledge gather dust• Passing on external knowledge

internally• Cooperation: through meetings

& digital channels• Developing standardisation

guidelines• “Collecting” knowledge / information• Networking, recommendations• Ranking platforms• Newsletter, specialized literature• Watching the competition• Trade shows & events


What are the results after one and a half days of intensive discussions, of ex-changing experiences and trying to come up with solutions with regard to organisa-tional structure? Firstly, a greater aware- ness of this topic, and, secondly, wide-spread uncertainty – “How do you do it right?” Management is still, apparently, a little bit like parenting: You trust your gut instinct and somehow things work out.

The challenge to do it right is (currently) especially formidable in tourism because, firstly, salaries are low, and, secondly, there is an acute shortage of qualified personnel. The next generation – young employees who are not only tech savvy, but also highly qualified, are self-confi-dent and they expect – if not a big pay-check – an organisation that works pro-fessionally and helps them grow.

Thus, the solution is a competent, holistic advancement of the organisation as well as imparting state of the art methodologi-cal competencies (if they were not learned before).

The following three things are needed:

able to implement a holistic, sound, and sustainable approach to organisational development in the particular organisation. This is not done “quick and dirty” in 2 hours – it is a process that needs to be care-fully planned, starting with an analysis of the individual company.

Management• Cultivating and demanding personal

responsibility• Clearly establishing and communi-

cating boundaries• Allowing mistakes• Giving feedback & suiting one’s

actions to one’s words• Motivation!!• Clear job descriptions• Establishing trust• Setting SMART goals (performance

review, specifying tasks)• Employee surveys• Monitoring results• Salary models• Training• Managers as role models and sign-

posts for company goals (i.a. know-ing your own strengths, weaknesses and limits)

Recruitment• Creating an effective job description

& questioning it• Including department managers• Clear wording in job descriptions• Clarifying opportunities, expecta-

tions and requirements• Supporting young talent• Developing professional & soft skills

(creating a competency model)

In the end, trust your gut instinct!

Partnership Management• Developing joint visions

and strategies• Facilitating the exchange

of experiences • Proactively pursuing communication• Pointing out and communicating

value added• Mutual appreciation• Courage to end inefficient partner-

ships and saying goodbye to un-

34

Company Vision:Vision = Why are we passionate about what we do? To convey this is, without a doubt, the management’s task and the company’s leading experts have to assist them. An additional task for the manage-ment is to acquire the know-how that is needed to realise the company vision and, to this end, pursue further training. An example from the industry: Someone who has hitherto worked exclusively in the field of politics is appointed as direc-tor of a big DMO. How is such a director supposed to make cost-efficient choices about digital investments – expenditures in this area can easily be hundreds of thousands of Euro – if he has no expe-rience in this field at all?

Strategy:Working out or revising strategies and processes in human resource and orga-nisational management to not only con-vey the organisation’s vision, but to give the employees orientation and to awaken their desire to perform well. This is why a competency model is needed as a basis for recruitment and performance assess-ment. To devise this model is no trivial matter.

People:Recruitment should be based on compe-tence; it should not be based on the Peter Principle. (An employee is assiduous, able to work under pressure, and performs well. Therefore you believe that this em-ployee can do even more, also tasks he or she has never done before. Then you are taken aback when this person suddenly fails: He or she has risen to their level of incompetence.) A real-life example from the world of tourism: Tourist informa-tion employees are all of a sudden asked to also take over social media tasks.

Not only the participants of the Desti-nationCamp 2013, but others as well, should feel challenged to professionalise their organisational structure. Especially in this era of paradigm shift! Gone are the days when the tourism industry was financed by public tax funds. In the fu-ture, the tourism industry has to develop business acumen as well.

ORGANISAT ION


Marginalisation of the DMO as Point of SaleIn the future, DMOs will have little rele-vance as point of sale. Nevertheless, they can adopt a meaningful position in the context of sales if they manage to find a value adding role for themselves.

Clear Visions and Goals Are FundamentalThe basis for a successful contribution to tourism sales is outlining a vision as well as defining clear goals, which are largely missing at the moment.

“Indisputable” Core Responsibilities as Frame of Reference“Negotiating” indisputable core respon-sibilities with the destination’s stake-holders forms the necessary frame of reference for synergetic coexistence in destination sales.

Content Most Important Asset for DMOsContent (information & products) holds the greatest potential for the DMOs; in this field, the DMO has a central respon-sibility, which also has the potential for having monetary value.

Performance Assessment as Central ChallengeThe definition of key performance indi-cators (KPI), and a performance assess-ment based on them, are important re-quirements for the professionalisation of the DMO as well as for greater acceptance by the key stakeholders.

Cooperation and Innovation as Key Success FactorsSuccessful DMOs have one thing in com-mon: a true cooperative culture when it comes to working together with their service providers as well as a lived cul-ture of innovation. Irrespective of the practised sales models, these DMOs have stopped focusing on their problems and started focusing on their opportunities (i.e. Oberstaufen, Hamburg, Norderney, Mecklenburgische Schweiz).

1 CONTEXT

The issue of sales as well as the destina-tion management organisations’ (DMO) role within this highly competitive and complex field has been a perennial topic in discussions among tourism stakehol-ders for the last couple of years. Current-ly, the focus is on the question whether or not DMOs will play a role in sales in the future, and if they do, what kind of role it will be.

The majority of DMOs is still struggling to proactively find answers to the prob-lems stemming from the current develop-ments in tourism sales. In addition to the current scarcity of resources, the necessa-ry role distance for being able to take into account the needs of stakeholders within the destination as well as the complex interrelationships in the competitive en-vironment of sales when defining one’s own role is largely missing. The existing challenges are too often addressed from the point of view of the particular orga-nisation and based on the presumption that they have to defend their existence instead of focusing on synergies and win-win situations.

Against this backdrop, “cooperation” was the key topic of this year’s discussion on sales.

K EY T H E SE S

Based on the discussion results, the fol-lowing key theses were sketched out:

COOPERATIONRoland Fricke BEAUTY24

& Thorsten Reich NETZVITAMINE GMBH

38

I DE A S

The session results show how dynami-cally the market is changing and that business models that (still) work today, can become obsolete tomorrow. Against this backdrop, it is important from the DMO’s perspective to generate visions and role models for sales that can survive in the long run.



Based on the findings mentioned above, the following question became the basis

of the scenario workshop under the motto “Sales in 2018”: what basic tasks can the DMO take on that will still be relevant in 5 year’s time?

SOLU T IONS (M E A SU R E S/ TA SK S)

In what follows, the findings of the “DMO 2018” scenario workshop are outlined:

FIGURE 06 <

Vision: “The DMO as the Destination’s Business Angel”In the future, the DMO will coordinate existing networks in tourism sales as cen-tral facilitator with the task of Destination

COOPERAT ION

FIGURE 06GOLDEN CIRCLE

BASED ON SIMON SINEK (STARTWITHWHY.COM)

OUT

-

SOU

RCIN

G

WHY ?

HOW ?

WHAT ?

SPECIA

LIST

TOUR O

PERATO

RS

INCOMING AGENCY

BED

BA

NK

AFFILIATE

PARTNER


• Product development / product management

• Content management (information / products)

• Communication /Image-building• Quality management /training of

partners• Reputation management /monitoring• Training /aggregating and

transferring know-how• Business consultancy for small

companies


The topic of sales is so complex that we cannot expect to devise concrete measures with magic remedies within the frame-work of a scenario workshop. Rather, on the meta-level, a common frame of refe-rence for the coordination and organisa-tion of future visions, strategies and tasks in sales has been created.

The result is a plea for more inspiration, innovation and cooperation. Tourism needs more visionaries and more courage to gain experiences – the next opportuni-ty is just around the corner!

Any DMO that still wants to play a role in sales is at this point advised to focus on certain core areas and to immerse itself in them.

Governance / Leadership and only operate itself if there is a market-based reason for a public assignment. The following guiding principles were formulated:

• The DMO increases the region’s value added!

• The DMO increases the destination’s visibility in all relevant channels!

• The DMO is content aggregator, topic leader and story teller!

• The DMO is scout, innovator, and incubator!

• The DMO is facilitator and organiser!• The DMO is network adapter and in-

terface between providers and sales partners (with regards to technology as well as organisation)!

• The DMO is the destination’s centre of expertise!

Strategy: “Coordinator Instead of Gate Keeper”Due to its limited resources and the mul-titude of tasks it has to accomplish, the DMO aims for a sustainable culture of cooperation and innovation together with its internal stakeholders and external sales partners. The following guidelines were developed:

• Joining hands instead of doing it alone

• Using existing resources & competencies

• Division of tasks, bundling resources & taking advantage of synergies

• Facilitation & coordination instead of confrontation

Tasks: “Focus on Core Responsibilities and Performance Assessment” In order to create value added for the rele-vant stakeholders in sales within the des-tination, it is necessary to define accepted core responsibilities with one’s partners to achieve a synchronisation between ex-pectation and reality.

Possible tasks are:• Market research/ benchmarking /

best practice• Defining themes / telling stories


hand, the brand layers – or value layers. Put differently: Brand management for a product differs from brand management for an experience or a theme.


The result of the cooperative scena-rio workshop is a model for destination brand control. Based on the three dimen-sions trade mark rights, brand layers and brand management, a strategy for brand control and organisation can be derived for particular destinations. In a first step, it is important to determine what social identities a destination has or is able to create. Afterwards, this umbrella brand helps you to organise the processes which, together, can communicate – and therefore strengthen – the values of the destination.

That we created a brand space is attribu-ted to the fact that in tourism the um-brella brand cannot always be managed as a classic brand. More often than not, the shared identities of a region create an umbrella under which the particular brands can be organised, yet they do not build a classic umbrella brand, but are located within the brand space.


The participants were asked to choose one area in the matrix and to describe their particular position and environ-ment in more detail. The goal was to fill a third wheel, in which players and their relationship to the brand could be de-fined. Addressed were all destinations of all sizes as well as hotels as representa-tives of service providers.

In the classic sense, a brand is a two-dimensional construct. If we talk about identities – in tourism this usually means human beings – this construct has to be broken apart and expanded. If not, guests will turn into target groups and human beings will become mere stereotypes.

1 CONTEXT

The complexity of the tourism industry was already evident from the survey tak-en before the DestinationCamp: Areas of interest ranged from resources to multi-devices and service quality, to current trends in all conceivable areas of brand management. The quotations collected thus reflect the various interests of indus-try representatives: Benchmarks between destinations, how to create customised experiences, the tourist information as brand store, hotel ratings in the era of so-cial media etc.

In contrast to other industries, the tour-ism industry is an umbrella term for a lot of different industries. Tourism is about production, about providing services, and, in the end, it is about making the guest feel good. In order to do all of this, different industries are working together – more unconsciously than consciously.

Experiences gained in other industries make it clear that brands can be different. That is why in the workshop, first of all, different types of brands had to be identi-fied. We needed to find out how they were created and how their management is set up. And last, but not least, it is important what role the destination gets to play in brand management.

I DE A S

The brand is a bundle of values that stands above the actual service. The or-ganisation and management of your ser-vice are dependent on, on the one hand, the trade mark rights and, on the other

BRAND MANAGEMENTMichael Domsalla KMTO ::: BRAND MANUFACTORY

& Prof. Dr. Eric Horster FACHHOCHSCHULE WESTKÜSTE

42

FIGURE 07<

SOLU T IONS (M E A SU R E S/ TA SK S)

Brand management can be subdivided into the areas brand organisation and brand control. Brand management can now be assigned to the areas product, ex-perience, and theme. The significance of

Therefore, the third wheel was filled with those who are able communicate the val-ues of the brand according to their pow-er. If trade mark rights and brand layers reproduce the respective organisation of the brand, then the third wheel on brand management also signifies the step to-wards brand control. Depending on the position of the three wheels, a model for brand control can be developed.

BRAND MANAGEMENT

FIGURE 07BRAND MANAGEMENT

BETWEEN TRADE MARK RIGHTS AND BRAND LAYERS

BRAND LAYERS

BRAND MANAGEMENT

TRADE MARK RIGHTS

OWNER-

LOCAL C IT IZENS

THEMERESPONSI -B I L ITY

PARTNERS

EXPERIENCEINFLUENCE

GUESTS

PRODUCTADVOCACY

MEDIA

IDENTITY


simple example for this are bicycle ho-tels with their special services and Ostfriesland’s, Emsland’s, and Olden-burger Münsterland’s positioning as bike-friendly regions.

Products are usually created by the ser-vice providers. Experiences are typically created by the DMO. Themes, in turn, are often organised by SPOs.

The region’s identity is its greatest value and it can neither be owned nor sold. This identity steers the brand’s values in the individual layers. The one thing that can unite a region also unites the brand layers themselves: meaning.

One example for clarification: Black For- est Cake can be eaten all around the world. But there is only one region where it is original. It simply tastes better if you eat it there. Yet only those who were born in the Black Forest can truly enjoy it. And even among locals there is disagreement about which kind of Black Forest Cake is best. The answer is simple: the Black For-est Cake that grandma used to make is

brand management gradually decreases and shifts to brand control. A possible reason for this can be the missing trade mark rights in the area of brand identity.

FIGURE 08>

The destination as superordinate unit therefore needs to take control of the brand – together with its partners. The steering wheel is the brand itself, as high-er-ranking value bundle above the other layers.

The next important task, therefore, is brand communication, in its original sense: as exchange. It runs from the bot-tom left corner to the upper right corner in the brand control model. New brand types are created at the layers’ interfaces through communication.

In this way, the cooperation between hotels in terms of accommodation pro-ducts and the DMO’s communication of experiences based on these products can communicate a shared brand. A

SERVICE PA

RTNERS

FIGURE 08MODEL FOR BRAND CONTROL

IN DESTINATIONS

BRAND CONTROL

DM

OIDENTITY

THEME

EXPERIENCE

PRODUCT

44

the best one. It doesn’t matter where you live. Ingredients turn into a product. Yet a recipe turns into baking – quite the ex-perience.

Experiences turn into culture with its many themes. Culture turns into tradi-tion and tradition ultimately turns into identity. If it is revived again and again together with others, a social identity de-velops. Similarly to the recipe that has to be revived again and again through the act of baking. In the same way, a brand comes into existence where something is revived again and again. It stays true to itself, yet it is evolving at the same time.Nutella has the best ingredients, because “only when you buy Nutella, you get Nu-tella” (“Nur wo Nutella draufsteht, ist auch Nutella drin” – Nutella’s slogan in a 1979 German TV spot that made adverti-sing history). Dr. Oetker tells us “quality is the best recipe, because it is what makes your baking experience great.” Two strong brands – humble, yet mighty. In contrast to Iglo (a frozen foods company), where everything is already ready-made. They have “a yummy idea for every day.”


The participants of the DestinationCamp 2013 have gone on a journey, but the model for brand control is by no means com-pleted. Just like the journey is not over yet. It still needs specification here and there, just like some travel plans. But it shows the structure of brands in destina-tion tourism. A complex topic can now be tackled concretely. You just have to “turn the right wheel.” Using the model as a point of reference, all will speak the same language (with a bit of practice). Then we can build on it.

Language connects us, but culture unites us. In tourism brands embody culture and they need culture. A culture of com-panionship when it comes to “managing” the most important time of the year for our guests. Because, ultimately, the brand

comes into being in the hearts of our cus-tomers. What is better suited to fill these hearts than tourism? Where eating a slice of Black Forest Cake not only fills your stomach, but also makes you happy.

Before you plan the next big marketing measure, it is worth taking a look at the wheel model: What do guests wish for? Which partners are best suited for making these wishes come true? Where did you stumble upon locals who truly love where they are from? Because there these wishes often have already come true – they have turned into culture.

The attentive reader will notice that one aspect has been missing from this dis-cussion: the media. There are two sides to every coin and the second side to the brand is brand communication. Adver-tising alone is not the answer. Classic advertising might work well for yoghurt and other fast moving consumer goods. Yet tourism is so much more.

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Wilken GmbH | Hörvelsinger Weg 29-31 | 89081 Ulm | Telefon +49 731 96 50-0 | Germany | www.wilken.de

Wilken AG | Herrenwiese 5 | 9306 Freidorf/TG | Telefon +41 71 45 46-400 | Switzerland | www.wilken.ch

CONTENTSHARING

SMARTCARD

E-MARKE-TINGSUITE

SMARTSERVICECENTER

✓ WILKEN E-MARKETING SUITE 1:1 newsletter and online marketing with highest conversion rates (e.g. myswitzerland.com)

✓ WILKEN SMARTCARD Smart card technology as cutting-edge business model (e.g. HochschwarzwaldCard, Allgäu Walser Card)

✓ WILKEN VISITOR’S REGISTRATION AND VISITOR’S TAX ACCOUNTING Highest comfort through automated electronic processes

✓ WILKEN SMART SERVICECENTER Online booking engine for destination’s facilities, attractions and activities

WILKEN SOLUTIONSIN TOURISM INDUSTRY

SOLUTIONS FOR DESTINATION MANAGEMENT AND NEW BUSINESS CASESFOR A PERFECT CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION

VISITOR’SREGISTRATIONAND VISITOR’S

TAXACCOUNTING

130612_Anzeige_210x270_englisch.indd 1 13.06.13 11:38


common direction for one’s own urge for immediate action.

The overall atmosphere, however, was no less positive; rather, the desire to work out practical measures during intensive discussions could be felt all around. Furthermore: this year, clear tasks were created and given to the individual mar-ket participants, for which they now are responsible.

So not only is the DestinationCamp an ongoing process, but also the format and the contents of its discussions are always evolving. The workshop summary, as a collection of opportunities, is testament to this process and provides an impetus to leave well-trodden paths and take on responsibility for new paths. Paths that haven’t been taken yet. Paths on which anyone can fail. But when you fail with passion you can create new opportunities and grow through the experience.

The mission to create change together is what we! hold in our hands in the form of this document. Let us take the spirit of the creative future workshop as moti-vation and spread it in the industry. It is on us now to implement the measures we! worked out. Everyone on their own, but with one common direction in mind. With- out waiting on the others. Irrespective of eventualities. With passion. For Respon-sibility.

Thus, We! Passion for Responsibility is not just the result of two and a half days of intense exchange, deep discussions, and working out solutions together. We! means using chances instead of weighing up risks.

We! are now creating tourism’s future. We! would like to thank the participants, pre-senters, mind mappers, helping hands, partners and supporters who all made their contribution to the success of the creative future workshop 2013.

We! Passion for Responsibility – a declara-tion that contains much more than four clear words. With this we! hold the work-shop summary as a documentation of the results of the DestinationCamp 2013 in our hands. A joint effort of a large group of tourism professionals. Fertile ground rich with thoughts and possible solutions for the coming years. A playground for creativity and innovation. An encourage-ment to make mistakes in order to learn from them and to improve.

The DestinationCamp is a process that will probably never come to an end. The format has constantly evolved over the last three years and it is now already certain that the fourth edition will bring about adjustments and expansions. May-be this is exactly the success story behind the event: systematically demanding the participants’ feedback, evaluating it and working on improvements. Here, espe-cially, the “creative future workshop” has an advantage over traditional Bar-Camps – it remains flexible within a ba-sic structure.

In hindsight, the atmosphere this year was completely different to the atmo-sphere in previous years. The discussions were – already in the discussion rounds on Friday – more heated, the exchange tougher, the grace period over, no hesita-tion to tell it like it is. The ambition to put words into action was palpable as was the intention to use the forum to find a

CONCLUDING

THOUGHTS & PREVIEW

OF 2014

APRIL 25 - 27

IN HAMBURG.

WE!

SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN AT THE

2014

50CONCLUD ING THOUGHTS & PREV I EW OF 2014

WWW.DEST INAT IONCA MP.COM

GROUP P ICTURE

WE!

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PASSION FOR RESPONSIBILITY.WORKSHOP SUMMARY DEST INAT IONCAMP 2013

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ADAMS, MIKE TourComm Germany GmbH & Co. KGALTEWISCHER, MICHAEL Wellness-Hotels & Resorts GmbHAMERSDORFFER, DANIEL Tourismuszukunft - Institut für eTourismusAMTHOR, MICHAEL Tourismus CoburgAUERNHAMMER, JOHANNES Helping HandsBALOW, ALEXANDER PLANET IC GmbHBARBER, SILVIA Landhaus NagelfluhBAUMGÄRTNER, PROF. DR. REGINA International School of Management (ISM)BECKMANN, MICHAEL Stadtmarketingverein WinterbergBEHRENS-EGGE, MATHIAS BTE Tourismus- und RegionalberatungBEHRMANN, DÖRTE energa-PRBELBE, MAIKE Sylt Marketing GmbHBERGEMANN, GUNAR Maritim Hotelgesellschaft mbHBICHLER, BENJAMIN Gästeinformation Bad HindelangBIRKNER, ELLEN SORAT Hotel Verwaltungs GmbHBITZ, SARAH TourComm Germany GmbH & Co. KGBLESS, WOLFHARDT M+T Markt und Trend GmbHBORCHERS, CLAUDIA Peaches & Green Tourismus MarketingBRENNECKE, SUSANNE Tourismusverband Hamburg e.V.BROKMANN, IMKE aovo Touristik AGBRÖZEL, PROF. DR. CLAUDIA Hochschule EberswaldeBRUNE, MARC Planungs- und Ingenieurbüro BruneBUHL, BENJAMIN netzvitamine GmbHBURGMANN, ANGELIKA Tourismusverband HochpustertalCREUTZ, ASTRID vevention GmbHDALLMEIER, DR. UTE Kerkhoff ConsultingDE WIT, NADINE IC tourismusDIERICH, OLAF relexa hotel BellevueDOMNICK, ANJA Common Wadden Sea SecretariatDOMSALLA, MICHAEL KMTO ::: MarkenmanufakturDÖRJE, NIELS HolidayInsider AGDRUNAGEL, CHRISTINA Hotel Kaiserhof GmbH & Co. KGDUPKE, STEFAN SDEICH, PETER Toursprung GmbHEISENHAUER, ANNA samova GmbH & Co. KGEULGEM, CHRISTINA markengold PR GmbHFALKNER, WOLFGANG SpaCamp / Der Falkner Spa Marketing FEUSTEL, KONSTANTIN ANDREAS Feustel. Beratung im TourismusFISCHER, BERND Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.FISCHER, DANIEL Winterberg Touristik und Wirtschaft GmbHFREIMUTH, ELKE eat-the-world GmbHFRICKE, ROLAND beauty24 GmbHFRICKE, MATTHIAS Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbHFRIEDE, MARTIN Tourismusverband Region Hall-WattensFRIESE, BIRGIT Tourismus-Service KampenFRISCHKORN, MICHAEL HolidayInsider AGGAIDA, ELVIA netzvitamine GmbH

GALLAS, FRANK Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbHGERSDORF, CARSTEN BestSearch Media GmbH (BestFewo)GLÄSS, AGNETHA TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbHGÖSSWEIN, ANGELA Congress- und Tourismus-Zentrale NürnbergGRÄBNER, STEFANIE MediaService Wesemann GmbHGROSS, CHRISTIAN Hochschwarzwald Tourismus GmbHHANNEMANN, CHRISTIN Tourismusverband Mecklenburgische SchweizHEIM, MARIA Oberstaufen Tourismus Marketing GmbHHERCHER, CLAUDIA land in sicht agHILBER, THORSTEN Alpstein Tourismus GmbH & Co. KGHÖFINGHOFF, CONSTANZE Nordsee-Tourismus-Service GmbHHOLZ, PHILIPP HolidayInsider AGHORSTER, PROF. DR. ERIC Fachhochschule WestküsteHUFF, JANES Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbHHUNKELER, KARIN Graubünden FerienHYVÄRINEN, KIRSI Prátto Consulting d.o.o.JACOBSEN, JAN Hochschwarzwald Tourismus GmbHJAHNS, ANSGAR Hotelfachschule HamburgJENSEN, LAURENZ Schöler Druck & Medien GmbHJUNG, JULIA relexa hotel GmbHJÜNGER, PHILIPP MORITZ Feustel. Beratung im TourismusKAHL, VIOLA Parkhotel Waldeck Schrenk Hotelbetriebs-mbHKAISER, SEBASTIAN Tourismus NRW e.V.KARP, ANDRE PROJECT M GmbHKERN, LISA HolidayInsider AGKESSENS, MARION Tourist-Info Nordkreis VechtaKETTER, FRANK Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Nordfriesland mbHKLEMM, KAROLINA Tourismusverband Franken e.V.KLEMM, ANNETTE UNESCO-Welterbestätten Deutschland e.V.KLOSTERHALFEN, SELINA Helping HandsKNAGGE, OLIVER netzvitamine GmbHKNAPPE, MARTIN Wilken GmbHKOCH, JENS Tourismuszentrale RügenKÖPPEN, TOBIAS netzvitamine GmbHKORTH, TIMM Ambient DomainKRAUSE, INGRID BTZ Bremer Touristik-Zentrale Marketing und Service mbHKREILKAMP, PROF. DR. EDGAR Leuphana Universität LüneburgKUHLMANN, FRANK MediaService Wesemann GmbHKUHN, ISABELLE Tourismus Zentrale Saarland GmbHLESSAU, SANDRA Föhr Tourismus GmbHLEUTRITZ, ILKA netzvitamine GmbHLIBAL, KRISTINA Helping HandsLINGG, BERNHARD silberstern GmbH pictures & storiesLORIS, YVES Alpstein Tourismus GmbH & Co. KGLOTH, WILHELM Staatsbad Norderney GmbHLUETTIG, ANNIKA TourismusberatungLUFT, SABINE infomax websolutions GmbH

PARTICIPANTS 2013WE! PASS ION FOR RESPONS IB I L I TY.

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LUTHE, MARKUS Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA)MAACK-KRAMER, HENRIKE Helping HandsMACZASSEK, DANIELA Helping HandsMARSCHNER, TIMO Casamundo GmbHMAUTER, ANDREAS HolidayInsider AGMEHLHORN, HANS-JOACHIM DIEHL̀ s-HOTEL GmbHMEIER, PHILIPP PROJECT M GmbHMEYER, KARL DANIEL Nordsee-Tourismus-Service GmbHMICHEL, MANUELA Graubünden FerienMINK, SIMON Radweg-Reisen GmbHMÖHLER, STEFAN netzvitamine GmbHMÜLLER, DANIEL Radweg-Reisen GmbHMÜLLER, JOSEPHINE Verband für Camping- und Wohnmobiltourismus MV e.V.MÜLLER, VERA Sylt Marketing GmbHMÜNZEL, LAURA Helping HandsNEHR, JOCHEN Deutsche Zentrale für TourismusNICKELSEN, CHRISTIAN Ostseefjord Schlei GmbHNIEMEYER, STEFAN IC TourismusNIESPOR, MONIKA Kastens Hotel LuisenhofORREGO, LINA Casamundo GmbHOSTMEIER, TORSTEN kwizzme GmbHOVERS, GEORG Tegernseer Tal Tourismus GmbHPAJONKOWSKI, YVONNE TRUSTYOU GmbHPESCHT, CARSTEN Tourismusverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.PETER, JULIANE Adler-Schiffe GmbH & Co. KGPFLUG, HENRIETTE Helping HandsPIEL, OLIVER Ahrtal-Tourismus Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler e.V.PRENN, ALFRED Tourismusverband HochpustertalPRINZ, DR. NICO Winterberg Touristik und Wirtschaft GmbHPROELL, KARIN TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbHPUHE, OLIVER Werkverbund netzvitamineRÄDLER, RICHARD silberstern GmbH pictures & storiesRAKEL, CHRISTOPH SECRA Bookings GmbHRAUSCHHUBER, SUSANNE Gästeinformation Bad HindelangREICH, THORSTEN netzvitamine GmbHREINCKE, BJÖRN Wilken GmbHROGL, DIRK fvwROMANI, ANDREAS ideas4hotels - expert experienceRÖSELER, SABRINA Liftverbund FeldbergROTTER, MICHAEL M. ideas4hotels - expert experienceRUH, CAROLIN TourismusMarketing Niedersachsen GmbHSACK, FRIEDERIKE Lohospo GmbHSADRE-CHIRAZI-STARK, PROF. DR. MICHAEL Asklepios Westklinikum HHSAUERBIER, KATHARINA aovo Touristik AGSAVOLDELLI, DAVIDE Wilken AGSCHÄFER, CORNELIUS Hochschule EberswaldeSCHARPF, ANNE silberstern GmbH pictures & storiesSCHATTNER, KATHARINA Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbH SCHAUFF, JANA Helping HandsSCHELLKNECHT, KATJA Katja Schellknecht Konzepte GmbHSCHENK, JANNA Helping Hands

SCHLIEPER, OLAF Deutsche Zentrale für TourismusSCHLOEMER, ACHIM Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbHSCHMIDT, MARTIN adebar GmbHSCHMÜCKER, DR. DIRK NIT KielSCHOBERT, MARTIN tourismusdesign.comSCHÖLER, CHRISTINE Schöler Druck & Medien GmbHSCHRENK, RÜDIGER Parkhotel Waldeck Schrenk Hotelbetriebs-mbHSCHRÖTER, STEV Scandinavia GmbHSCHRÖTTER, IRIS Oldenburg Tourismus und Marketing GmbHSCHULER, ALEXANDER BTE Tourismus- und RegionalberatungSCHULTE-DREVENACK, CHRISTOPH Feustel. Beratung im TourismusSEMLER, ASMA Zenon Human DevelopmentSIEVERS, JANA Helping HandsSIEVERS, LARS Eberl Online GmbHSOMMERFELD, JAN Design & BrandingSPALTEHOLZ, BIANCA Spalteholz HotelkompetenzSTAECK, JOHANNA Hamburg Tourismus GmbHSTEFFENS, INGRID luna-park GmbHTALEVSKI, ANDREA entra GmbHTAMMEN, BETTINA Oldenburg Tourismus und Marketing GmbHTAURER, BERNHARD feratel media technologies AGTAURER, WERNER Kohl & Partner TourismusberatungTHEYSOHN, STEPHAN Karlsruher- Messe- und Kongress- GmbHTHOMA, GAUDENZ Graubünden FerienTRESSEL, MARKUS, MDB Bündnis 90/ Die GrünenTRIMBORN, RALF inspektour GmbHTROST, SILKE WTSH GmbHTROTIER, MELANIE Nordsee-Tourismus-Service GmbHÜFFINK, ANSGAR Ambient DomainUNSELD, THORSTEN Ammergauer Alpen GmbHVODDE, THOMAS Inselgemeinde JuistVOLKMANN, ELISABETH Tourist-Information, Schweinfurt 360°VOLLMERT, CHRISTIAN luna-park GmbHVON BERGNER, NELE MARISA Leuphana Universität LüneburgVOSS, JÖRN feratel media technologies GmbHWAGNER, UWE decide Internet Services GmbHWARNECKE, TOBIAS Hotelverband Deutschland (IHA)WEIDEMANN, DIRK ServiceQualität Deutschland in NRW e. V.WENDLING, ANJA Rheinland-Pfalz Tourismus GmbHWIEDENMANN, SYBILLE TFK - Marketing & ProjektentwicklungWIEDUWILT, JULIA Hotel Kaiserhof GmbH & Co. KGWINTER, JULIA Helping HandsWOLLESEN, PROF. DR. ANJA Fachhochschule WestküsteWOPPMANN, MARTINA BestSearch Media GmbH (BestFewo)WREDE, KATHARINA Helping HandsWUNDRAM, ELISABETH infomax websolutions GmbHZIEGLER, GEORG HolidayCheck.comZIMMERMANN, MARK Netz Aktiv AG - Bayern-onlineZOLLNER, BARBARA MARIA Zinnober Art & Business CommunicationZÜNDEL, KATJA Bodensee-Vorarlberg Tourismus GmbH


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COPYRIGHT AND CONTACT INFORMATION

The contents of this document were gathered from all the contributions made by the DestinationCamp 2013’s partici-pants. Therefore this workshop summary is a collaborative piece of work created by many tourism professionals. Please indi-cate quotations from this publication in the following way: “Source: Workshop Summary DestinationCamp 2013” in or-der to pay tribute to the input provided by each individual participant, presenter and mind mapper.

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