by Mark Murphy
Last updated: 12:00 AM ET, Wed August 22, 2018
In an effort to highlight the value of a Millennial travel expert's influence on a destination and its tourism sales, travAlliancemedia is launching the new Millennial Travel Forum, a multi-day, hosted event that brings 15 to 20 Millennial travel agents to a specific destination around the world.
Joe Pike, the latest addition to the travAlliancemedia editorial team, will spearhead this new program to bring suppliers and destinations better insights and reach into the Millennial mind of travel.
"There's been all this attention - for better or for worse - around the word, 'influencer,' but that is exactly what successful Millennial travel agents have always been since the moment they joined the industry," said Pike. "The agents we will invite on these trips aren't looking to use their influence to go on a free vacation. The agents we will invite to these forums will instead use their skills and far reach on social media to earn money for themselves and the destinations they are visiting. That's the influence we intend to provide."
How It Works
A destination and/or host property sponsors the overall program and takes part in every aspect of the experience. Each Millennial Travel Forum includes exploration and engagement around the local destination and the key attributes, as marketed by the destination. In addition, the attendees are immersed into all physical and service aspects of the host property.
And it will all be chronicled.
Social Media MarketingDuring and After the Forum
The Millennial Travel Forum will require agents in attendance to post a certain number of social media posts each day and night of the event. These will not be simple selfies either. Millennial advisors will instead be encouraged to engage all of their followers and create conversations around the destination and participating suppliers.
"While we don't define the word, 'influence,' by how many social media followers you have, the agents we will be inviting to these forums aren't exactly hurting for followers," said Pike. "We will work closely with our tourism board and hotel partners to make sure we provide agents from markets they are looking to grow. And all of the agents we will invite will have both a heavy following on social media and an impressive sales volume. The best of both worlds."
Also, Pike and the social media team at travAlliancemedia will actively re-post, share, comment on and "like" the posts, extending the social media reach of the individual Millennial's own followers. This all happens in real time, as the experience unfolds.
The combination of the individual attendee's social media efforts, and the brands tied to travAlliancemedia amplifies the exposure dramatically for the respective participating destinations and suppliers.
VideoAs the Event is Happening
Social media video capsules, captured from each participant, takes the social media exposure to an entirely new level by personalizing and creating stories around the agent's experience... as they are happening.
This first person perspective has significant value during and after the visit since the following applies:
They are professionally shot on location by travAlliancemedia's video production company. Pieces are shared immediately, on location, using a 4th wall camera approach. Post production editing provides a polish and provides cut aways based on the speaker's insights.
"While smartphones suffice for taking social media pics, when it comes to presenting the true beauty of a destination through film, a professional crew is required," said Pike. "I've hosted events loosely similar to the Millennial Travel Forum and they were all lacking proper video quality and a crew. This is all about us providing the best exposure for a destination and the agents long after the forum concludes."
So, how does it work?
There will be a producer on location asking questions to elicit a variety of unique insights and perspectives from individual participants. Some aspects will be captured "Live", with agents and travelers tuning in to see parts of the experience as they happen.
Capsules will average one minute in total, with the ability to create 15- and 30-second spots that can all be shared uniquely. Capsules will be live on TravelPulse.com and be included in our distribution to syndication outlets like MSN.com, Tribune Content Agency, more than 10,000 travel agent websites and FoxNews.com.
Millennial Sales Engagement Sessions During the Forum
During each forum, a morning or afternoon is set aside for one-on-one meetings. Instead of the short, rapid fire "presentations" with many of the larger shows today, these are long-form meetings where a relationship can begin or be taken to the next level.
The goal of these sessions is to provide insights and sales angles to the agents in attendance for the participating suppliers and destination.
This gives suppliers and the destination the ability to formally present their key selling points and unique sales proposition to the agents in attendance. The length of each individual sales call will range between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on the number of agents and suppliers in attendance.
Millennial Insights Roundtable Discussions
During the final full day, there will be an in-depth roundtable discussion centered around the sponsoring destination/hotel that will be moderated by Pike and will be filmed using multiple camera angles.
This discussion will provide a variety of insights, including, but not limited to the destination's messaging and whether it effectively makes the connection to the Millennial traveler; suggestions on improving communication and messaging; what tools travel agents need and use to effectively market this message; perceptions and how they may have changed as a result of this experience; and an open Q and A for the host property and destination stakeholders to dive deeper into any areas where they are looking for feedback and insights.
"The preliminary response we've been getting so far from hotels and destinations has been amazing," said Pike. "I'm really proud that we will be offering something that is jammed packed with value for not just the tourism and hotel partners who choose to sponsor the forums, but also for the travel agents who come along with us for the ride."
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