Due to being in the intersection of two industries – tourism and communication – concomitant in some places but independent after all, the tourist communication festivals must constantly track the playgrounds on which they structure their activity and make -and a diagnosis as honest as possible.
Radiographing the determining agents seems a natural and urgent task, but, apart from detecting the key actors of the industries, it is advisable to reflect on the role that is sought in the ecosystem, apart from identifying the advantages that our platform can bring to the whole of those involved and act accordingly.
The fortune or misfortune of our approach to the stakeholders’ map will depend to a large extent on the way in which our identity will be perceived by the rest of the players involved. And, in this sense, we must assume that if careful reflection has not been made before taking the first step, we can hardly reorient our path once the path has begun.
Making an ex-new identity is usually a failed task. You can not generate a personality from nowhere. An identity arises because certain elements that surround a given reality emerge consciously, spontaneously or accidentally to the point of providing that reality with an intangible but recognizable, unique and intransferable element.
It happens to people and also goes to the works we create, to the projects we carry out. In the case of collective projects, with multiple paternities and maternity involved – and therefore, different actors and interests at stake – the configuration of the personality of the project has the risk of complicating itself exponentially. And do not forget that identity always manifests in the smallest details.
My experience at the head of the Terres Travel Festival – Films & Creativity, which since 2017 we have organized in the Terres de l’Ebre Region (Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain) has led me to reflect on the gears and relationships between the industries that affect in events that move willingly at the intersection between tourism and communication.
Tourism and communication are two industries that are undergoing radical transformation since the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century due to the incidence of the fourth industrial revolution, characterized by the digital transformation caused by intelligent systems, interconnected and capable of be autonomous in decision making.
I have established a formula to emphasize certain concepts that seem to me central:
BRAND
Background
You must first visualize where you are and where you want to go. The market from which it operates and the potentialities that it offers can be examined with realism and pragmatism. In the case of a festival dedicated to tourist communication, a realistic analysis of interest groups – the stakeholders – is imperative, which can have a significant impact on the future of the project. An exhaustive SWOT is undoubtedly the best navigation chart to avoid cheating solitaire.
Reciprocities
It is necessary to constantly explore the reciprocities that are implemented with the partners that add to the project. The festivals of communication organizers are both architects and interior designers. It is necessary to constantly combine public relations work with the strategic vision.
Awareness
You must have at all times awareness of the trends that mark the day to day market where we operate and even anticipate what will be standard in the market and in the professional conversations of the sector. You have to listen, listen and listen before you can set paths to go through.
Navigate
You need to navigate between the tensions present in the industry and try to be useful. The fear of errors must be lost. And even enjoy it. The sense of humor is a great ally
Diligence
It’s a matter of common sense. It must be diligent, responsible, comprehensive and agreeable with all those people and structures that are attached to the festival trying to participate or to enter into contact as collaborators or as sponsors.
From meeting points to lighthouses
In the field of tourist communication festivals, proactivity is an essential element in becoming platforms useful for the industries that interact with it.
There is no other way than to strive to generate consistent, reliable, honest and aware brands of the role they play in the market where they are. All the brands that surround us in our daily lives know that having a clear vision is indispensable to provide confidence to the audiences with which they interact. Why should not it be so in the case of tourist communication festivals?
