This week, our founder Lisa Smith moderated a panel at a conference whose subtitle was ‘Revel in the Recovery,’ where they discussed how venues can leverage PR and marketing to position themselves well for the post-Covid turnaround. Terri McCollin from Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Nestor Lara Baeza of Xhibition PR, Lia Batkin of In The Know Experiences and Vacation Style and Adel Grobler from Turner PR weighed in on a raft of topics to help steer venues’ marcomms strategy and best practices. 

• Covid’s top impact on the travel marcomms industry include slashed (or even paused) budgets, reduced team sizes and having to navigate the varied responses (cities, states, countries) that affect clients
• Popular pivots: Virtual travel/tour opportunities; creating stories with the partners thats bring events to life – i.e. venue, florist, photographer – has also been engaging; using softer, more sensitive language (instead of hard sell); thought leadership and profiles
• What to avoid: Stay away from a pushy/sales-y messaging tone; provide beautiful and creative content (i.e. cooking videos by the hotel’s chef)
• Social media advice: brands should work with influencers that are authentic to brand ethos; avoid one-offs and keep the relationship with the influencer going (having them post about an old visit could provide a boost now)
• The focus on micro-influencers is still going strong
• Your clients are the perfect influencer! i.e. a connected couple that hosted their wedding at your venue, a family that visits yearly, etc.
• Media relations: brands have had to get familiar with regional press and provide smaller experiences like daycations
• When working with local media, consider what’s happening where they are (a road trip promotion works in LA but not NYC)
• On diversity: let your team represent where you want to bring your travelers from; learn about the different cultural celebrations (it’s not only weddings); capitalize on the interest from mainstream media right now to show diversity within their pages (pitch diverse content)
• For B2B relationships: Don’t forget the personal touch that makes hospitality the industry it is. Take the time to have quality conversations and nurture relationships. Have all your info organized, too!
• Covid passports will likely be a thing of the future
• Q3 will likely see more local and regional travel; 2022 for international travel (thought top-tier clientele will likely go international this summer if they can)
• Tips for venues to optimize their marketing & PR this year: Be realistic about timelines and budgets; Account for the changes in consumer behavior; Be flexible and think local; Invest smartly in technology (hybrid events are here to stay!)