Our 2023 study on the operationalization of collaboration revealed that 80% of respondents consider it either extremely important (33%) or very important (47%) for collaborators to prioritize DEI.

The study also found that respondents favor collaborations that:

• Support team members from diverse backgrounds.
• Involve organizations owned or led by individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Align with DEI values.
• Serve a diverse customer base.

Bringing DEI into your collaboration strategy can start with small incremental steps. When you set an intention and start to act, things happen. It may seem like small, incremental moves at first, but suddenly you will find yourself reflecting and those incremental moves have led to monumental shifts and changes.

To build a more diverse collaboration:

• Be intentional about the partners you seek
• Look for those who bring different perspectives to the table
• Set your intentions and focus on achieving your goals

A great example of operationalizing collaboration and aligning the strategy with DEI goals is the story of Mesa, Arizona’s journey to become the first Autism certified city in the U. S.

Improving Inclusion with Collaboration: A Story

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is coming to the forefront of everyone in the travel and tourism industry’s mind. In my interview with Marc Garcia from Visit Mesa on episode 275 of Destination on the Left, he shared his personal passion for making his community a fun place to visit for all travelers by becoming the first autism-certified city in the United States.

Garcia had experience with multi-cultural initiatives throughout his career from the Phoenix Multi-cultural Arts Foundation to running a multi-cultural affairs department focused on attracting ethnic meetings and conventions to his community. Even with that experience, the idea to focus on autism in Mesa came from his youngest son, who was diagnosed with severe autism at age 14 months.

Garcia explained the journey his family had been on to figure out how to care for his son, what his needs were, and where to obtain the services he needed. Living their lives included summertime family vacations with a tradition of travelling to Southern California and spending a lazy week at the beach.

One summer, they decided to immerse themselves in the city to try different restaurants and visit museums and attractions. They split their vacation time half of the week at the beach and half in the city. Garcia reports that they had a really bad week as his son had meltdown after meltdown. He described the awkward stares and muffled whispers the family would get when his son acted up. He noted they were coming from the hospitality professionals in hotels, restaurants, and attractions. That is when Garcia decided that he wanted to do something to make it easier for families with autism to travel and enjoy a vacation together.

Making a Plan

Visit Mesa was in the middle of a three-year strategic plan when Garcia presented the idea of becoming autism-friendly to his Board of Directors. His research showed that 1 in 100 kids were diagnosed with autism 10 years ago. At that time it was 1 in 58, and in the 2020s it is 1 in 44 who are eventually diagnosed with autism. Garcia knew that this was a loyal customer base and a growing market, which helped him make the business case for his big idea. Not only was it the right thing to do but it was a good business decision if they could get out in front of the market. The Board of Directors and the staff at Visit Mesa bought into the idea and in the Fall of 2018, they started to build a collaboration to make Mesa the first autism-certified city in the United States.

Since Garcia’s son was getting resources from local organizations, he started working through his network to find someone to provide education to the hospitality industry, hoping to find a certification program. He couldn’t find any programs that existed locally, so he looked nationally and came across the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards based in Jacksonville, Florida. The organization had autism-certified school boards, public safety groups, healthcare and educational professionals. They had started to certify hotels and attractions scattered across the country, but never an entire city. After several conversations together they determined if Mesa could get 58 hospitality businesses and 80% of frontline staff to go through this educational program, they could achieve certification as an autism-certified travel destination. The first focus was the destination and not the whole city.

Training and Certifying

The Visit Mesa staff went through the program first in February 2019, followed by a community-wide launch that April. They partnered with five organizations to launch the program, including the Chamber of Commerce, the City Parks Department and three of their largest hotels. They engaged the Mayor of Mesa and had him on camera carrying the message of why the initiative was important. Garcia described the domino effect that happened after launch as unbelievable, with business after business signing on to be part of the certification program. With outreach through the mayor’s office and the Chamber of Commerce, many businesses outside of the hospitality industry saw the certification program as a workforce recruitment tool. Boeing, local auto shops, a major utility company and many more signed on, and the program kept growing.

By late summer 2019, Mesa had exceeded the requirement of 58 businesses, and they had trained almost 5,000 people. With that success, they announced in November of 2019, that Mesa was the first autism-certified city in the country. They received a lot of great press stories with coverage in the LA Times, New York Times, BBC, and other top-tier outlets. They booked several meetings and conferences because of the designation, which Garcia says brought them strong ROI right at the start of this initiative.

Ongoing Efforts

Garcia points to the ongoing effort beyond the certification that is so important to this collaboration’s success. For example, on April 2, 2022, World Autism Awareness Day and start of National Autism Awareness Month, they partnered with two microbreweries to for a special beer release, Spectrum Double IPA. This partnership supports the autism-certified city while promoting Mesa’s burgeoning beer scene as they are also becoming known as a beer city.

A portion of the proceeds from the beer sales will go to support the recently formed Mesa Regional Foundation for Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion. The foundation was established to work on programs that further the cause. The first pilot program focused on introducing high school students from Title 1 schools to career opportunities in the hospitality industry. They are also developing a pilot program for sixth- through twelfth-graders who have an affinity for gaming, which many kids on the spectrum do. That program is a partnership with Arizona State University, who is opening a brand-new campus in downtown Mesa offering majors in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, gaming, and coding.

Garcia built a collaboration that has far-reaching impacts. Not only is he making a difference in his community, but he is also making the lives of autism families easier.

The post Collaboration is a Key to Improving Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Tourism appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Have you ever walked into a room, joined a group or attended a tradeshow and felt like you finally found your people? If you have, you know what it is like to belong to a community that supports and uplifts you. Maybe your experience was similar to my first tradeshow – where you show up and you think they are your people – but you feel like an imposter or an outsider and you wonder if you really fit in. But you know if you keep showing up that you will become an insider and that you have found a place that aligns with your purpose.  

I am grateful for the many communities that I have found over the years and the support I have received from them. Finding the right community can make a huge difference in your personal and professional success.

Finding Community

Many of us in the travel, tourism & hospitality industry belong to associations and attend trade shows. These are great places to find like-minded people whose purpose aligns with yours. For example, I am preparing to attend American Bus Association’s annual Marketplace. The event is a place where business gets done on the show floor but it is also a place where relationships are made and deepened through shared experiences, one-on-one meetings, networking and educational sessions.  

Volunteering

Another place to find your community is through volunteer work. If you are part of industry associations, get involved. Consider joining a committee, volunteering your time at registration at a show, or working your way onto the board of directors. This will allow you to meet people from all over the world who share similar roles or passions as you and these networks can be invaluable to your personal and professional development. 

Peer Groups

Peer groups are more formal organizations created to help you to connect with others who have similar roles, organizations or interests as you. Your local destination marketing organization is a great place to look. Usually DMOs host stakeholder events, educational sessions or monthly meetings where you can find peers who will help and support you. One of my favorite examples of this at work is the Visitor Industry Council started by Visit Rochester in Rochester NY over 30 years ago. The VIC as it is known, is the membership arm of Visit Rochester. It is led by the members who engage in committees that direct programming for the DMO each year. The VIC meets monthly at a different location throughout the community and showcases member news, offers educational and networking opportunities. The mentorship that happens at these meetings and through the committee work is incredible to watch. I was recently at a VIC event and was excited to see so many new young professionals there alongside the more seasoned and experienced tourism and hospitality professionals in our region. 

Another place to find peer groups is through your chamber of commerce. Some chambers have formal councils for different interest areas like professional women, small businesses, tourism etc. Others offer leadership development programs and formal CEO groups. These are great resources for finding your community.  

Other places to look are national or international associations such as Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel, Travel Unity, or SKAL International.

Connecting with Your Community

So, you’ve found your community – a network of like-minded individuals who share your passions and professional endeavors. Now, the question is: How do you make the most out of this invaluable connection? Here are some best practices to help guide you:

Show up

The first step is simple yet powerful – be present. Attend events, meetings, and gatherings. Your physical or virtual presence reinforces your commitment to the community. You need to be there in order to develop a connection and to gain the benefits from belonging in the first place.  

Listen & Be Relentlessly Helpful

Engage with intention. Listen actively to the needs and challenges within your community. Offer your expertise, insights, and assistance generously. Be the person others can rely on. 

Relationships Over Transactions

Remember, it’s not about the sale or sealing the next business deal. Communities thrive on authentic relationships. Focus on serving others, and genuine connections will naturally lead to opportunities. 

Be Transparent

Openness fosters trust. Share your experiences, successes, and even setbacks. Transparency builds a more authentic community where members feel comfortable being themselves. Transparency is what will make you feel more connected.  

Communities without transparency feed what my friend Kris Kelso calls the Imposter. That little voice in your head that tells you that you are not good enough or that you do not belong. Kris says transparency starves the imposter. To hear more about overcoming the imposter, listen to my conversation with Kris on episode 220. 

Prioritize Time

Life and work can get busy, but prioritize spending time with your community. Whether it’s attending regular meet-ups or participating in online discussions, carving out time reinforces the importance you place on these connections. 

Lean on Your Community for Support

In challenging times, your community can be a pillar of strength. Take the recent global pandemic for instance. We saw firsthand how a rising tide lifts all boats when everyone came together to move through that uncertain time. Share your struggles, seek advice, and offer support. Your community is a valuable resource during both good times and down times. 

The Power of Community at Work

Our annual travel conference TAP Dance is an example of the power of community at work. The event was designed to cultivate and build a community of collaborators with the common purpose of creating travel products that will sell.

TAP Dance celebrates the collaboration opportunities between tour operators, destinations, attractions, and travel product suppliers. Suppliers meet with each TAP tour operator and discuss how best to bring business to their area. Many attendees tell us that this conference is a highlight each year as it is a perfect blend of productive business discussions, relationship-building, fun and an opportunity to experience the best of our host region. 

A distinctive facet of TAP Dance lies in our innovative approach to orchestrating supplier meetings with TAP tour operators. Each supplier attendee is thoughtfully assigned to regional groups, comprising three to four industry peers. Meetings last 25 minutes with engaging and focused discussions with TAP tour operator partners. During this time, suppliers can showcase their products or areas in a personal atmosphere for increased promotion throughout the TAP network. 

The Value of Community

Remember, the value you derive from your community is directly proportional to the effort you invest. By embodying these principles, you not only contribute to the collective success but also create a thriving environment where everyone benefits.  

Now, go out there, engage authentically, and watch your community flourish. 

The post Belonging and Community appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

1. Reward and Fulfillment

One of the most compelling aspects of travel and tourism careers and hospitality careers is the sense of reward and fulfillment they bring. Those who work in this field often find deep satisfaction in their roles. Why? Because they get to create memorable experiences for travelers, leaving a lasting impact.

Imagine working in a destination management organization or a hotel, where your efforts directly contribute to the enjoyment and satisfaction of tourists. Whether it’s helping visitors discover hidden gems in your city, or ensuring their stay is comfortable and memorable, there’s a sense of pride in knowing that your work enhances the quality of someone’s trip.

Furthermore, tourism professionals frequently underscore the importance of giving back to the community. Tourism isn’t just about attracting visitors – it’s about contributing to local economies and improving residents’ lives. Professionals in this industry have a unique opportunity to make their communities better places to live, work and visit.

2. Evolution and Change

The travel and tourism industry is far from static. It’s a dynamic sector that constantly evolves in response to changing trends, technologies, and global events.

Aspiring tourism professionals must be prepared to embrace change. The industry isn’t confined to traditional roles – it’s open to innovation and new approaches. For instance, some destinations have shifted from conventional marketing to more community-focused strategies. They recognize the importance of sustainability and responsible tourism, reflecting the evolving values of travelers.

The ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment is a hallmark of successful tourism professionals. Embracing new technologies, responding to shifting consumer preferences, and staying informed about industry trends are essential steps to navigate the evolving landscape effectively.

3. Relationships and Networking

At its core, the travel and tourism industry is a relationship-driven field. Building and maintaining relationships is crucial to success. Whether it’s fostering connections with colleagues, peers, or travelers, the ability to create meaningful relationships is a valuable skill.

Networking is not just about exchanging business cards at travel industry conferences and trade shows; it’s about creating connections that can lead to collaborative opportunities. Those who excel in this industry understand the importance of collaboration. For instance, destinations often cooperate with nearby regions to promote a broader travel experience.

In the digital age, social media and online platforms also play a significant role in building relationships with travelers. Engaging with customers through social channels, responding to their inquiries promptly, and addressing their concerns help establish trust and loyalty.

4. Community and Economic Development

Tourism isn’t solely about attracting visitors; it’s about economic development and community enhancement. Professionals in this field often find themselves as ambassadors for their destinations, advocating for their communities and contributing to their growth.

For example, a destination marketing organization may work tirelessly to promote its region as a tourist destination. By doing so, they create job opportunities, stimulate local businesses, and ultimately improve the quality of life for residents.

Tourism is also about giving back. Many destinations engage in sustainable tourism practices to protect their natural and cultural heritage. They recognize the importance of responsible tourism, which benefits both the environment and the local communities.

5. Foundation and Analysis

Underlying the dynamic and relationship-driven nature of the industry is a foundation of data analysis and decision-making. To thrive in this field, professionals must rely on substantive analysis to make informed choices.

This is especially relevant in destination marketing. Marketing professionals need to understand market trends, consumer behaviors, and the effectiveness of their strategies. Data-driven insights are essential for crafting successful campaigns and ensuring a positive return on investment.

Start A Career in the Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Industry

Organizations across the country are helping to share the news that there are many opportunities for professionals interested in building careers in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Here are a few to help spark your interest:

Tourism: Your Career Destination! A video crated by The New York State Tourism Industry Association in partnership with Paperkite to capture why NYS tourism and hospitality professionals love working in tourism.

Visit Baltimore established an entire campaign around jobs in hospitality complete with hiring events, a job board, and landing page touting all the reasons to start a career in travel and tourism.

The post Making a Career in Travel and Tourism appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

Backed by stats

In December of 2020, we surveyed 161 travel, tourism, and hospitality professionals to learn more about their stance on collaboration. The results of our collaboration research showed 99% of respondents said their organizations had collaborated with others in the industry. The results also showed that 45% said their organizations had extensive experience with collaboration as well. 

We have long touted the power of collaboration in our network, but our research revealed that collaboration in travel & tourism is even more prevalent than we thought. Collaboration has played a key role in our ability to find opportunities amidst the challenges of 2020. However, in spite of its popularity, there are a number of mixed opinions about the risks and rewards of this practice. 

We believe that with a little creativity, your team can turn a perceived obstacle into a huge opportunity!

Different Attitudes, Different Segments

We found three distinct attitudes about collaboration. These attitudes impacted which organizations worked on collaborations and saw success, and who didn’t.

Curious what sort of collaborator you are? Find out here in 60 seconds!

The first group (Promoters) were relentlessly enthusiastic about the benefits of collaboration between organizations. The second group (Doubters) was more reserved. Doubters believed that collaboration was difficult and ineffective, scorning overzealous organizations for their unrealistic expectations.

A third group (Protectors) held high regard for collaboration with some restrictions. They believed their organizations’ proprietary expertise, systems, and processes represented a competitive advantage, therefore the exposure of inter-organizational collaborations could put them at risk.

Each one of these segments represents about one-third of the industry professionals we surveyed. This means that beliefs are evenly split and that collaborative organizations are likely to encounter one of these groups. This does not change based on age, experience level, niche, or annual revenue. 

But here is what is fascinating! Collaborations are likely to result in success regardless of which segments work together! That means collaborations work, even for those who doubt their effectiveness!

You still need to make sure it is the right collaboration, but instead of crumbling in the face of adversity, travel professionals are finding new opportunities by collaborating with those around them. In addition, they continue to forge new relationships, service lines, and products that enable them to grow as things return to normal.

Obstacles To Collaboration

When different types of travel professionals and organizations try to optimize for inter-organizational collaboration, a lot can go wrong. We asked about the greatest challenges associated with collaborations to find out why.

Top 3 Challenges

First off, there is a lack of faith in our abilities to collaborate well. While 48% of the Promoters “completely agree” that they have strong collaborative skills, only 21% of Doubters and 21% of Protectors share the same sentiment. Note: That is an excuse, not a good reason to not collaborate. 

Second, 61% of respondents said a lack of funding or other resources was a significant challenge for their organization. Note: Many creative collaborations don’t require significant funding. 

Third, 57% cited poor communication between organizations. Note: You can mitigate this with proper setting of expectations at the beginning. 

You can play with the collaboration research data yourself by going here.

Other challenges

Sizeable groups also cited other challenges we’ve encountered at Break the Ice Media:

• Lower priority compared to initiatives specific to one participating organization or another (45%)
• Lack of leadership support (41%)
• Lack of trust between organizations (40%)
• External forces such as economic or industry developments driving other priorities (39%)
• Lack of a strong designated leader for the collaborative effort (35%)
• Different comfort levels with technology (33%)

In nearly all cases, the percentage of each segment citing a particular challenge was eerily similar — everybody seems to be struggling with the same things no matter which segment they were part of.

Want to learn more about our collaboration research? We recorded a video presentation. 

The 3 C’s of Collaboration

At Break the Ice Media, we group these challenges into the 3C’s: Communication, Commonality, and Commitment. And while some specific challenges may be encountered more often than others, it’s clear from our research that overcoming challenges in all three areas is critical for collaborations to be successful.

• First, communication is essential to maintain clarity with your partners and prospects, and it is an opportunity to be a calming voice amidst the uncertainty and chaos. 
• Next, commonality is about identifying common goals and operating with the greater good at heart. 
• And finally, commitment means sticking with your collaborative efforts no matter how tough the going gets because when we bounce back, we bounce back together. 

Travel professionals and organizations that check all of these boxes can thrive under any circumstances, and this framework is key in identifying opportunity in the face of adversity.

Opportunities To Seize

Members of all three segments “agree completely” that their organizations would benefit from collaborating with the right counterparts: 90% of Promoters, 50% of Doubters, and 45% of Protectors agree completely with this statement, and nearly all others “agree strongly.”

Flat out, the industry believes we should encourage collaboration rather than dampen it. As one Promoter states:

“Everyone is experiencing their own emotions with Covid and our businesses. Now is the time to open up some of the personal chapters of your life and become closer in your partnerships.”

A Doubter encourages: 

“Do not be your own stumbling block when it comes to collaboration. If you feel like your role or organization will take a back seat moving forward in a group, then you were most likely riding in the back already.”

And from a Protector, perhaps the most encouraging note for organizations feeling like collaborating with others might be playing outside of their league: 

“This is a time of great opportunity. In particular, those new to the industry will have their ideas listened to in ways they would not have even a year ago.”

We at Break the Ice Media couldn’t agree more.

Get out there and start talking to other organizations in our industry! Most of them are ready to have the conversation, and most agree there is opportunity in collaboration. 

If you are struggling to come up with great ideas, talk to us! We live and breathe this stuff and would be happy to give you a behind the scenes peak at what others are doing. 

Want to learn more about collaboration, here is your go-to resource suite. 

The post Collaboration research: What did 150+ travel, tourism, and hospitality professionals say? appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.

1. The value of values

A strong company culture starts with a set of values that everyone knows, understands, and believes. We’ve spent several years integrating our values into all aspects of our company. When NY on Pause started in 2020, these values became foundational for sustaining our culture in a remote environment and enabled our team to make quick and meaningful decisions to get us through the year.

Our core values: Passionate, Light-hearted, Authentic, Collaborative, Equitable, Growth-minded and Transparent. I could write an entire book citing the examples of our team using these core values throughout the last 12 months. To illustrate the power of our values, we leaned on passionate, collaborative and growth-minded when we helped our client, Travel Alliance Partners convert their live travel show into a virtual event while keeping profits, connections and the experience intact.

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2. Importance of mindset

Growth mindset is one of our core values, but the lesson goes beyond the value. We chose to approach the uncertainty and challenges that presented themselves during the past 12 months with a forward-thinking mindset instead of a fixed-mindset and a growth-mindset instead of a scarcity mindset. By making conscious choices, we were able to see many more opportunities to overcome obstacles.

Employing a growth mindset allowed us to see the opportunity to help our industry. We believe that now more than ever, tourism marketers need to have plans that are based in research and strategy. So we shared our proven 7-step process for strategic planning through a free infographic, online course and new Recovery Roadmap product. These tools help tourism marketing professionals find their greatest opportunity.

3. Kindness and helpfulness are part of our passion

A few weeks after shutdowns started happening across the world, we hosted our second virtual summit. The summit had been planned prior to the shutdown. However, once we realized the impact of the crisis on the industry we love, we decided to hold the summit open to all with no cost to attend. That started us down the path of being as helpful as we could for the industry.

We offered help in many ways over the past 12 months. We continued our weekly podcast, Destination on the Left and our weekly blogs (like this one). In addition, we developed Executive Briefings – offered for free – to any organization interested in inviting us to share. The presentations cover insights and information to help travel and tourism organizations pivot and plan for the future. We have presented to 15 organizations and continue to offer this free service. If you are interested in scheduling a presentation or would like to know more, please email Rhonda@breaktheicemedia.com.

4. Technology is empowering

Technology enabled us to seamlessly move from an in-person office to a successful remote team. Our tech stack includes Zoom, Teams, SharePoint, Slack, Teamwork Project Management and others. These technologies empower collaboration, productivity and efficiency. We know how powerful technology is for our team and we saw how it transformed the industry and helped our clients.

When the Wayne County Office of Tourism was looking for a way to promote their annual Apple Tasting tour in October 2020, we helped them create an experience that would promote touchless participation. Using an app and gamification, the tour transformed from a high-touch pen-and-paper experience to an online interactive adventure.

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Technology has been instrumental most recently for connecting destinations, attractions, and travel buyers virtually. We produced a virtual travel trade show for our client Africa’s Eden. Delegates attended this global event for 3 days of meetings, seminars and networking. The virtual event aimed to foster relationships and create opportunities for future economic impact.

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5. Collaboration enables surviving and thriving

Amazing collaborations happened across all sectors of the industry over the past 12 months. We believe that collaboration will be a critical ingredient for recovery. In November 2020, we held a study on collaboration in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The insights from this study will help organizations achieve the best that collaboration can offer — while avoiding the pitfalls. Watch the study results webinar or check out the visualized results of the collaboration study.

It has been a year of the unexpected. This experience has taught us many lessons. We are poised and ready to help our clients and colleagues benefit from the knowledge gained over the past 12 months and stand together moving forward toward a bright future.

The post 5 Lessons Learned During the Travel Pause appeared first on Travel Alliance Partnership.