Yesterday
evening (Thursday 1st August) I had the pleasure of attending the
Pembrokeshire Business Network AGM in the fantastic setting of the St
Brides Spa Hotel in Saunderfoot. There were a number of highlights for
me - the stunning view, complimented by lovely weather, a great buffet,
good company and an interesting and thought provoking speaker (from whom
I've 'borrowed' the title of this blog)
The speaker for
the evening was Tim Morgan. "Tim is an internet entrepreneur. He founded
Mint Digital, a London and New York based web-technology company whose
clients include MTV, Sony Ericsson and Benetton. Tim has been involved
in the creation and development of many internet businesses including
Picklive (acquired by Sports Millions summer 2012) and Stickygram
(acquired last month by Photobox). Tim will talk about innovation, the
internet, and what he’s learnt along the way."
Now of course,
Tim's business is very much in the world of technology, and so much of
his talk was around how Mint Digital has developed and the ways of
working they have adopted, and there was much in there that made me
think about how we work here at Pembrokeshire Tourism, and indeed across
the tourism industry as a whole. However, one line really made me stop
and think - "experiences are the new possessions".
Different
generations score success in different ways. For some, owning your own
home, having a car, having the latest gadget or gizmo is a mark of
success, and your success as a person and in life is judged by the
quantity and quality of said material items. However as Tim pointed out,
thanks to the various forms of social media, and technological advances
with smart phones and more, the younger generations of today are more
interested in experiences over possessions. Our society is increasingly
'throw away' with possessions replaced, upgraded or simply binned far
quicker than ever before.
I know what he
means. Whilst I do have a certain (relatively small) number of items
that I would be anything but keen to part with, a lot of my greatest
memories and happy times come from occasions where I am experiencing
something - an afternoon on the beach with my family and good friends, a
great meal out in a local restaurant, a day of thrill rides in a local
theme park.......
Such
experiences, in the main, involve input from others - friends, family,
businesses, people. We are fortunate to live and work in an area where
something as simple as a walk can create an experience for someone that
will stay with them for the rest of their life, but we can all do so
much more to add to that. Whether we are providing a coffee, a tour of
the castle, an adrenalin rush on a roller coaster or explaining why
conservation is important, we are all playing a part in creating an
experience that will then be taken away by someone else to enjoy over
and over again through private recollection or discussion with others.
We are of course
able to apply some monetary value to certain experiences whether in the
form of an entrance fee or subscription to an ongoing newsletter. What
is crucial however, is that what the customer gets is seen by them as
value for that money, and a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Each
and every one of us in the county can contribute to that experience, and
in doing so quite possibly create our own experience to treasure too.
So the next time
you are asked for directions to somewhere, or interacting with your
customer over breakfast or dinner, pause for a moment, and ask yourself
what you can do to enhance the experience positively for you both. Why
not ask the same question of your staff and start a conversation around
the theme - it may just provide a new, innovative, way of doing things
that has positive impacts on everything from staff morale, to visitor
return rates, to the end of year bank balance!
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