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Speaking Services

Speaking Services

Looking for a fresh new speaking topic? Choose from one of the popular ones below or have us tailor a presentation to your needs. We pride ourselves on our ability to translate intimidating research subject matter into presentations that are as interesting and entertaining as they are helpful and informative for your audience.

What’s the latest in tourism that destination marketers need to know? How is the environment changing and how should they plan for the future? This session explores trends and patterns in travel, tourism and hospitality and the implications each trend has for your marketing efforts. Topics include connectivity, the “new” marketing journey vs. the “old” marketing funnel, online trends, generational changes in travel patterns, and more.

In a world with increasing complexity, “spray and pray” marketing is no longer effective. Marketing decisions must be made with proof and for good reason, and the only way to find out how to successfully reach and convert visitors is by conducting research. Research eliminates the need for guessing and provides a road map to success, which is particularly useful for destination marketers working with boards. This session explores current marketing challenges for destination marketers, how to conduct the research you need to get the answers you want, common types of tourism research studies, and how to use results.

In a world with increasing complexity, “spray and pray” marketing is no longer effective. Marketing decisions must be made with proof and for good reason, and the only way to find out how to successfully reach and convert visitors is by conducting research. Research eliminates the need for guessing and provides a road map to success, which is particularly useful for destination marketers working with boards. This session explores current marketing challenges for destination marketers, how to conduct the research you need to get the answers you want, common types of tourism research studies, and how to use results.

How well do you understand your visitors? Many destination marketers make marketing decisions based purely on guesswork or assumptions of who they think is visiting. In truth, it’s much easier to reach your visitors when you know who they are and how to best communicate with them. In addition, showing your stakeholders that your decisions are based on research and data helps them feel a lot more confident. This session addresses the importance to destination marketers of bringing their visitors into sharp focus: the kind of people they are, the lifestyles they lead, their likes and dislikes, what drives their purchase behaviors and decisions, and where they come from. We will also explore different ways of segmenting visitors to a destination, tools available, and how segmenting your target audience can lead to powerful game-changing advertising.

Visitors and other types of customers are easier to understand when you know what drives them. As humans, what drives us is often grounded in very good reasoning although not always expressed in rational behavior. We didn’t always have money, or the internet, or even commerce, but certain things about humans, like our love for storytelling, our need for community and our passion for anything innovative haven’t changed in thousands of years. In this session, both biological (nature) and cultural (nurture) concepts relevant to travel marketing will be explored. Topics will include empathy and its role in word of mouth marketing and reputation; the backlash against advertising noise towards tried-and-true “grapevine” or “grassroots” information channels; technology as a tool just like spears and spear-throwers; our knack for innovation; and the adaptation of anything that makes our work easier.
Oral narrative (storytelling) has been the chief basis for the creation and continuation of culture itself. Before there was writing, people told stories to communicate knowledge and experience in social contexts. These stories were also shared with others in faraway lands, when people traveled. The stories traveled with them. And when they returned home, they brought with them exciting new tales of exotic places and people. In fact, it is believed by most historians and psychologists that storytelling is one of the many things that continue to define and bind our humanity. Understanding others’ experiences through story is something that is so ancient in our species that we are biologically wired to connect with and understand others. This session explores how destination marketers can create compelling story driven content for marketing campaigns, creating a more emotional and authentic connection with consumers.

Some destinations are lucky enough to have an industry that communicates, is well educated about activities and experiences, supports each other and cross promotes other tourism stakeholders.

For everyone else, GRS offers workshop facilitation for tourism stakeholders in a community, to bring them together and work through why tourism is important and how they can work to develop a more holistic and connected tourism experience.Â