Leaving no man or woman behind Engaging with Groups Through Digital Platforms. Mike Newman Managing Director b2me Tourism Marketing

Transcription

1 Leaving no man or woman behind Engaging with Groups Through Digital Platforms Mike Newman Managing Director b2me Tourism Marketing

2 Introduction: A Domestic Group Travel Organiser (GTO) Defined G T O A GTO is someone that: Actively engages with group travel arrangements for members of their organisation, often with no personal gain

3 Core Information About GTOs Traditional GTOs (64%) are members of clubs or societies (WI, U3A, social groups etc) There are approximately 11,000 GTOs in the UK The value of the market is aprox 142 million domestically and outbound The average age is 55+

4 Stats and Data Retirement Clubs have are the largest sector Average group size is 427 members On average there will be 6 day trips for every over night trip Average day trip spend is around 30 The average number of people on a group trip is 48. Average travel time (each way) is 3 hours Lead times tend to be around 6 months in advance of travel

5 What Type of Domestic Groups? Qa Research based on 459 respondents

6 UK Groups and Inbound Markets Day Trips In Context *Source: Visit Britain 2013 figures UK domestic groups market 4,211,000 (est) France 3,930,000* Germany 3,162,000* US 2,791,000* Irish Republic 2,395,000* Netherlands 1,922,000* Spain 1,704,000*

7 GTO Internet Usage

8 GTO Social Media Usage 70% 77% of organisers sampled do not use social media at all. Of the 23% that did, they used the following platforms: 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Facebook Trip Advisor Linkedin Twi er You Tube Flikr Meetup Tumblr Other Sample Size 226 research conducted by Tourism South East 2013

9 GTO Social Media Usage Social Media usage has increased by 20% in 12 months! Research conducted by Tourism South East 2014

10 Formed in 2001, there are now almost 200,000 groups world wide in 180 countries 116 UK cities have meet up groups 78,165 members in London Paris has 22,675 members in 87 arts and culture groups Berlin has 5,200 members 27 arts and culture groups

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12 GTOs of the Future 31 million facebook accounts (down 1.5 million on 2013) 19% are aged million Twitter accounts in the UK (7% are of age group 55+) 11 million Linkedin Accounts 79% are aged over Meetup groups in London with 71,865 members 2 million Pinterest Accounts (200,000 in 2012) In % of 226 GTOs sampled by Tourism South East did not own a smart phone. However: 24 million people in the UK do. and it is expected to double by 2016 Rose McGrory 2015/emarketer 2015

13 GTOs of the Future Working in partnership with Age UK 40,000 members Over 19,000 Facebook followers 2,500 Twitter followers Their radio show Silver Traveller as part of Age UK s Wireless channel

14 Potent mix of traditional and digital media which includes: On line forums and hard copy magazines and leaflets distributed through Age UK shops and on line Moderators are ex Travel Trade Annual Awards Silver Travel Awards Reviewers are exactly the same demographic as the readers

15 Do you speak their language?

16 How To Positively Influence a GTO Traditional GTOs Make sure group pages on websites are up to date and relevant Make sure print is relevant too! Include accessibility information Digital GTOs In General Contact Meetup organisers via their pages. Check their twitter feeds, follow and engage with them Check on line reviews and respond/act as necessary Engage with audiences through their chosen medium not yours Think about what they will want to get from you, not you from them

17 The Biggest Group Organiser Influence Is:

18 Further Assistance Call me: / Let our groups and trade PR specialists help your PR teams! hello@press-go.net Useful websites:

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