'Content is king!'
It's not a new message but is one we still hear all the time, alongside buzz words like ‘content marketing’, ‘story telling’ and ‘conversation marketing’ but are we really clear on what it all means and how to do it well?
How do individuals and organisations make content work for them? What are the secrets to success?
Content is very important in the travel industry, where accounts of destinations and experiences, including the way they are written, who by and where they are placed, can have a huge influence on brand positioning and popularity, marketing, sales and product design. By using text, images and videos via social media platforms, blogs and media channels, everyone is vying for attention and audience share, wanting to be seen as creative and 'authentic' storytellers.
‘The Journey of Content’ is the second Brighton Travel Massive event and will include an expert panel and creative group round table session. It is designed as an informal evening for individuals working in the travel industry to share knowledge, ideas and tips on making the most of content. There’s clearly no way to cover everything on this subject in one evening, but the objective is for everyone to take away at least one useful and interesting piece of information or idea.
Given the nature of content today, there will be a predominantly, but not exclusively, online focus.
Expert Q&A Panel
This first session offers a chance to ask some specialists in their field everything you’d like to know about creating, publishing, optimising, sharing and promoting your content.
We ask you to submit your questions as soon as you arrive on the night, but will also take questions from the floor. This session will last 40 minutes. Don’t be shy! There are no stupid questions (apart from ‘where is the bar?’ as, fear not, we’ll be right next to it)
Round table sessions
This is a chance to meet some new people and share ideas in small groups. Each table will be given a ‘leg’ of the journey of content to consider and to work on together. There will be a lead/facilitator on each table to help coordinate and capture ideas. Our panelists will circulate around the tables and be available for questions.
After 45 minutes, each the lead person on each table will provide a review of feedback from each group. These will be captured and shared afterwards.The panel will be able to offer final/closing thoughts to ensure you leave the event with a crazy ‘to do’ list of all the wonderful things you are going to put in place or try, to improve the journey of your content.
Timings
5.30pm Doors open - submit a question for the panel - drinks + networking
6.15pm Welcome & introduction
6.25pm Panel Q&A
7.15pm What’s happening next? Short break
7.30pm Round table sessions start
8.15pm Re-group to present findings
8.45pm Bar/networking
Please arrive promptly to ensure we can fit everything in and have lots of time afterwards to chat and enjoy a beverage or two.
Expert Panel
Mike Unwin, Freelance Journalist & Author
Mike is a freelance writer and photographer who spent eight years living and working in southern Africa. He writes regularly for numerous publications, including the Telegraph, the Independent, Wanderlust and BBC Wildlife, with a particular interest in wildlife and family travel. Mike previously worked in publishing and is the author of 28 books, including children's books, wildlife guides and travel guides. Now based in the UK, he continues to travel widely and in 2013 was voted 'UK Travel Writer of the Year' by the British Guild of Travel Writers.
Kate Waite, Digital Marketing Manager, Natural World Safaris
Kate has over 12 years’ experience in digital marketing, with the last six of these spent working exclusively in travel. Her work has included devising, implementing and managing digital strategies for a number of travel brands including tour operators, accommodation providers, tourism boards and airlines. Kate has particular experience in search engine optimisation, website performance, pay-per-click and social media. She loves to travel herself and has visited over 30 countries in the last decade.
Dylan Walker, Co-Founder, WhaleFest, Secretariat, World Cetacean Alliance
Dylan’s experience and achievements in the ethical travel sector are based on experience in the private and non-profit sectors as well as in government. Dylan ran a whale watching business for a decade, co-founded the charity ORCA and has authored several acclaimed books on cetaceans. More recently, Dylan formed whale watching search engine Planet Whale and the acclaimed international event WhaleFest, with Ian Rowlands, which has grown into a global campaign platform with 10,000 visitors attending its third event in Brighton in March 2015. Both platforms have been designed to be a catalyst for collaboration between the many people and organisations passionate about protecting cetaceans and their habitats. This led to the formation of the World Cetacean Alliance in June 2013, uniting which Dylan facilitates as Secretariat.
Helena Beard, Brand Consultant
Helena works with travel companies and tourist board clients, redefining their brand propositions to deliver competitive commercial advantage. She has spent 20 years working in the industry and recently left her role as MD of travel PR agency KBC PR & Marketing to branch out on her own. Her corporate experience includes roles at First Choice and Eurostar and seven years heading up the Brand and Communications department at Virgin Holidays. Helena is interested in the effect good content can have on a brand, and the positive PR and SEO benefits which can be harnessed through a great idea. In 2010, long before ‘content’was a buzzword, Helena won a Travel Marketing Award for an online video content project for Virgin brand, Travel City Direct. ‘Florida Baby’generated over £350k of positive PR for the brand and firmly positioned it as the family-friendly choice. Helena also sits on the Council of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Travel Group, lectures in Marketing at the University of Brighton, and is a regular blogger for the trade website, Travelmole.
Gilly Smith, writer, blogger, writing coach and lecturer
Journalist, lecturer and writing coach Gilly is an expert storyteller. Specialising in ethical travel and food, she writes for blog sites, the national press and has authored fifteen books. Staying aware of trends in content and broadcast technology is a core element of Gilly's work - she is particularly interested in the use of 'audio journeys' and app writing, in place of traditional online travel content.
The event will be Chaired by Mark Henshall, Head of Content, Qube Media
Mark is an award-winning content strategist, travel writer/editor and consultant with more than 15 years’ experience in travel. In his current role at Qube Media, Mark combines expertise in editorial, search and social to create integrated content marketing strategies that make a business impact for travel brands. His freelance work has appeared in media as various as The Guardian, National Geographic Traveller and Globe & Mail.Previous roles include: Content Director, Propellernet; Regional Editor EMEA, Frommers Travel; and Deputy Editor at ABTA Magazine. @M_Hensh
Stay in touch with us at twitter.com/TravMassBright
TravelMassive Brighton is a collaborative effort. The lead organiser is Fay MacDonald, supported by Jennifer Gell of CWT Digital and Lucy Grewcock.
Lead organiser
CWT Digital is a leading UK provider of travel software and websites, including development, design and marketing. Specialising in innovative travel technology, CWT has a range of products helping businesses sell Flights, Hotels, Cruises and Ancillaries. They specialise in bespoke solutions with a fresh, digital approach. They have over 12 years of online travel experience, and their solutions offer travel agents, tour operators and business start-ups the tools to deliver real time availability, pricing and booking journeys in a B2C and B2B booking journey. They also provide multi-channel marketing strategies and implementation, designed to drive traffic and optimise the business that is generated through customer websites. They work with clients to ensure their customers are fully engaged with their brand. Their bespoke tailored approach delivers effective results by improving customer acquisition, retention and online conversion. www.cwtdigital.com
Co-organisers
Lucy Grewcock is a travel copywriter and journalist who specialises in adventure travel. Her work appears in the likes of Ski & Board magazine and The Independent on Sunday. Lucy’s copywriting work includes writing brochure and web copy for a host of high-profile travel brands and creating articles and SEO friendly blogs for sectors which span school travel to luxury skiing. In 2011, Lucy won the Guardian's Adventure Travel Writing competition for recounting her experiences as an expedition leader in the Amazon jungle and subsequently found herself on an all-expenses cruise to Antarctica. www.lucygrewcock.com
Natural World Safaris is a specialist tour operator designing extraordinary journeys that put their clients in the right place at the right time, for wildlife encounters and natural world experiences that are both life changing and ethically responsible. www.naturalworldsafaris.com
