It is 04.00 o’clock in the morning, my head is spinning and yet I am wide awake. Just now, two of the most inspiring, exciting and happiest days of gathering of international travel bloggers (“top online influencers”) with the travel industry (leading brands, marketers, PR & DMOs) have gone by in the Eastern German city of Leipzig, known as the #STS Leipzig Social Travel Summit Leipzig. While all other participants are resting in their well-earned sleep, I feel too inspired to do so yet. What is more, dear Alastair McKenzie caught me in my ambition: “You are really good at fast & clear-cut publishing of important content discussions, such as the ones at TBEX Travel Bloggers Exchange or TBU Travel Bloggers Unite in Rotterdam. Keep it going!”
“Newsjacking. Snapchat. Pinterest-ification. Threaopportunity.” Clear-ish, right!?!
In his excellent opening speech of the Social Travel Summit in Leipzig which is being organised by leading international “opinion leaders” such as Reiseblogger Kollektiv and iAmbassador, Nick Westergaard talks about hot topics such as the Top 7 Social Media trends – more about those after a little bit of more sleep. 😉 A wave of mumbling hits the more than 100 travel summit participants from all over the world, as Nick mentions something else: “Email is the (new) digital cockroach: It will just survive!”
“A blog is a centre of gravity around a passion.”
I really enjoy this statement made during the summit meeting, as all of us are driven in their blogs & Social Media communication by passion & professional engagement. “Technologies are jaw-droppingly interesting. So (go out there and) play! Get excited.” Because creativity, and such is the prevailing opinion, is both a trend and a guiding principle that the industry will want to follow.
“Your social footprint is the (new media) currency. Find the magic, use your skills and contribute to something bigger!”
I already look forward to summing up the lot of innovative conclusions of our working group discussions & key note speakers at the Social Travel Summit in several more posts. For a start, these kind of “appetizers” will have to make-do. Here is another one: Successful cooperation efforts driven by (professional) travel bloggers and the tourism industry must and will have to become more & more sustainable, long-term relationship management initiatives. “Tourism is the people’s business”, also & especially when wanting to achieve mutually beneficial and respectful dealings between bloggers and the travel & PR industry.
“Content is kingdom, connection the new king. Under-promise & over-deliver. Influence the influencers.”
(Once again) it has been confirmed that so-called consistency, USP and the “authority” of a blogger, a digital opinion leader or a “top influencer”, are just so important – for everything. Consistency of voice is so important. From a blogging point of view, the following questions need to be addressed: What do we represent? What is our lingo? Who do we reach and how? What is our plan and part, where are we in the bigger scheme of things? What rules do we develop and establish in the education of our clients and business partners? To address those questions, the first summit day saw an innovative ThinkTank being held in which I not only had the honour to participate and share my knowledge, but whose outcome will also be used to finalise an international report / white paper about the development of a whole travel-blogger-tourism-industry relationship “manual”. WOW.
You do realise: I have become almost speechless over all those fascinating events, the many excellent talks and the long working hours of the #STSLeipzig Social Travel Summit in Leipzig. Stay tuned for more therefore (I really need to go catch some sleep first.)!
Here are my last pearls of wisdom taken from the summit for you today:
“Blogger relations are not mass communication. It is (all about) long-term relationship management.”
😀
2 comments
Elena,
Thank you for summing up the conference at the ungodly hour you did. You nailed it.
I think we have all come away inspired and with loads of ideas on how to move forward both individually & collectively as bloggers.
Leigh,
I couldn’t agree more. It moves me when I see everyone’s post-conference posts on Social Media and/or hear us talking about how much we have been inspired, learned and move(d) forward together and individually. The future has never been more exciting I believe, and I simply love how we all share very similar goals, strategies and visions towards that future. Let’s see and continue building it together, I’d say.
😀