The other night, Kara and I (Liesel) attended the Greater Madison Convention & Visitor’s Bureau’s 2012 Tourism Exchange where we looked ahead into what’s in store and best practices for 2012. We enjoyed the presentation and thought we’d share some of our favorite tidbits with you. Here are some things that we took away:
- Consumers’ patience is low. This means you have to be on your toes and ready to meet their needs on their schedule instead of yours.
- Boundaries are gone. People are doing things outside the home that they never used to. For example, people never used to talk on the phone anywhere but their homes, but now they use phones practically everywhere. What does that mean for business? Well, that people are more willing to interact with you intimately, giving you more insight into their wants and needs.
- Consumers want choices, but not too many. There are so many choices available today, that consumers have come to demand them. The problem is, too many choices can make the consumer decision process come to a standstill. The point? Have a solid array of options for your customers, but not so many that they freeze up.
- Know what your challenge really is. The presenter called this the Noah Test (as in Noah’s Ark). For example, was Noah’s challenge to predict rain or was his challenge getting the animals on the ark? In this case it was the latter. Not every case is going to be easy to figure out, but if you take the time to determine what you are actually trying to solve, your result will be that much stronger.
The speaker also gave four tips for what Madison (and businesses) should do in 2012 to grow and thrive:
- Demonstrate Integrity – do what you say you’re going to!
- Get rid of excess – purge commitments and services that aren’t fruitful for you
- Embrace basics – no need to be fancy if the simple solution will work
- Frequently refresh online information – this helps your customers stay informed and coming back for more
If you are interested in seeing photos from the event or the event’s webcast, click here.
Do you have any other tips for 2012?