2020 – the year that tourism knowledge sharing came of age

One of the positive aspects of 2020 has been the sudden access to a wealth of training and information, provided digitally and free. Some of this has been directed toward to the tourism industry specifically, some to anyone running a business in general, and some to those wanting personal benefits or simply to increase their destination knowledge.

For those of us who don’t live in capital cities and found it difficult to attend face-to-face events, this has been a boon. Provided of course we have reasonable internet access and/or data on our phones, tablets or computers. We have had access to the best in their field, talking to us about a very wide range of topics.  Even better, these have been mostly recorded so we can watch and re-watch them at our convenience. 

Here are just a few examples, which showcase some of the many different types of webinar. There are of course, plenty more.

• ATEC Road to Recovery – Tourism Tutorial Series and Build Back Better.

Perhaps the best known of the current series of webinars, The Road to Recovery is a 36-week tutorial series designed to provide the tourism industry with all the necessary tools in order to be ready for the bounce back. The Road to Recovery Tourism Tutorials are just 45 mins, are free of charge and  hosted every Thursday at 2 pm (AEST).  Topics include marketing, tourism and business management. You can see back issues via the ATEC website and through this link https://vimeo.com/channels/roadtorecoverytutorials

• Build Back Better Webinars – ATEC’s webinar leadership series where panellists discuss a range of industry-relevant topics & challenges we are all facing.   View back issues at https://vimeo.com/channels/ateccovid19webinar

ATEC have reminded us that any recommendations for future topics are very much appreciated.

• Tourism Australia’s webinar series covering a variety of topics on a fortnightly basis.
• State-based tourism recovery webinars, such as Tourism Council of WA’s Recovery Webinars (note that TCWA webinars are only free to members)
• World Travel and Tourism Council for a more global perspective
• UN World Tourism Organisation, whose live webinars this week included Innovating in Wine Tourism in the Context of Covid 19; and Tourism and Rural Development
• (Mainly for Queenslanders) the Advancing Women in Tourism series
• Tourism Australia’s Aussie Specialist training – great destination and product information. Such a shame that although it is now available to Australians, it is still limited to travel agents.
• And of course, don’t forget ART’s own hand-picked webinar collection and the upcoming Virtual Convention

 Some tips for getting the most from this plethora of online resources? 

• Once you have chosen something you think is going to be useful, make time in your week to sit down and watch it.
  •  Swap a webinar out for a TV show in the evening
  • Block out time on your calendar for watching
  • Try and watch in real time where possible – it’s more of a commitment 
• Don’t try and multitask with a webinar – it rarely works. “If you are going to be there, then BE there” 
  • But you CAN watch most webinars on your phone or tablet. You don’t have to be sitting down at home in front of the computer
• If you are watching live, don’t be scared to ask questions. This is normally via the chat bar anyway and you remain essentially anonymous. At the same time, you get to ask questions that matter to you, directly to the subject matter expert.
• If you can manage it, take notes. It focuses your attention and gives you something to go back to later. Keep your notes somewhere that you will see them again.
• Aim to come away with at least one action item for yourself.
• Don’t give up too early – even if the start of the webinar doesn’t seem to be particularly relevant or what you were expecting, stay with it.  If you learn one thing or come away with one idea, that is worth it.
• Make sure you watch as well as listen. It increases your chances of absorbing and retaining information, and the visuals may well trigger your own creative thinking about the topic.
• Make sure you can find the webinar again, whether that be by filing the email confirmation with URL to re-watch in a specific email folder; or by subscribing to the provider channel such as ATEC on video platform Vimeo. 
• Sign up ahead of time (sometimes even if you have no intention of watching a 1am webinar from USA, you still need to have signed up to be able to watch the downloaded version).
• Look out for topics that interest you.  Seminars get advertised in industry newsletters,but you will also find ideas in sources as varied as Facebook, by scanning Eventbrite, or in your local chamber of commerce newsletter. 
• Once you have signed up, make sure you remember to look out for the automated email confirmation and file it away.  Download the event to your calendar, and make sure you have put a reminder on for yourself. And make sure you have the exact joining details – some organisations send an email confirmation but then email again closer to the date with a URL.  There is nothing worse than trying to log in 10 minutes before the start time only to realise you don’t have the correct login details.
• Share! 

…..And on that note: who has been watching what?  Post your own list and recommendations in the comments below.

Feature Image Credit: Photo by Simon Abrams on Unsplash