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02/10/2017

Establishing Partnership Through Unique Methods

Creativity, Relationships, Product Development and Altruism

Partner. Partner. Partner. We are all familiar with the mantra. Many times, travel businesses partner to bring new and unique experiences to their guests and customers. This doesn’t mean it’s easy. Some partnerships are hard to work out or seem farfetched, but unlikely pairings create more unique experiences. Here are a few suggestions on how to connect with business partners to create new relationships, expanding your market and boosting profits.

  1. Partnership Through Creativity
    Delivering a well-rounded and enjoyable experience is a must in the travel industry, and partnering with unlikely candidates creates a truly unique opportunity for customers. From creating promotions, to hosting events and developing new trails, creative partnerships are bound to produce something never seen before. One such pairing would be that of local businesses and the public transit authorities in your area. In the wake of rising gas prices, public transportation departments found a new market of travelers and used local businesses to advertise in new and unique ways for passengers. From specially placed ads in walkways, to commercials playing on buses and subways, this partnership led to creative ways of advertising, bolstering both the local businesses which advertised and the public transportation networks that sponsored those advertisements through creativity. On the other hand, entities of smaller size are pulling together their area’s unique offerings to establish new opportunities. From the Butler County Donut Trail to Gahanna CVB’s newly launched Ohio Herbal Cocktail Trail, travel businesses are leveraging the creativity in their areas.
  2. Partnership Through Relationships
    Relationships are a two-way street. By partnering, the experience is doubled, and if partnered well, it may lead to newer and stronger relationships in the future. Rather than focusing on what you don’t have in your area, focus on the connections that already exist and foster those relationships. For example, in our interview last week with the Cincinnati Art Museum we learned that the partnership between museum and staff to produce an exhibit led to a stronger internal relationship, as well as a chance to bolster local artists.
  3. Partnership Through Product Development
    By tapping into your target audience, the experience your partnership provides is all the greater. Another great example is the partnership between Big White, a ski resort in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, which partnered with many local wineries to host “Big Reds at Big White,” a weekend-long event in which guests could ski and drink local wine. An incredibly fun and unusual partnership, the ski resort and wineries targeted their audience through social media, and the event grew roots and exploded. This partnership proved successful, bringing in people from all over the region to enjoy all that the ski resort and local wineries offer.
  4. Partnership Through Altruism
    Partnering not only with other companies, but also with non-profits and community outreach programs, also benefits your own business. By reaching out to the community through collaboration, your business expands its audience and markets beyond what was previously imagined. The most unlikely business pairings can come from these couplings. For instance, Tourism Cares, the official philanthropy of the US travel industry, joins OTA this year at Heartland Travel Showcase to help in a fundraising efforts. This collaboration aids those in recovery from the wildfires that affected Gatlinburg and the surrounding areas a few months back. A tax-deductible donation will aid the Tennessee community. Partnering with a non-profit could not only help your business, but it brings attentiveness to a great cause.

In the travel industry, partnerships happen all the time, but thinking outside the box to produce newer and more unlikely experiences proves incredibly useful for the future of your business. By using methods of creativity, relationship building, product development and altruism, your business reaches new partnership depth, expanding your audience and revenue.

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