Manic Monday | Let's Really Connect.....

A large factor in realizing the full impact of creating remarkable experiences is having the available wifi for guests to readily "remark" and create the word of mouth advertising that is a key objective.

Recently while traveling I have been subject to a vast array of wifi connections everything from a downtown city core which has blanketed an entire area with complimentary access; to a animal sanctuary offering "blogger" rest areas/lounges with comfortable seating, multiple charging stations and of course high speed wifi access. In this particular location they made sure their hashtag was prominently displayed at every blogger station large and small to encourage its' use.

Of course there were the other less remarkable wifi experiences where there was no connection at all, or a situation I would consider far worse, a payment option for wifi that allowed for such limited data that the connection would time out after 10 or 15 minutes requiring you to pay again and again. This both extremely  frustrating and expensive.

We live in a social world and our guests, for the most part, want to stay connected and to share their travels with friends, family and their online community.  If you make them wait to tell their story about your experience the opportunity may well be lost.

Providing wifi is no longer an optional item unless it is truly part of the overall experience.  It must be fast, easy to access and complimentary a goal that should be top of mind for all tourism providers.  The actual cost to connect will be minimal when measured against the unpaid marketing that can be garnered in real time from your guests.

So here is a challenge. Could we a group of  regions, communities and businesses in the Thompson Okanagan strive to be different, better, stand apart in the online world from the rest of the  province or the country. Could we work together with our technology partners to aspire to be the most connected region in Canada?

If we truly want to be remarkable then let's do it, let's be different the best and the most noteworthy. What is the worst thing that could happen.... a flood of social media activity generated by our visitors ?

We're up for the challenge if you are .... Let us know by connecting online with our team using #wewanttobeconnected

Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA President & CEO