TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

TravelAbility Report: March 2019

Reinventing TravelAbility Summit: Humanizing the Virtual Conference Experience

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Travelability summit

Our 2020 goal: Not the new normal or the next normal, but a case study to find the BEST normal.

(Oakland, CA, June 8, 2020) While some travel industry conferences and events are adapting and embracing virtual attendance, many are scaling back, canceling, or rescheduling to 2021. As the industry’s only disability-focused conference, the TravelAbility Summit team, supporters, and advisory board believe that the destination and disability-focused education, insights, and networking that takes place at this event is essential for the tourism industry and that the conference will go on. 

Customizable Attendance Options
With a variety of customizable attendance options via the in-person/virtual attendee hybrid model, the TravelAbility Summit is further reinforcing its slogan, All Means All. The conference’s 2020 location, Orlando, Florida, provides easy access for many considering attending in-person and virtual event options elevate opportunities for European destination marketing organizations and others across the US to participate. 

The Best Online Experience
“Over the past two months, our team has spent hours of screen time attending virtual conferences ranging from technology to education to comedy clubs, evaluating new Zoom-like platforms that best capture the experience of live events.” said Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “And, we’ll be applying the best of the best of what we’ve found to our event and openly sharing the results with the industry.” 

Turnkey Platforms, Innovative Tech
The online conference will serve as a case study for travel industry meeting planners who don’t have the time to research and evaluate all the of new self-service turnkey platforms and innovative technology that have been released.   A few highlights include…

  • Collaborating with pros: a former Broadway producer will direct both the live and virtual event; and a stand-up comic will serve as emcee, and a behavioral psychologist will help design in-person spaces where physical distancing protocols will feel less unnatural.
  • Virtual tools: virtual whiteboards, virtual business cards, QR codes, games, holograms
  • Shorter presentations/better takeaways.. 73 total presenters limited to 7 to 10 minutes + Q&A
  • Random One-on-one speed dating: 3-minute sessions 
  • Testing flexible registration options–including a la carte options by the hour
  • New insights about sponsorships, value proposition, and ROI 
  • New tools that make virtual conferences accessible and may help avoid litigation
  • Several virtual reception ‘breakout rooms’ that emphasize human connection…
    • Who let the dogs in? introduce your favorite pet 
    • My Covid crib: home tours
    • Did you hear the one about? humorous stories/jokes
    • The hot tub: attendees appear in bathing suit attire  

Broader Reach
According to the Convention Industry Council (CIC*) $115 Bn of the $263 bn in direct spending of meeting in the U.S. is travel and tourism-related. Leading trade associations believe that virtual trade events will have a permanent role as a complement to broaden the reach for those who cannot attend in person.

Case Study: What Works, What Doesn’t
“We’re willing to do our small part to help the meetings industry, which has been decimated by the pandemic, understand what works and what doesn’t,”  said Steinman. “While we understand that some of our ideas may fall flat, we’re willing to openly share our experience afterward to help the industry rise again, as planners may not have the time to do the due diligence or the appetite for risk.”

 *(CIC summary here).

For more information go to TravelAbility Summit 2020, Find up to date news on TravelAbility Insider

Contact: Jake Steinman  jake@travelabilitysummit.com

5 Accessible Design Changes Most DMOs Don’t Think About (but should)

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group of adults some using a wheelchair some using a cane talk in the center of a large lobby

Before writer Brad McCannell explains five architectural changes that work for everyone, he points out his pet peeve. That would be when someone he is meeting with about building accessibility says, ‘I’m already accessible because my building meets code’. His story focuses on making meaningful changes to buildings. Read his full post, here.

OUR TAKE: A few facts to keep in mind when planning accessibility design in the age of concurrent pandemics, wildfires, tornadoes, and murderous hornet invasions. First, you’d best have an emergency plan for everyone, including people with disabilities. (The ADA law doesn’t stipulate that you must.)  Second, implementing a design that’s accessible for all should not only about wheelchair access. Second, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while it’s true that 13.7% of people with disabilities use a wheelchair. It’s on you to think about agility, hearing, vision, and cognition, too. Roughly 30 million Americans said they had difficulty climbing stairs or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches, or walker according to the last nationwide census.

To read more on this topic, visit our archive of disability advocates, here.

MUST WATCH! When Audio Transcription Fails (Hilariously)

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photo: illustration of a keyboard with hands; screen copy says audio transcription with a page, headphone and text icon

You might think that YouTube can capture the exact words from your video. But their transcription tool has more than few loopholes. The only thing funny about it is these two tech guys who show you just how bad audio transcription can bungle your copy. The example here is a Jamaica tour video. Watch it on YouTube, here.  

OUR TAKE: From a marketing point of view, this video makes clear that humor, truthiness, and great information make people sit up and pay attention to your message. Don’t be nervous to even make fun of yourself (and of course fix the problem). After watching it, you’ll really get why creating winning videos requires more than visual storytelling. All the moving parts need to be in place and double-checked before it will make a good impression.

Restarting Travel: What the U.S. Can Learn from China

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With China’s Covid-19 lockdown over, there will be some early lessons to learn from them. In the past two weeks, consumer confidence in travel has grown, according to a recent report from McKinsey and Company. The cautiously optimistic tone reflects how fragile both wellness and willingness are around the globe. The world is watching as the Chinese navigate their new normal. Read more, here. The report summarizes trends in the hotel, airline, and younger returns in China.

OUR TAKE: It’s wonderful to read such positive statistics and insights in the McKinsey report.  One insight that stuck with us: “When a lockdown ends, the first thing people want to spend money on is eating out. The second is travel. Our consumer survey shows that confidence in domestic travel rose by 60 percent over the past two weeks.” The focus is on the regional traveler who is not yet ready to go beyond domestic trips this summer. Industry forecasts show the same to be true in the U.S.

NYC Wants You to Fall in Love With It Again. But How?

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sign on the street that has an arrow with a heart in the middle the background I blue and the arrow is white. it Is circular

A diverse Coalition for NYC Hospitality & Tourism Recovery Council will spearhead the effort to bring back the city’s energy and tourists.  It’s NYC, though, so it’s not just any council.  Formed with NYC & Company, it’s fully loaded with hospitality heavy hitters (restauranteur Danny Meyer and Lin-Manuel Miranda are two), according to CNN.  

OUR TAKE: Don’t judge a city by its pandemic photos. Yes, some have made NYC look a little post-apocalyptic these past few months., But those who travel there have the city in their DNA. It’s tough to stay away.  What is your city so well known for that it screams COME BACK? It’s a question we should all be asking..