Prepared for what lies ahead in tourism
Stay up-to-date with current, independent statistics and information on tourism in the Alpine region.
F.acT: What is behind the concept?
IK & AK: Everyone is talking about innovation and disruption. Not for nothing, because only those who continue to develop and promote innovation in their own company will be successful on the market. Many companies have their own innovation departments, integrate customers and stakeholders into innovation processes and thus remain competitive.
The aim of the Alpine Tech_Innovation Sprint is therefore to pick up tourism as one of the main industries in the Alpine region and initiate new forms of innovation and further development. This is done by discussing digitalization problems faced by tourism professionals, which international start-ups then work on.
The first step takes the form of a 3-day sprint. After the startups and industry get to know each other, they work on the specific problem tracks for 24 hours. The results are pitched to the industry, investors and other interested parties on the final day. An ideal outcome of the sprint is longer-term business relationships between start-ups and tourism professionals. The aim of the organizers (Werkstätte Wattens, I.E.C.T Hermann Hauser & M.A.D with the support of Standortagentur Tirol and Tirol Werbung) is to position the topic of Alpine Technology even more strongly in Tirol and to offer regular programs that bring startups and companies together. In the future, the aim is not only to work in the software sector, but also to offer programs for the hardware sector (e.g. infrastructure, sports equipment and clothing, etc.).
F.acT: Who specifically do you want to address with the event?
IK & AK: The main target group of the event are tourism professionals and start-ups who are willing to innovate and can provide helpful support in this area.
The focus of the sprint is on three major topics:
Data Control, Guest Experience and Customer Journey.
In summary, the digital pain points of the tourism industry will be addressed and initial solutions will be developed. Firstly, the focus is on regaining data sovereignty, which currently lies with the major international booking platforms, as well as the resulting use and integration of data within the company. The second area deals with the topic of customer experience: the integration of digital technologies also plays a major role in tourism products. This involves applications in the areas of virtual reality, augmented reality, voice, location-based services, etc. The third area deals with topics relating to the customer journey. In particular, this involves contact and communication with guests before, during and after their stay. Technical solutions such as chatbots, voice solutions and content-based marketing are relevant here.
International start-ups with a scalable idea and a good team will be scouted on the basis of these topics. The problems submitted by the tourism professionals will be worked on by the selected start-ups during the event.
Specifically, companies from the tourism industry (TVBs, hoteliers, cable car operators, etc.) are sought who want to try out a new form of innovation for their specific problem and see cooperation with start-ups as an opportunity and a way of gaining a competitive advantage.
F.acT: What can tourism professionals hope to gain from participating in the event?
IK & AK:
- Initial solution approaches for a specific problem that exists in your own company / business
- Possibility of long-term cooperation with start-ups from the three subject areas mentioned above
- Up-to-date information on what is happening with young companies on the market and valuable input on the latest technologies and applications in the subject areas
- Get to know the collaboration with start-ups and test a new form of product development and innovation
You can find more information here or contact hello@werkstaette-wattens.at.