Delegates joined TPB COO, Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, for a live TikTok dance workshop.
The Philippines Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines hosted the inaugural Tourism & Technology Forum (TTF) in March at Okada Manila, with a focus on accelerating digital technology for sustainable and ‘smart’ tourism.
The two-day hybrid event provided a learning platform for industry stakeholders with a mix of in-person and virtual sessions that were simultaneously livestreamed via Zoom and Facebook.
Creative Ideas
Plenary sessions featured tech industry giants including the former Department of the Information and Communications Technology (DICT) commissioner and CEO of IdeaCorp., Prof. Emmanuel Lallana, who discussed digital transformation; and Singapore-based global
chief public services industry scientist of Huawei Technologies, Hong-Eng Koh, who detailed the ‘imperative’ for digital public services to develop smart tourism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, said: “I do hope that the Tourism & Technology Forum will encourage everyone to continue to rethink travel by building a dynamic Philippine tourism industry; enhancing our destination’s product offerings and meeting the demands of our increasingly tech-savvy international and domestic travellers.”
And speaking of tech- savvy, while the hybrid setup demonstrated technical and logistical prowess, TPB COO, Maria Anthonette Velasco-Allones, took hybrid engagement one step further by inviting on-site delegates to join her for a live TikTok dance on stage — a symbolic gesture to remind all attendees to ‘dance’ with technology.
Safe set-up at Okada Manila.Execution
The event took place as Manila was entering a second wave of Covid-19 infections, so in-person delegates were kept to a minimum and stringent health and safety measures were implemented. Delegates were required
to wear both a face mask and a face shield, on-site Antigen Rapid Tests were conducted daily, and cleaning robots sanitised the venue throughout the event.
However, more than 1,000 people tuned in virtually, and an additional 10,600 views were clocked via Facebook Live.
“We wanted the make the event easily accessible for everyone,” said Raquel Ruth Tria, senior convention services officer at Tourism Promotions Board Philippines. To bridge the divide between virtual and physical audiences, Tria stressed the importance of working with a “smart and witty” MC to keep the conversation flowing and engage all attendees.
“In the technical booth we were also monitoring questions to ensure these were addressed, and we worked in close collaboration with our tech partners and all our speakers.”
Hybrid sessions connected in-person and virtual audiences with speakers across the region.Online engagement was further encouraged with gamified activities, like trivia and raffles, between conference sessions. The venue, Okada Manila, also offered dine-in vouchers to all physical and virtual attendees to boost participation.
Prior to the forum, personalised orientation sessions were held with speakers to manage expectations surrounding audience engagement. As most speakers were virtual, dedicated chat groups were set up on channels like WhatsApp and Viber to keep communication lines open throughout the event.
While a small secretariat managed the content and programme design,
TPB worked with event management company, Total Exhibit and Event Solutions, who handled the technical execution of the hybrid forum.
“The Tourism & Technology Forum was a truly joint effort between TPB, our event management partners, and the venue,” Tria said. “Feedback from participants was very positive, and since this was our inaugural event, the industry was very appreciative of the initiative.”
She added: “As a government agency it’s important that we’re proactive in leading the industry’s recovery. TFF 2021 set an example for MICE stakeholders to push through with their projects, proving that, with a combination of technology and proper health and safety precautions, anything is possible.”
Lessons learnt
Collaborate closely with tech partners and speakers
Combine content and gamification to create an engaging programme
Integrate multiple online and social media streaming platforms
to maximise participation