Elliot Experiences: Digital Tourist 2022 by José Morales

Hello, I am José Morales SánchezDirector of the Innovation and Public Sector area. I am an expert in the R&D&I support ecosystem with more than 10 years of experience working as an innovation manager, carrying out the preparation and implementation of projects at regional, national and European level related to energy efficiency, renewable energies and energy efficiency. renewable energieswaste management and the smart cities.

I currently act as a senior consultant providing answers to public sector requests related to these matters. On this occasion I am here to present my experience at the Digital Tourist 2022 event and the aspects I found most interesting.

What is Digital Tourist 2022?

It is the meeting place for those responsible for Smart Tourism Destinations (ITD): central, regional, provincial and municipal administrations, and the digital tourism offer represented by leading technology companies. It is a social event that gives us back the networkingto facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience.

It is an event that facilitates the exchange of knowledge and experiences, at a time when tourism must regain the strategic, economic and social role it enjoyed before the pandemic.

Digital Technologies were the main themes of this 2022 edition given the implementation of Component 14 of the PRTR and how technology is the key for tourism to gain in competitiveness.

Why it is interesting to attend these events

Face-to-face events, which are making a comeback after the pandemic hiatus, offer the opportunity to network and get to know the ecosystem beyond the countless telematic meetings via a screen.

The company's presence at these events is an opportunity for first-hand dialogue with multiple agents in the tourism sector, where many companies and public administrations (councils, municipalities and associations of municipalities) met, where we were able to listen to their problems and propose our solutions and services that respond to their needs.

In addition to the specific interest in the content of the round tables that took place, the opportunities to networking that arise at face-to-face events are very high, as they allow for a deeper understanding of opportunities and other aspects beyond those of the event itself.

Coffee breaks, travelling time to hotels or sharing a table and tablecloth, allow you to get to know people and their companies in a more relaxed state, which allows you to do a deeper business development that achieves a better positioning of the company at all levels.

Personal experience at the Digital Tourist

Tourism is one of the driving sectors of our country, and as such, the Network of Smart Tourist Destinations is a particularly interesting opportunity to generate business opportunities associated with the technological needs of these municipalities, which already have digitalisation plans and are aware of the use of technology as a tool to make them more attractive to visitors.

From my point of view, an event of this kind, which brings together actors who are already looking for digitisation solutions, is an opportunity to market to entities that are already receptive to our message, bringing together our digitisation, interoperability and transparency services with the needs of municipalities.

The overall experience was very positive. Our role as sponsors of the event allowed us to participate in the round table as speakers on such a hot topic as the management of Recovery Funds, contributing our experience from the business side and the channelling of these funds. This presentation, together with the relationships previously established with several of the actors present, as a result of our daily activity, gave us a very notorious visibility that increased the activities of networking and our relevance in the ecosystem of technology providers.

Highlights of the event

The opportunity to participate in one of the most relevant round tables due to its subject matter and the quality of the panelists, Victor Badorrey (Director of Institutional Relations of Segittur), Inmaculada de Benito (Director of the Tourism Council of the CEOE), Daniel Vega (Head of Smart Cities and Innovation at the FEMP).

The presence of leading players in the world of digitisation of the tourism sector, sharing with them the experiences of the sector and expressing the needs to increase its competitiveness and achieve an improved visitor experience.

The possibility of building quality relationships in a professional and specialised environment, while enjoying a relaxed atmosphere at the events outside the actual discussion tables.