1) UNIQUE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

The TOMIS Summit provides an environment like no other for networking: tour operators from diverse industries, reservation system representatives, data scientists, TOMIS marketing managers, and TOMIS advisors all intermix for three days in Missoula, Montana. With an attendee list in only the double digits, the small size allows for every attendee to closely get to know one another. The Summit facilitated relationships with team-building activities, happy hours and mixers every night. In fact, the number one reason attendees reported they would recommend this event to another tour operator was the networking!

100% of attendees who responded to our post-Summit survey confirmed that they would attend next year’s and recommend to another tour operator. 

2) ACTIONABLE PRESENTATIONS

Networking took place before, in between, and after our ensemble of actionable presentations. Our motto when it comes to the TOMIS Summit and the content of our presentations is “no fluff, just the relevant stuff” and we are diligent about sticking to that. Our sessions included data-driven key takeaways from the marketing lessons we learned in 2018. The best part about these presentations was they included items that can be implemented immediately and that have a proven measurable return.

Cherry On Top Money

Our COO, Delamon Rego, has enough energy alone to get you stoked about growing your business, but once he started sharing his 7 easy to steps to add $54,787 to your revenue stream, the audience was captivated. From using historical data to update pricing, implementing trip protection and fees, and cross-selling and up-selling in person, our attendees walked away with quick, easy tips on how to increase revenue in unique ways they may not have considered before.

“Delamon presented this in a fun and easy to understand way, yet this information is extremely valuable. Why not do some of these “tricks” to save everyone time & make some more money so we can focus on other things? It’s also a good reminder to why do we spend so much time incorporating some of these practices into our business — they’re a bigger part of the pie, which we sometimes forget.”

– Anonymous Response from Summit Survey

Retargeting Campaigns & Social Media Trends

The Summit presentations also had a focus on the best strategies for retargeting past customers and high intent potential customers. Our clients have seen remarkably high returns on our re-engagement campaigns, particularly birthday campaigns and abandoned booking campaigns so these are a no-brainer for tour operators. We also shared tips on converting more leads into customers and how to best leverage Facebook events, topical content, and relationships with influencers.

Corporate Marketing & Affiliate Partnerships

Corporate groups are a key audience for tour operators that can accommodate team-building events, but without a strategy specifically targeting those groups, it can be a missed opportunity. We broke down the best channels and strategies for targeting corporate groups, along with a step-by-step guide to creating highly effective hotel affiliate partnerships.

3) FUTURE OF TECH + TOUR OPERATORS

As our CEO, Evan Tipton’s passion for this industry and the TOMIS software’s capabilities were both palpable in the room when he delivered the product presentations and led the brainstorms. From the TOMIS AI Chatbot to review generation functionality and data dashboards, Evan gave a full walk-through of the TOMIS software and how it can be used to formulate data-driven marketing plans and save time for tour operators.

“Really interesting potential for ChatBot…beyond what we expected for capability.”

– Anonymous Response from Summit Survey

4) A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS

The TOMIS data science team delivered presentations on our proprietary predictive algorithms and how we can leverage data sharing for the benefit of all of our clients. By crafting our audience-targeting strategies based on propensity models, we can target only those with a high likelihood of booking a specific tour within the next 30 or 90 days which can significantly increase our conversion rates and save on ad spend. We also shared specific ways to grow direct bookings to defend tour operators from the OTA takeover, as well as cross-promotional ideas for how tour operators can better leverage the relationships with their partners and vendors.

5) EXPERIENCE MISSOULA

The crown of the Summit 2018 is its location. TOMIS Headquarters is stationed in downtown Missoula, Montana – in the heart of The Last Best Place. The weekend of the Summit had the most beautiful October weather we could have asked for with blue skies and a warm breeze. Attendees went fly fishing and hiking to take in all the views this place has to offer. We enjoyed local food and brews to authenticate the Montana experience. The Summit 2018 brought together the entire TOMIS community of clients, investors, staff, and friends. Thank you to all who attended, and let’s all mark our calendars for 2019!