Intro/Outro – 00:00:02: Welcome to the Resort Second Podcast, introduced by Revinate, the podcast the place we speak to leaders within the hospitality business. In the event you’re searching for traits, views, and tales from leaders in journey and hospitality, you’re in the best place.
Karen – 00:00:21: Hi there, and welcome to the Resort Second podcast. I’m your host, Karen Stephens, the Chief Advertising Officer of Revinate. And at present we’re thrilled to have Evan Crawford, a strategic lodge marketer and thinker. With an intensive background in model improvement, Evan brings a wealth of expertise as Vice President of Advertising at Pyramid International Hospitality. His journey within the hospitality business spans over a decade, marked by roles starting from regional advertising and marketing administration to company management, and all underscored by a ardour for journey, on-line advertising and marketing methods, and rising applied sciences. Evan’s modern method to leveraging expertise to boost visitor expertise and optimize income streams has positioned him as a thought chief amidst the intersection of hospitality and expertise.
Welcome, Evan.
Evan – 00:01:04: Thanks. I’m glad to be right here.
Karen – 00:01:05: You realize what? I’m actually blissful to have you ever right here. And most of the people hearken to this podcast, for individuals who are watching us on YouTube, we’re sitting in a really distinctive room right here. We are literally collectively in the identical room at NAVIGATE Miami.
Evan – 00:01:16: No Zoom.
Karen – 00:01:17: No Zoom. I do know. It’s type of cool. So that is actually enjoyable to have the ability to do a podcast reside.
Evan – 00:01:22: Completely.
Karen – 00:01:22: Okay. So I’ve a few inquiries to get began right here. So your journey in hospitality has been marked by fairly a couple of numerous units of roles. So what initially sparked your curiosity within the subject and the way did you make your method over to your present place?
Evan – 00:01:36: Yeah. I imply, I type of fell into the business virtually by chance. I don’t know if I wish to inform the complete story.
Karen – 00:01:43: Let’s do it.
Evan – 00:01:43: You need the entire story?
Karen – 00:01:44: I wish to know. Yeah. That is attention-grabbing.
Evan – 00:01:46: Nicely, for those who actually wish to get all the way down to the start, my mentor, who truly nonetheless works for Pyramid, is a gentleman named John McMullen. He’s a wonderful gross sales skilled and nice advertising and marketing thoughts. And he was the director of gross sales and advertising and marketing for a resort down in St. Lucia. And his nanny was truly my girlfriend on the time.
Karen – 00:02:05: Good.
Evan – 00:02:06: And so we received to know one another and he simply wanted some assist. I used to be in faculty and began working for him in an assistant function and type of graduated from faculty. He promoted me, and simply began type of studying the ropes of the business — each gross sales and advertising and marketing. And, you recognize, simply type of progressed from there into, I believe, Gross sales and Advertising Coordinator function and on as much as a Advertising Supervisor function, all working with resorts within the islands. And it was unimaginable.
Karen – 00:02:34: Yeah. That’s an excellent life.
Evan – 00:02:35: Yeah. Actually simply, I’ve to say, with out John, so John, for those who hearken to this, I really like him. However with out him, I’d not be right here at present. That’s for certain. And yeah, he’s been a rare mentor, however I actually type of simply fell into the business, to be trustworthy with you.
Karen – 00:02:49: Wow. That’s so cool. So what’s your diploma in? What have been you finding out in faculty?
Evan – 00:02:51: Communication.
Karen – 00:02:52: Communication. All proper. Cool. So we’re within the camps.
Evan – 00:02:54: So I’m not far off.
Karen – 00:02:54: It’s not like we have been, you recognize.
Evan – 00:02:55: Yeah. Extra the hospitality half is what I type of fell into. However it’s my blessing, for certain.
Karen – 00:02:58: Yeah. So, you’ve been in hospitality from the leap then. So, proper out of school.
Evan – 00:03:04: Sure.
Karen – 00:03:04: Wow. That’s implausible. Yeah. So now you’re at Pyramid.
Evan – 00:03:08: Yeah.
Karen – 00:03:08: So are you able to simply give our listeners an outline of how massive is Pyramid? What does the portfolio appear like? And what’s your function there? Or how do you combine throughout all of these issues?
Evan – 00:03:17: Certain. Yeah. So we’ve 200 plus properties in complete, each model and impartial. I work particularly with our impartial properties in our luxurious and life-style division. The gathering is named Benchmark Resorts and Accommodations. So overseeing these, we’ve, I believe, 70 or so impartial properties. In order that’s type of the place I match into it. However yeah, actually, actually massive firm. To be trustworthy, it feels smaller than that, which I believe is nice as a result of I’ve quite a lot of nice connections all through the corporate and it’s a fairly nice household. So I get pleasure from it loads.
Karen – 00:03:47: Yeah. That’s very cool. So 70 independents, I believe what’s all the time attention-grabbing about managing independents is that every one of them have their very own type of distinctive really feel. Like that’s type of the fantastic thing about it, proper? You’ve the ability of an enormous administration firm that’s capable of standardize and do quite a lot of issues. Each single lodge has its personal taste. So are you able to speak a bit bit about the way you method that once you purchase a brand new lodge?
Evan – 00:04:09: Certain.
Karen – 00:04:09: How do you actually determine market and produce it into the fold?
Evan – 00:04:12: Yeah, properly, I believe, you recognize, most significantly, you need them to retain their very own distinctive id.
Karen – 00:04:17: That’s the entire level, yeah.
Evan – 00:04:18: So I believe as we’re advertising and marketing the complete assortment, it’s about the place will we join the dots? How will we showcase and spotlight these distinctive experiences and these extraordinary locations whereas additionally type of connecting them, whether or not it’s by way of, I don’t know, themes and mountains and golf and spa and these frequent experiences? However, I believe it’s actually necessary to spotlight the variations and the range as a result of folks need a numerous set of experiences. I believe when issues get too homogenous, I don’t know in the event that they get bored essentially, however you wish to do issues which can be distinctive and have new experiences. And what we actually deal with isn’t just the field and the mattress. It’s extra in regards to the vacation spot and the way you immerse your self within the tradition and delicacies et cetera.
Karen – 00:05:01: Yeah, you recognize, it’s actually cool. We’ve been, in order I discussed, we’re right here at NAVIGATE. And quite a lot of what’s arising right here is the significance of emphasizing how the lodge matches into the area people and the native — and we all know that youthful generations arising actually prioritize that. It’s method past, as you mentioned, Ed within the Field and all of that.
Evan – 00:05:18: Completely.
Karen – 00:05:19: I believe it may be attention-grabbing if we speak a bit bit about personalization since you’ve received 70 independents. You need them to function, feel and look like an impartial. However on the again finish, are you able to speak a bit bit about the way you’re capturing visitor knowledge since you really need to have the ability to cross-promote, proper? You realize, it is a seaside vacation spot. Who else do we’ve on the seaside? So speak a bit bit about your method to that and the way you consider it.
Evan – 00:05:40: Yeah. I imply, properly, to begin, I believe we most likely can all enhance in the way in which we do this. It’s an ongoing problem, particularly with, such as you mentioned, you could have these distinctive properties. However in additionally many circumstances, they’ve various techniques that could be rather than completely different properties. So, clearly performing some work with Revinate to that finish. But additionally we work with a associate referred to as Laasie for a buyer loyalty program who clearly integrates with Revinate. However utilizing techniques like that, we’ve no intention of being Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors. That’s not the aim. However first-party knowledge is awfully necessary. So the extra we are able to domesticate that first-party viewers has great advantages to that. After which if we are able to enrich these profiles by way of techniques like Revinate, then it may develop into that rather more highly effective.
Karen – 00:06:23: Actually highly effective. So I believe if we speak a bit bit about first-party knowledge, as you talked about, that’s type of the gold normal, isn’t it? As a result of I believe particularly for youthful generations, as we talked about, I don’t assume that they’re actually all for factors. I believe they’re all for experiences. So are you able to speak about how you utilize that seize? What are the contact factors on the lodge? I do know there’s tech stacks happening under, however once you take over a lodge, how do you get them to consider how they get that knowledge and leverage it?
Evan – 00:06:48: Yeah, that’s an amazing query. I imply, clearly, the reservation course of and people interactions by way of check-in, cellular registration, web site opt-in – I believe a key factor to first-party knowledge seize is reducing the bar for receiving it. I believe so typically we’re asking for the blood kind of the firstborn, too, to ensure that them simply to inform us about themselves. I believe reducing the bar for participating with us, after which providing some form of worth to them to ensure that them to have interaction with us. So whether or not that’s a Laasie with some form of instantaneous gratification, or it doesn’t should be all the time reductions, however some form of worth add for them to offer us with details about them. After which as we’re attempting to get them to inform us extra about themselves, proceed down that path. However we don’t have to begin by asking all the questions. Begin with a low bar, after which we are able to study extra about them. And I’m a communication main. So, you recognize, probably the most fundamental communication ideas is peeling again the layers of the onion. And it’s all about, I inform you one thing and then you definitely reciprocate and finally we get to the core, proper? You realize, and I believe that is still true with how we have interaction and that may be by way of digital engagements or in individual, however we are able to’t simply instantly go to probably the most private questions and count on to get a lot of a response.
Karen – 00:08:07: 100%. You realize, it jogs my memory of, you recognize, I’ve accomplished gross sales for a very long time. And after we very first rolled out what’s now referred to as Revinate Advertising, it was referred to as Inguest again within the day. After which, I don’t know what we have been considering, however we have been like, “Oh, we’re going to pre-qualify these prospects and we’re going to ask them 20 questions.” I imply, all the things, “What’s your OTA?” I imply, I don’t even know. However the backside line is we’d ask all these questions after which we’d go, “Okay, nice.” And right here’s my demo. It’s like, what, for those who’re going to ask the query, just remember to’re giving rapid reward for that reply, proper? So it’s like, we’re not simply asking for the sake of it. And I believe that that’s actually necessary. You realize, for those who’re going to get the information, be sure to reward the folks for supplying you with the information. So it’s very cool. Because the panorama of digital advertising and marketing continues to evolve, what methods have you ever applied at Pyramid to leverage rising applied sciences and platforms for efficient buyer acquisition and retention? So we touched on a few of it, however…
Evan – 00:08:59: Yeah, I imply, I used to be simply having a dialog final night time. I believe one space that’s actually necessary is being the place our prospects are, whether or not that’s with messaging engagement or simply wherever that if we all know a shopper is in a spot, let’s not pressure them to go some place else to have interaction with us. I believe that’s key. However it’s from like a media perspective. We’re enjoying loads within the OTT house with streaming media, simply taking quite a lot of the methods we are able to do focusing on by way of digital media recommendation and taking that into extra of a conventional type of media.
Karen – 00:09:28: Oh, wow.
Evan – 00:09:29: With tv and streaming tv or streaming audio. I believe that’s actually thrilling.
Karen – 00:09:34: Wait, wait, you bought to inform me a bit bit extra about that. So OTT, what does that stand for?
Evan – 00:09:37: Excessive.
Karen – 00:09:38: Okay, OTT, all proper.
Evan – 00:09:40: However, you recognize, the Hulus of the world.
Karen – 00:09:42: Certain.
Evan – 00:09:42: In order that’s the way in which individuals are participating with tv.
Karen – 00:09:45: Yeah, that’s proper.
Evan – 00:09:46: And it’s much more cost-efficient than doing an enormous media purchase in a significant market by way of Comcast or, you recognize, one of many cable suppliers. And it’s simply extra extremely focused and certified. So that’s actually not a brand new media channel. You realize, folks have been participating with these streaming platforms for fairly a while. However so far as a top-of-funnel type of prospecting, media channel is necessary to us. And we’ve seen fairly a little bit of success there. And I believe simply getting higher and I type of qualify that as a result of we’re not excellent at this.
Karen – 00:10:17: Certain, certain.
Evan – 00:10:18: However doing a greater job of segmenting our audiences and actually understanding who they’re, participating with them on the proper time with the best message. I believe most likely any enterprise might all the time proceed to enhance at that.
Karen – 00:10:30: Yeah.
Evan – 00:10:30: However the higher our knowledge is, the higher {our capability} to try this is.
Karen – 00:10:34: Yeah. And I believe, you recognize, hospitality, all of us adore it. It’s such a beautiful, distinctive business. However we’re a bit bit behind more often than not.
Evan – 00:10:42: Too far behind.
Karen – 00:10:43: So now we’re getting higher and higher. And definitely that’s what Revinate seeks to do as properly is to just remember to can perceive your friends and actually personalize and goal. In order that’s very cool. That’s the primary time I’ve heard in regards to the media buys on streaming.
Evan – 00:10:54: Actually?
Karen – 00:10:54: Yeah, I’m certain. I imply, however I’m simply saying I do quite a lot of podcasting. Yeah, yeah. And that’s the primary time. In order that’s a extremely cool technique.
Evan – 00:11:01: Yeah.
Karen – 00:11:01: I actually, I really like that.
Evan – 00:11:02: Yeah. I imply, it’s.
Karen – 00:11:03: It’s moveable too.
Evan – 00:11:04: Yeah. And it’s undoubtedly. However in this stuff all depend on — you bought to make the funding in video. You realize, I didn’t point out that, however virtually each social platform is prioritizing video over nonetheless photos. In order that’s one thing that we have to prioritize at every particular person lodge is saying, “Hey, you recognize what? We have to spend money on our belongings as a result of with out high quality belongings, you possibly can’t do all the nice issues over right here.” So-
Karen – 00:11:27: 100%. As a result of for those who’re going to do it, you bought to do it proper. You possibly can’t go midway.
Evan – 00:11:30: Yeah.
Karen – 00:11:31: As a result of that’s simply not proper. And tacky.
Evan – 00:11:34: 100%.
Karen – 00:11:35: And I’m certain, once more, with our business, quite a lot of instances folks have been doing issues a sure method for therefore lengthy. And so they assume that that is the way in which to roll. So I’m certain that that’s attention-grabbing as you begin to type of win the hearts and minds to assume a bit bit exterior the field.
Evan – 00:11:47: 100%.
Karen – 00:11:48: Yeah.
Evan – 00:11:48: Completely.
Karen – 00:11:49: Very cool. So what sort of key insights have you ever had from NAVIGATE? Is there something? I do know we’ve had quite a lot of periods at present we’ve been out and in. Is there one speaker or an concept that you simply’ve come away with that you simply’re like, oh, that’s both they’re talking my language or that’s not one thing I considered earlier than?
Evan – 00:12:04: I imply, clearly the CDP. That’s type of the inspiration of all the things that we have to do.
Karen – 00:12:12: Superior.
Evan – 00:12:12: Till we join all of the dots and remove as many silos as potential. And silos don’t simply exist with knowledge. They exist with varied companions. But when we are able to be sure that we’ve received one hub for the place our knowledge goes, and the place it lives, and the place we’re going to leverage it. I believe that’s of the utmost significance. And it influences actually each resolution we make from how we’re spending our media {dollars} exterior of, you recognize, exterior of Revinate to how we’re participating with our prospects on property. It truly is type of all the things.
Karen – 00:12:43: Every part.
Evan – 00:12:43: To what we’re doing. And with out it, it’s not like you possibly can’t perform or something like that. You type of get one arm tied behind your again.
Karen – 00:12:49: You don’t have all the knowledge. Yeah.
Evan – 00:12:51: That’s most likely what I’m most enthusiastic about.
Karen – 00:12:53: That’s nice. As a result of that was the keynote from our CEO, everyone. In order that’s the Buyer Knowledge Platform, which we truly launched formally at present. In order that may be very thrilling. All proper. So I do know that you simply got here into this business by luck.
Evan – 00:13:05: Certain did.
Karen – 00:13:06: Courting the best one that had the best boss.
Evan – 00:13:08: Occurred to be the flawed individual.
Karen – 00:13:09: Oh, finally. A bridge individual, we’ll name it. Sure. So any recommendation for anyone who desires to get into the advertising and marketing arm of hospitality? In the event you have been, you recognize, speaking to anyone in faculty at present that have been attempting to determine break into this business, what recommendation would you give?
Evan – 00:13:24: Yeah. I imply, I don’t know if that is essentially restricted to hospitality, however I’d simply say be curious and all the time be attempting to study by yourself. And my mentor type of empowered me to be this fashion, however he would acknowledge he didn’t train me all the things that I do know, however he gave me the liberty to type of discover and actually, quite a lot of guessing and checking, you recognize, simply looking for out your individual solutions. However I believe that begins with being curious and wanting to know new issues or new applied sciences or studying income administration or, you recognize, I’m in advertising and marketing, nevertheless it’s necessary to know gross sales and the gross sales course of. So I believe we are inclined to gravitate in direction of what we’re snug with and what we all know and are an skilled in. However by diversifying your information set, I believe you possibly can develop into much more highly effective.
Karen – 00:14:11: I adore it. That’s nice recommendation. Nicely, thanks, Evan. My visitor has been Evan Crawford, who’s the Vice President of Advertising at Pyramid International Hospitality. Thanks for the dialog.
Evan – 00:14:20: Thanks very a lot in your time.
Karen – 00:14:21: You bought it.
Intro/Outro – 00:14:22: Thanks for listening to the Resort Second Podcast. Be sure that to subscribe wherever you hearken to podcasts. And for those who’re watching on YouTube, please just like the video and subscribe for extra content material. For extra data, head to hotelmomentpodcast.com. The Resort Second Podcast is introduced by Revinate.
