Virtual FAM Trips

NordicMarketing for Nordic Business

A virtual journey through your destination

Online experiences for tour operators

The goal of the virtual FAM trip is to sell your destination, products and services by presenting and introducing your offer to tour operators virtually. A tour operator's online experience with your products and services helps them better decide which of your products are suitable for their customers, learn more about your products, and sell them to their customers more effectively.

Our virtual FAM trips can be conducted in two days, both with 3 modules, each with a duration of 45 minutes. You deliver the (raw) material (length: 5-10 min.), we take care of cutting and editing the content to a coherent program.

The ideal scenario

Ideally, all the material is recorded in advance and sent to us. During the virtual FAM trip, the videos are presented and may be followed by a short live part of the company (if time allows). Each module is completed by a joint live Q&A session.

You record a video presenting your company and services, and if the time allows (max. 10 min. in total per company), you can add further information during the live session after your video has been played.
Destination representatives act as tour guides, they briefly introduce the region and their partner companies (you and other suppliers in the region). This can be done either with prepared video material or live.
We - team NordicMarketing - cut the raw material where necessary and prepare one video per company / destination.

"Done is better than perfect" - Be authentic, not stressed

To help you prepare your material - both content-wise and technically - in the best possible way, we provide you with useful tips for different stages and explain to you, how the actual virtual FAM trip will be accomplished. Please keep in mind: We do not expect professional material, but an authentic presentation of your products and services :)

Step 1: Preparation of material - creativity is key.
Step 2: Content guidelines. Tips on content for different product types. What you should pay attention to and what should be avoided.
Step 3: Shortly before and during the actual virtual FAM trip. Last instructions, the virtual journey and discussions.
Step 4: After the virtual FAM trip. Follow-up and benefit to the fullest.

What you should present to the participants

Come up with something creative

Like on FAM trips on site, on our virtual FAM trips, it should be visible that you know your business and your USPs. For that, it is important to create unique material that not only authentically and faithfully depicts what you and your surroundings look like, but also captures and conveys the overall mood and spirit. The material should not be longer than 5-10 minutes. If you wish for a short live part, please ensure that the video + live talk do not exceed 10 minutes.

Always keep in mind: authenticity is more important than perfection. For this reason, the following information should only be regarded as tips and suggestions – and not as instructions.

Tips and hints on creativity

The goal of our virtual FAM trips is not to give a simple presentation. Instead, the aim is to use moving images to provide visual insight that gives the viewer the feeling of being at the location. There are no limits to your creativity. Here are a couple of examples:

You offer special accommodation in a unique surrounding? Take the participating tour operators on a virtual room tour.
Play with the perspectives: You could chose to be the main character in your video self or you find someone who can act as a visitor that you accompany through your property.
Adventurous activities and safaris are your specialty? Show the viewer that it is fun to participate in your activities. Maybe you can put a camera on your helmet for your next white water trip?
You have a drone? Aerial photographs offer an excellent overview, which one does not experience even on site.
You run a reindeer farm? Show us what a typical day is like for you. Take us with you on your duties and explain how your everyday life with the animal is like.
Nothing is more convincing than experience reports of former guests. Perhaps someone would be willing to share their experiences with you. You could present this in a form of an interview.
Accompany guests on arrival. Show them all the services and the surroundings and let a camera accompany you in doing so. This is the best way to show off your hospitality.
Combine different forms of media presentation.
You own a restaurant and your cook is the best cook around? Accompany him with your camera into the kitchen and show him how he prepares the specialty of the house. Ask him about the ingredients and at the same time inform the spectators about the main ideas or the history of your gastronomy.

As said: These are only very few suggestions. We are looking forward to your personal ideas.

Technical requirements

We are aware that you may not be a professional in this field. Don't let that discourage you! It doesn't have to be perfect, but authentic. What matters is that you speak about what your company and your work mean to you, and how you communicate that.

Therefore, it is not necessary to use professional equipment or even to have it at hand. Today, most smartphones are suitable for making good videos. Of course, high-quality cameras are also perfect for this purpose. Just keep a few things in mind:

Always film in landscape format (horizontal format)
Always have the light on your back.
Show the big picture, but also details.
If you walk around with the camera be aware that the sound could be affected by noises such as wind. It could be a good choice to record video and sound separately.
For this, it is advisable to write a rough script and record the audio in a quiet room. Write down what you want to say. Record your script (this can also be done easily with your mobile phone). After that, film the scenes. A good plan is half the battle when making videos.
You don't have to film everything in one scene. At the end, you could have several videos that can easily be put together by our team.

Support by our team: from raw material to a short movie

NordicMarketing will be there to guide you through every step of the way. The only thing we can't do for you is the filming. But if you are not familiar to film editing, we are happy to receive your raw material and put it together to a short movie. For that we need detailed information:

If you would like to get our help, the script mentioned above is even more important.
With the help of a script you can describe to us exactly how the video material has to be put together to create a video that meets your expectations.
If you plan to send us individual videos, then make sure that the order in which they should be put together is visible to us.
Experience shows that video files are very large files. If you have difficulties sending us the files, use file sharing platforms like WeTransfer, Google Drive or Microsoft SharePoint.
If we can help you with your video editing, we are of course in close contact with you to discuss all details.

Example script: our guideline to create your video content plan

To both support you with gathering and preparing suitable (video) material and ease our editing workflow, we provide you with a draft script which you can use to plan your video content. The document is shared with you once you have signed up as a supplier of a virtual fam trip.

What to tell the participants

Details about your products and services

Different from a one-to-one meeting with a tour operator, the audience of a virtual FAM trip is diverse – and so are the needs of the tour operators participating in the trip. We primarily invite tour operators whose product portfolios and interests match the offer of your destination, however, specialization and target groups might be different. Likewise, the offer varies among providers in the destination. Possibly, not every product and service is relevant for each tour operator, just as not every provider can serve every target group’s needs. And that is normal and the way it should be. Do not aim to serve everyone, but know your offer and target group well.
As you'll receive a list and details about tour operators joining the virtual FAM trip, it is recommended to have a look at their profile and portfolio in advance to be prepared for the discussion afterwards.

We hereby provide you with guidelines on content preparation. Before you record your material, please go through the following points. We also recommend reading more about the elevator pitch as well as determining your USP on our blog.

Destination

The virtual FAM trip always starts with an introduction of the region. Try to cover the following aspects:

USP: What is special about the destination? How does the destination distinguish itself from other destinations, e.g. Finnish Lapland vs. Swedish Lapland? Provide convincing selling arguments that tour operators can use themselves for their own sales (USP in Finnish, USP in English)
Season: Is there a season you are currently focusing on? Point our advantages to make the season more attractive (e.g. more attractive/ affordable rates in summer)
Accessibility: What are possible ways to reach the destination? How is the flight schedule in summertime? Are there sustainable alternatives to travel? Provide suggestions on how to reach the destination best.
Sustainability: Are you part of a nation-wide sustainability program and have a sustainability certificate? Or did you set up your own sustainability program?

Accommodation

It is advisable to address these details when you present your accommodation facilities.

Types & facilities: Present different types and standards of accommodation that are of relevance for the target market and keep in mind to answer questions on how rooms/ cottages are equipped? Double or twin beds? Additional bed available? Family room? Own bathroom with shower and toilet? Free Wifi? Cooking facilities in a cottage? Breakfast serving in a hotel? Own sauna or shared? Pets allowed? Disabled friendly? Balcony or access to garden? Free parking? 24 hour reception? Self-check in?
Surrounding: hiking trails/ski tracks, near by a lake/river, close to a village, access to places of daily needs (supermarket). If you have a map of the location that displays the distance between the cottages and facilities, show it to the audience.
Quality level: Compared to the star rating, is your accommodation rather basic or high-quality?
Year of construction/ renovation: When was the accommodation built? Has there been any renovation or is it planned in the near future?
Capacity: How many accommodation facilities do you have? What is the number of accommodations per type? How many beds in total and per accommodation type? Point out which accommodation is suitable for FIT and groups.
Availability: Mention when your accommodation is available - year-round, only in summer, or are there specific times when the accommodation is closed? What are peak times? Are there periods where occupancy rate is already high?
Accessibility: How can your destination be reached? Is there a shuttle service from airports/ train stations? Or do you pick your guests up?
Range of services: Hotels are often also providers of leisure or restaurant facilities, hence do you offer multiple services? Activities? Weekly program? Rental of equipment?
Floor plan: If you offer cottages, show the layout of the cottages.
Cooperation: Do you cooperate with a partner in the area, e.g. for activity programs? In that case, can activities be booked via you?

Activity

As written in the first part of step 1, it would be great if you could take your audience on a virtual trip. Do not forget introducing your company and the general offer of activities.

Company:

Expertise & personal touch: Do you draw back on many years of experience, or are you quite new in the business? Do you have an interesting background to shortly talk about?
Ownership and management: Is the company owner- or family run? Maybe even in third, fourth generation?
Specialization: What is your main product/ activity, what are you best at?
Target group: Are your activities suitable for different kinds of target groups? Suitable for groups or rather individuals? Families? Is former experience needed, or suits your activity beginners as well? Do participants require a specific individual fitness level or is your activity suitable for everyone?
Requirements: Is there a need of driver's license, fishing license, etc. to participate in your activity?
Accessibility: How can your spot be reached? Is there a connection to public transport? Or do you offer transportation / pick-up service by yourself?
Season / availability: What is your operating season – year-round service or only at specific times per year? Drop-in possible or pre-booking required?
Service language: In which languages can you serve your guests? Definitely point out if your guides speak German
Tour guides: Where do they come from? How skilled and experienced are your guides? Are they qualified?
Sustainability: Is your company operating in a sustainable way? Are you part of a sustainability program or are you certified?

If you talk about a certain activity:

Duration: How long is a typical activity? Are there variations, how flexible are you upon request?
Participants: Min. and max. numbers – is it possible to book the activity for FITs?
Availability & location: Is there a fixed schedule, like weekly repetition. Or are times and location flexible?
Services included: Guide, equipment, meals?
Optional services: Which additional services can you offer for an extra fee? Something that would even enhance or extend the experience?

Restaurant

Background or story: Is there any story or background information worth to share? Was the building formerly used for other purposes? Is the restaurant a family business?
Offer: From breakfast to dinner? Buffet style or à la carte?
Availability: Open daily - even on weekends - or only on request? Drop-in possible or reservation required?
Specialty: Any dish the restaurant is famous for?
Origin of ingredients: Where do your ingredients come from? Do you use regional, seasonal, fair-trade, genetically unmodified products? From ecological, local farms? Or do you grow vegetables, collect ingredients from the nature yourself? Or do you personally know the farmer where your meat comes from? Tell the story.
Sustainability: Is your company otherwise operating in a sustainable way? Are you part of a sustainability program or are you certified
Language: In which language can guests be served? Is the menu available in English/ German?

Attraction

Target group: Who should visit your attraction? What are suitable target groups? Is it a family-oriented attraction or for people with cultural interest?
Availability: Open year-round or at specific times? Or only open/ accessible on request/ pre-booking?
Theme: Is there a specific theme, e.g. according to nature? Permanent or temporary highlights?
Guided tour: Are guided tours offered? In which language? For how many pax?
Language: Are there any sign posts or descriptions at the sight or are you offering a rental guide book or audio guide in selected languages?
Recommendations: Recommended time to visit, points of interest? Special events / local celebrations worth to join?
Entrance fee: Free of charge? Different pricing for groups?

Tips for discussion

After the virtual journey, there is time for a short discussion round. It might be advantageous to have the following answers ready:

Price: Net rates available? Or how much commission do you give? Do you differ between group and FIT rates? Are there seasonal differences? What is included in the price? Are there mandatory extra fees like final cleaning of the cottage or a supplement for breakfast?
Plan well enough in advance – tour operators are between half a year and a year ahead in planning.
Booking: Is there a minimum length of stay? Are you working with allotments or booking on request?
Product cards: Do you use product cards to describe your products or package tours to tour operators? Product cards can be sent to the participating tour operators after the virtual FAM trip. It is easier for the tour operator to understand what you are offering when it is described with all the necessary details that a tour operator needs.
Please notice: Although there still is a strong trust in Scandinavia as a travel destination among the tour operators on the DACH and Benelux markets, even after Corona there might be a higher need of information. So be prepared that there may occur some questions in this direction.

The virtual FAM trip place

Setup meeting: Before the actual virtual FAM trip, there will be a joint online meeting where you will receive an introduction to the features of the software. Together, we'll shortly go through the program, we guide you through the needed functions and answer all your questions.
Sound & audio check: Shortly before the tour operators join the virtual FAM trip place, we meet in the online "room" and test video and audio connection. We will have pre-loaded all material into the program beforehand.

During the virtual FAM trip

Just as on a real FAM trip, there should be someone guiding the group on the virtual tour from location to location. The idea is to have one guide mainly responsible and a supporting co-guide of more destinations are involved. All the material is prepared in advance and will just be played during the trip. If the material cannot be delivered in advance, the guiding will be live.

The roles of everyone involved

The destination representative: Attends the virtual FAM trip. The prepared material - introducing the region and partner companies - is played. Live guidance is also possible if the material cannot be prepared in advance.
Additional destination representatives: Attend the virtual FAM trip. Their prepared material - introducing the region and own partner companies - is played. Live guidance if the material cannot be prepared in advance.
Partner companies: Their products and services are presented by the prepared video material. If the video material does not exceed the total limit of 10 minutes, they also have the possibility for a short live talk after the video. In addition, they attend the virtual trip for discussions at the end of the tour.
Team NordicMarketing: Our team is always present as we act as a moderator between you and the tour operator, so you won't be alone. In the beginning, we welcome both you and the tour operators and start the virtual FAM Trip. We also support you if technical difficulties arise.

The execution

Short welcome: We begin with welcoming the participants and shortly introducing the program.
Play the video (+poss. live talk): Next, we take everyone on the virtual journey by just playing the prepared video material. If the schedule allows, there is the possibility for a short live talk per company after each video.
Discussion: In the end, there is time to have a discussion with the tour operators and answer any questions they might have.

Follow-up by NordicMarketing

Thank you mail to tour operators: Shortly after the virtual FAM trip, we send a mail to the tour operators thanking them for their participation.
We provide tour operators with your material: In a detailed follow-up we provide tour operators with all materials, the virtual FAM trip videos, contact information and any other material that you shared with us (e.g. package examples, rates, visual material).
We send an electronic feedback form to tour operators: In addition, we create and send an electronic survey to the tour operators who participated in the virtual FAM. The feedback focuses on the relevance and suitability of each virtually experienced product/ service for the particular target groups. We also ask for the business potential, resp. how probable products will be offered in future. We provide you with a PDF report including a summary and individual responses.

Follow-up by you - our recommendations

Don't wait but get in touch: It is very important to be active and contact the tour operators who participated in the virtual FAM trip, ideally within a week after the trip. Thank them for their participation, refer to the virtual FAM trip and ask if further information is needed.
Maintain and deepen your relationship: Although we equipped the tour operators with your material and contact details, it is up to you to follow up, maintain and deepen (the newly acquired) contacts. Identify the needs and find out whether you can provide any further information.

What is the goal of the virtual FAM trip?

The goal of the virtual FAM trip is to sell your destination, products and services by virtually bringing your offer close to the tour operators. Experiencing your products and services online helps tour operators to better decide on the suitability for their clients, gain product knowledge and sell them to their customers more effectively.

Which tour operators receive an invitation?

We invite key contacts in the DACH markets. In addition, tour operators who are relevant for your destination based on their product portfolio and specialization.

What is the duration of a virtual FAM trip?

Our virtual FAM trips can be conducted in two days, both with 3 sessions each with a duration of 45 minutes. Each session consists of a pre-filmed introduction of the regional contact persons, 3 company/ product movies and a live discussion round.

What is the time limit per company?

5-10 minutes per company. If you deliver ready-made material, please make sure to not exceed the 10 minutes. If you provide us with raw material, we'll cut it to max. 10 minutes. If your video is shorter than 10 minutes, you have the opportunity for a short live part.

How many tour operators will participate?

It is our aim to maintain the personal character of a FAM trip, even though it is taking part online. That is why we limit the total number of participants to 10 tour operators.
However, please note that the number of participants might vary between the modules, as not every tour operator might be likewise interested in all companies and products. If tour operators cannot join the actual virtual FAM trip due to their timetable, they will have the opportunity to stream material at a later time.

Will the video material be available to download?

Yes, the video material will be available for tour operators who missed the actual virtual FAM trip but are interested to still go on the virtual journey.

What kind of information about the participants is shared before the trip?

Tour operators who would like to join a virtual FAM trip need to fill out an online registration form. Amongst other details the form asks for basic contact information, regions, themes, activities and accommodation of interest as well as if they have been at the destination and sell the destination. We share this information prior to the virtual trip with you.

What kinds of (video) formats are allowed?

In general it will be no problem to use all common file formats like mp4, mov, mp3 (for audio files), pdf, jpg etc. It is also possible to use picture material, for example over a text you’re reading or with music.

Virtual FAM Trips

Introduction

A virtual journey through your destination

Online experiences for tour operators

The ideal scenario

"Done is better than perfect" - Be authentic, not stressed

Step 1: Preparation of video material

What you should present to the participants

Come up with something creative

Always keep in mind: authenticity is more important than perfection. For this reason, the following information should only be regarded as tips and suggestions – and not as instructions.

Example video

Step 2: Guideline on content preparation

What to tell the participants

Details about your products and services

Step 3: Shortly before and the actual virtual FAM trip

The virtual FAM trip place

During the virtual FAM trip

The roles of everyone involved

The execution

Step 4: After the virtual FAM trip

Follow-up by NordicMarketing

Follow-up by you - our recommendations

FAQs

Contact

NordicMarketing

Virtual FAM Trips

Introduction

A virtual journey through your destination

Online experiences for tour operators

The ideal scenario

"Done is better than perfect" - Be authentic, not stressed

Step 1: Preparation of video material

What you should present to the participants

Come up with something creative

Always keep in mind: authenticity is more important than perfection. For this reason, the following information should only be regarded as tips and suggestions – and not as instructions.

Example video

Step 2: Guideline on content preparation

What to tell the participants

Details about your products and services

Step 3: Shortly before and the actual virtual FAM trip

The virtual FAM trip place

During the virtual FAM trip

The roles of everyone involved

The execution

Step 4: After the virtual FAM trip

Follow-up by NordicMarketing

Follow-up by you - our recommendations

FAQs

Contact

NordicMarketing

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