In researching EyeforTravel’s flagship US event Julia Heighton identifies some emerging trends in travel distribution

Disruption in the travel industry is the new normal. Innovation means more choice for consumers and more competition for established players, which is driving consolidation in a big way.

We’ve seen the blurring of OTA and metasearch business models and the rise of peer-to-peer models. We’ve also seen to hotel chains snapping up industry peers, not to mention homestay innovators, and some, like Accor, have even created a new role to deal with disruption.

In this shifting, uncertain landscape it’s more important than ever to understand the underlying trends at play - to know where your firm could take a hit and how you can respond and, perhaps, even grow as a result. This cannot happen without healthy, well-defined relationships with all partners in the value chain.  

“Understanding which distribution partnerships are able to bring together consumer insight, clever analytics and valuable products in a heady combination will make you more useful, trusted and much more profitable,” says Tim Gunstone, Managing Director, EyeforTravel.

Having said that, it’s not always obvious which partners are best equipped to sell your product. Not only do distribution execs need to work harder than ever to identify the owners of profitable niche communities (think Trusted Housesitters or BrettApproved.com), they need to understand technology, consumer and pricing trends.

In preparation for EyeforTravel’s flagship event TDS N. America 2016 (Las Vegas, October 6-7) one of the key trends to emerge is the importance of customer experience and include:

• The product offering must genuinely enhance your customer’s experience and vice versa. In other words, if your product delivers a great experience that will also lead to positive reviews or other user –generated content and more sales, as a result.

• Innovations in technology enable you to partner quickly with new players, experiment safely and still provide a seamless and consistent experience

• At the same time, the right partners can furnish you with hard data to understand which channels are really working for you and which aren’t.

• With the rising cost of acquisition it’s more important than ever to understand the true value of each distribution partner

Certainly, one dominant theme to emerge from research is the importance of the ‘customer experience’ and an entire track has been dedicated solely to strategies that will engage and delight your customers. 

However, in a new 2016 Spotlight On track we look at some new and emerging areas where partnerships can also flourish. These include innovation in ground transportation (and no we’re not just talking about Uber), the rising opportunities in corporate travel, the changing role property management firms and how sporting events can inspire group travel (don't miss next week's piece where we speak to senior execs from FC Milan and San Diego Chargers).

In Las Vegas, 50+ speakers from the travel industry verticals of distribution, revenue management, marketing, mobile and analytics with gather to discuss and debate the trends that will define the coming year. 

Join us in Las Vegas (Oct 6-7) to hear more from speakers who include Dan Christian, Chief Digital Officer, The Travel Corporation, Bill Keen, VP Mobile & Guest Experience, IHG, Sangita  Woerner, VP Marketing, Alaska Airlines and Todd Henrich, SVP Corporate Development, Priceline