STN Inspire: a groundbreaking event that sets a precedent
Events 10/06/2024
When Smart Travel News informed us that they were entering the exciting world of events, we sensed that something big was coming. When we saw that Smart Travel News Inspire, the flagship of the series of meetings they had designed, would be held at the iconic Méndez Álvaro cinemas in Madrid, we knew it would be a different event from anything we had known before. As we started receiving the first communications, our suspicions began to be confirmed. And after attending and participating in it, we can say without a doubt that this media outlet has set a delicate precedent. From now on, surprising the audience will be even more challenging than it already was. The question that arises is whether they themselves will be able to surpass it next year.
It is clear that you can't please everyone and that perhaps not everyone will identify with this event format, but the laughter and smiling faces spoke for themselves. Popcorn replaced canapés, comedy replaced sobriety, theater seats replaced chairs, and the big screen replaced the classic projector.
The setting itself was already a statement of intent and, with Juanda Núñez behind (and in front of) the cameras, it was clear that anything could happen. And it did. In fact, everything happened. Dubbing scenes from movies like Batman or The Exorcist, in the purest style of El Informal, songs created with artificial intelligence, The Revenue Managers Band doing humorous covers of iconic songs like Europe's The Final Countdown and Rammstein's Du Hast, and a wonderful cast of speakers who had seen the writing on the wall and attended the event convinced that offering "more of the same" would not be enough or appropriate that day.
If it usually doesn’t take much for Daniel Romero, our Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, to make the presentations his own, on this occasion, with more reasons than ever, there was no doubt that he would pick up the challenge thrown by the organization and strive to live up to the circumstances. And the title of his presentation, The hotel is always the protagonist, already hinted at the direction it would take.
The seventh art was the thread of a speech in which, to explain the evolution of the hotel technology ecosystem and the role of its main players over the last decade, he recounted how the "Paraty Tech movie" was conceived, filmed, and produced. Jokes and football references, and jokes had their place. He even dared to share, via QR code, the recipe for the meatballs of Gina Matheis's mother, the company’s CEO. He also shared a free loyalty audit, all in good faith...
All this to ultimately convey three key ideas:
Everyone left the room, never better said, convinced that they had experienced something groundbreaking, innovative, original, different, even bewildering. Impressions that, however, did not conflict with the feeling of having learned something or at least refreshed topics that are worth keeping in mind: the power of brands, what artificial intelligence holds for us, the importance of data, the impact of food waste on the bottom line and our lives, the benefits of connectivity via open API, personal growth and the limits we set for ourselves, or the imperative need to stay up-to-date in one of the most dynamic and ever-changing sectors there is.
The perfect balance between "adding value and saying nonsense," as Daniel referred to during his fifteen minutes of fame. Thanks to Juanda, Laura, and all the Joseluises at Smart Travel News.
It is clear that you can't please everyone and that perhaps not everyone will identify with this event format, but the laughter and smiling faces spoke for themselves. Popcorn replaced canapés, comedy replaced sobriety, theater seats replaced chairs, and the big screen replaced the classic projector.
The setting itself was already a statement of intent and, with Juanda Núñez behind (and in front of) the cameras, it was clear that anything could happen. And it did. In fact, everything happened. Dubbing scenes from movies like Batman or The Exorcist, in the purest style of El Informal, songs created with artificial intelligence, The Revenue Managers Band doing humorous covers of iconic songs like Europe's The Final Countdown and Rammstein's Du Hast, and a wonderful cast of speakers who had seen the writing on the wall and attended the event convinced that offering "more of the same" would not be enough or appropriate that day.
The hotel is always the protagonist: an ad-hoc intervention
If it usually doesn’t take much for Daniel Romero, our Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, to make the presentations his own, on this occasion, with more reasons than ever, there was no doubt that he would pick up the challenge thrown by the organization and strive to live up to the circumstances. And the title of his presentation, The hotel is always the protagonist, already hinted at the direction it would take.
The seventh art was the thread of a speech in which, to explain the evolution of the hotel technology ecosystem and the role of its main players over the last decade, he recounted how the "Paraty Tech movie" was conceived, filmed, and produced. Jokes and football references, and jokes had their place. He even dared to share, via QR code, the recipe for the meatballs of Gina Matheis's mother, the company’s CEO. He also shared a free loyalty audit, all in good faith...
All this to ultimately convey three key ideas:
- Every creation, whether artistic, cultural, or technological, ultimately owes itself to its audience, its public, in our case, the hotels.
- Today we face an extremely mature audience, digitally speaking, more demanding, educated, and informed than ever, which has also witnessed a democratization of technology and has the best resources at its disposal to do its job.
- The multiple plot twists this movie has experienced and the constant changes in the actors' roles directly respond to the needs and demands of the one who always was, is, and will continue to be the true protagonist: the hotel.
Conclusions: with Juanda, to infinity and beyond
Everyone left the room, never better said, convinced that they had experienced something groundbreaking, innovative, original, different, even bewildering. Impressions that, however, did not conflict with the feeling of having learned something or at least refreshed topics that are worth keeping in mind: the power of brands, what artificial intelligence holds for us, the importance of data, the impact of food waste on the bottom line and our lives, the benefits of connectivity via open API, personal growth and the limits we set for ourselves, or the imperative need to stay up-to-date in one of the most dynamic and ever-changing sectors there is.
The perfect balance between "adding value and saying nonsense," as Daniel referred to during his fifteen minutes of fame. Thanks to Juanda, Laura, and all the Joseluises at Smart Travel News.
