WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 7, 2020) — Today, Brand USA, the destination marketing organization for the United States, announces the launch of Brand USA Global Marketplace—a one-stop shop for U.S. travel partners and international audiences to interact. Brand USA Global Marketplace is a custom-built, always-on, virtual platform that provides access to a diverse range of U.S. destinations, attractions, and points of interest for the international travel industry. A reimagined version of traditional trade shows and industry events, the digital platform solves the need for the U.S. travel community to engage with the global tourism industry while international travel is limited due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Christopher L. Thompson, president and CEO of Brand USA, says, “We are thrilled to launch Brand USA Global Marketplace in 2020. This is a ground-breaking digital platform that will enable U.S. partners and international audiences to foster meaningful business relationships and critical connections, at a time when it is needed most. Together, we’re building the future of U.S. tourism.”

The platform will further Brand USA’s efforts to invigorate U.S. tourism as the world recovers. By hosting ongoing networking opportunities, enrichment sessions, and large-scale events across multiple time zones, Brand USA Global Marketplace encourages the international travel community to engage with U.S. destinations on an ongoing basis. Approximately 150 U.S. partners—ranging from destinations, regional marketing organizations, transportation services, attractions, hotels and hotel groups, to receptive tour operators—are expected to join the platform. The high-caliber of U.S. partners will attract key international audiences who are interested in the U.S. and its diverse destinations, products, and services.

Tom Garzilli, chief marketing officer of Brand USA, adds, “Our industry is resilient, and when it is safe to do so, the world will travel to the United States again. In the meantime, Brand USA Global Marketplace will inform and support our partners and keep the U.S. top-of-mind among trade, media, and consumers. Brand USA Global Marketplace will ensure a ‘quick start’ back into global markets as soon as it is viable, stimulating active consideration and future travel bookings. We are all determined to welcome the world back to the United States when the time is right.”

Featuring five portals—each designed for virtual exploration of the 50 states, five territories, and District of Columbia—Brand USA Global Marketplace provides registered users with travel itineraries, destination marketing collateral, and insights from industry experts. The Main Stage serves as a place for educational seminars, while the USA Partner Pavilions—featuring geographically-driven partner Pods representing the entirety of the U.S.—and Buyer Pavilion will facilitate one-to-one meetings. In the Networking Lounge, participants will have the opportunity to engage outside of scheduled sessions. Video On-Demand allows for self-guided discovery with three screens showing a variety of travel entertainment, educational, and featured programming. To simulate the relational exchanges that occur at industry events, registered users will also have access to a Virtual Briefcase and Business Card Jar, among other networking tools.

The second edition of Brand USA Travel Week Europe will be the first event to take place on Brand USA Global Marketplace. Connecting Europe with the U.S. travel industry, the four-day initiative (October 26-29, 2020) will offer U.S. partners and European buyers the opportunity to schedule one-to-one appointments, and attend enrichment sessions that provide marketing insight from thought leaders in the industry. Additional information about Brand USA Travel Week Europe 2020 will be released in mid-October 2020, followed by announcements for events tailored for Canadian, Mexican, and Australian audiences in Winter 2021.

Registration and programming details for the platform are available at TheBrandUSA.com/Brand-USA-Global-Marketplace.

https://www.travelpulse.com/news/travel-technology/brand-usa-launches-global-marketplace-virtual-platform.html

Brand USA Launches ‘Global Marketplace’ Virtual Platform

The game-changing, custom-built digital platform Brand USA Global Marketplaceopened its doors today with an opening discussion led by Brand USA CEO and President Christopher L. Thompson.

He was joined by three key industry leaders, also members of the organization’s board of directors, who shared their thoughts on the challenges the industry faces, opportunities presented by those challenges, and insights on recovery and what travel may look like in the future.

A reimagined version of a traditional trade show, the Global Marketplace (accessible 24/7, 365) solves the conundrum of the U.S. travel community’s need to engage with its international tourism counterparts while global travel remains restricted, due to the impact of COVID-19. Marketplace virtual events will include one-to-one meetings, networking sessions and enrichment series—all of which will work to foster marketing insights and facilitate connections between tourism industry leaders like CEOs, category specialists and major media.

The first event to launch on the new platform will be the four-day Brand USA Travel Week Europe, which will connect over 150 buyers from around Europe with roughly 115 exhibitors, ranging from destinations and regional marketing organizations to transportation services, receptive tour operators, major hotels and attractions.

Of the new Brand USA Global Marketplace, Thompson said: “The legacy of this platform is going to be that it will outlive the pandemic, and it’s going to provide resource and value to the relationships that we’ve had for decades way beyond what we can do in any face-to-face opportunity in a designated period of time.”

The Role of Technology

From among the myriad of adaptations that have had to be made in the way the world conducts business, the guest speakers were asked which of these they thought might become permanently integrated beyond the pandemic.

“People are learning new ways to use technology and becoming increasingly adept at doing so, and the use of the technology is becoming increasingly refined…and I think that that continued refinement is going to continue to progress,” remarked Tom O’Toole, Executive Education & Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. “People on both sides of the screen, so to speak, are becoming more comfortable with the use of technology.” He affirmed, “There are very real new ways to create value that people are appreciating.”

Alice Norsworthy, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Universal Parks & Resorts agreed: “Development of digital products had been ongoing, it just got very much accelerated over the last six months…but I think the technology piece is here to stay.”

Still, as O’Toole astutely observed, “At the same time, it’s not the all-purpose panacea and solution to all personal interaction, and there are some things that technology just can’t substitute for, and [we’re] getting a more nuanced and mature understanding of where technology fits in.”

Speaking to those types of in-person experiences that still available amid the pandemic, Norsworthy reported that, while attendance at Universal theme parks is currently down due to capacity limitations, “The guest satisfaction scores are at record highs. And so, as is typical in past downturns, we know that the road back will be bumpy, but the good news is that we do have a lot to look forward to.” She affirmed, “We also know that, over time, what we offer—a way to escape the daily grind, let loose and have a meaningful connection with the people you care about most—is more relevant than ever and will continue to be relevant.”

The Future of Travel

Asked to share their personal predictions as to the future outlook for and trajectory of the travel industry, the speakers’ opinions were fairly unified in their optimism.

O’Toole, who tracks the various sets of demand statistics measured among consumers said: “What is most heartening to me is that the aggregate demand, express demand and latent demand remains strong, which I think evidences that the fundamental human imperative to travel and go see places remains undiminished.”

“Within the domestic and the drive market during the summer months, we were able to see increases,” said Kyle Edmiston, President & CEO of the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau. “I believe that speaks to consumer confidence and what the traveler is looking for and wanting to experience. I think, as you look out over the next 12 to 24 months, you’ll start to see that in the international inbound, as well.”

He continued: “The demand for visiting the United States, the demand for visiting our destinations is, I believe, as high as ever; and, as that confidence in the travel itself, and the safety of the travel and the destination is expressed, and we hit those gating criteria, I think we will start to see the rebound.”

For more information, visit thebrandusa.com/brand-usa-global-marketplace.