Produce Impactful Client Experiences

Lift your brand to create memorable client connections.

Today’s society has more choices than any other generation has ever experienced. Technology has provided us with many options that cover all aspects of life.

Just as we have seen the number of event rights holders grow, so too are a destination or facility’s options when considering their solicitation efforts. Therefore, clients and customers have become increasingly savvy by researching organizations that provide needed products and services and have a reputation of trust.

Even though innovation can drive impressions and revenue, more is needed to set yourself apart from your competitors. Nothing could be more accurate when factoring in decision-making characteristics by generation type. When it comes to younger generations, developing trust and integrity are the approaches to take, thus making sure your organization will rise to the top.

Below are a few ways in which you can focus on just that and produce impactful experiences for your clients.

1. Suggest Custom Experiences

A very effective method to develop trust with your clients is to suggest custom experiences. Doing so will increase the value of your product offerings and fast-track your relationship-building simply by showcasing that you listened to their interests and passions.

Whether you bring in a client for a site visit and extend their stay by a night or two after hearing how much they need a few days for rest and relaxation after running hard for a stretch. You can book a bucket list golf course for a client that has a passion for the sport and has always wanted to experience highend golf. Offering personalized experiences can drive growth for any sports tourism effort, no matter which side of the fence they play on.

There are many methods to create custom experiences, but the easiest is to be as flexible as possible. No matter what, if every one of your agreements follows the same offerings, your clients will not feel listened to. Focus on customized experiences, and loyalty will follow.

2. Select a Niche Above Scale

Choosing a niche over scale can help establish a visible model for what you are striving to accomplish. When concentrating on a niche, your team will become subject matter experts quicker, translating to increased collaboration, innovation, and efficiency. Many sports tourism professionals miss this mark, though easily avoidable because they are too focused on being everything to everyone.

Visit Tallahassee prioritized a niche opportunity years ago by catering to the sport-specific needs of cross country. By focusing on a niche segment within the sports tourism industry, they could better understand their clients, the sport, and their greater audience… cross-country and endurance athletes.

By doing so, you will also attain the common language and terms of your clients, which results in attracting and retaining their business. This has led to Visit Tallahassee being awarded every major cross-country championship they have ever bid on.

In 2021, they hired The Collective BEST to help write their bid to host the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships.

Their hosting and sports-specific knowledge led to being awarded the World Championships, which will take place in the United States for the first time ever.

Determine your organization’s strengths to narrow the scope. Answer the question… What audience or sport has the most to gain from your strengths? Then focus on that and prioritize its development for you and your team. This will allow your organization to offer a better solution to your clients, resulting in your organization becoming the go-to solution. Create the niche, build the expertise, and focus on your organizational strengths before concentrating on scale, not the opposite.

3. Strive for Authenticity

Many organizations try to adapt to the latest trends and fail miserably, creating more problems than they started. An absence of authenticity can be challenging. Whether it is with family, friends, clients, or even brands, authenticity is appreciated by all. Prioritizing authenticity in everything you do will pay off, as people believe what you say when you are true to yourself and others.

To truly be authentic, you must know who you are. Ask yourself questions: Is your organization serious and professional, or is it playful or all-encompassing? Do your actions portray your company values? What is your mission?

Once you classify your brand’s voice, it’s crucial to deliver messaging consistent with that voice across all channels and platforms. Your clients will detect if you are not being authentic, and if you are, they will remember you for all the wrong reasons.