- Mobile Thinking Days is the first forum to analyse how the digital transformation will shape tourism and its competitiveness in the coming years
- The sector's major challenges include enriching information capture, generating unique user experiences, and increasing the average visitor's spending
Barcelona, 13 May 2015. - Mobile World Capital Barcelona, the IESE Business School and RocaSalvatella present the conclusions of Mobile Thinking Days, the first forum for analysis of digital transformation in the tourism sector. The event wraps up its first edition after four days during which 30 sector specialists analysed the challenges facing the tourism sector in Barcelona and the business opportunities that mobile technologies can offer it.
This groundbreaking programme, which also benefitted from collaboration with Turisme de Barcelona, addressed issues vital to the sector like the empowerment of the tourist through mobile solutions, the management of Big Data, and the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) in tourism settings.
Forging Barcelona into a “smart destination”
The future of tourism in Barcelona hinges on the adoption of mobile solutions to offer unique and customised tourism experiences. The city must reinforce efforts that are already underway, such as augmented reality in museums and mobile experiences at leisure sites and establishments. The experts who gathered for the Mobile Thinking Days underscored the need to comprehensively digitalise the sector, from management to customer service, in order to adopt the same logic and language as the connected tourist.
This new type of traveller, empowered by technology and more demanding, alters the current tourism paradigm. Today's tourists demand comprehensive options throughout the process - before, during and after their stay - based on their preferences, current location and time.
In order to satisfy these needs tourism industry agents (dining, services, etc.) and public administrations must reassess current dynamics, business models and monetization practices.
Firstly, Barcelona's tourism sector must incorporate technology into its business management. The digital transformation of tourism calls for more than the incorporation of gadgets and requires a change in the business culture of the organisations making up this new digital mentality.
Secondly, the sector must implement the collection and processing of tourists’ information so as to offer them more customised attention and services. This will make it possible to offer visitors unique experiences that expose them to all of Barcelona's tourism offerings, strengthening the city's positioning as a leading tourism destination.
Finally, the new dynamics in the relationships between companies, clients and tourism offerings will shape the sector's routines and operations. The appearance of tourism metasearch engines, along with apps and social networks furnishing travellers with any information they request, means that companies must provide constant and immediate answers.
A specialised programme
The Mobile Thinking Days' (16, 17 and 26 February and 2 March 2015) four working sessions brought together 30 professionals specialised in innovation, technology, strategy, e-business and marketing from leisure, dining, entertainment, culture, infrastructure and commerce companies.
Oscar Pallarols, director of the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Smart Living Programme; Javier Zamora, professor at IESE Business School and academic director of Mobile Thinking Days; Sandra Sieber and Josep Valor, professors of Information Systems at IESE; Genís Roca, partner and president of RocaSalvatella; Marc Cortés, partner and general manager of RocaSalvatella; Nuria Oliver, scientific director of Telefónica R&D, and Javier Creus, founder of Ideas for Change, are some of the speakers who participated in the programme.
Mobile World Capital Barcelona
Changing together
Mobile World Capital presents a global vision aimed at expanding the use of mobile technologies that transform our lives. It is committed to spreading the mobile experience throughout Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain with strong support of the public and private sector.
Mobile World Capital is leading the mobile transformation with programme commitments in:
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation programmes: Foster and promote local mobile initiatives through a network of local and international agents.
- mSchools, mHealth: Embrace mobile technology as an opportunity for change.
- Smart Living: Support the development of mobile services for Commerce, Tourism, Transport and Mobile Identity.
IESE Business School
IESE, the University of Navarre's business school, is one of the world's most international institutions of its kind, with campuses in Barcelona, Madrid, New York, Munich and São Paulo. It has been a pioneer in educating Europe's executives ever since it was founded in Barcelona in 1958. IESE aims to develop leaders with solid business knowledge, a global vision, and the desire to have a positive impact on society.
The school is characterized by its dedication to general management, its extensive use of the case method, its international scope, and its constant placement of people at the centre of all business decision-making. With an international perspective that values innovation, the IESE currently offers programs on four continents. The IESE stands at No. 2 of the world in executive education, according to the latest Executive Education ranking published by the Financial Times.
RocaSalvatella
RocaSalvatella is a consultancy specialized in the digital transformation of businesses. With offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Bogotá, it provides its services to major companies in multiple industries, helping their executives to face the challenges entailed by digitalisation, to detect opportunities, understand organisations and their cultures, and to organise their activity and orient it towards measurable results. Founded in 2008 by Genís Roca and Josep Salvatella, and headed up by Marc Cortés as its general manager, RocaSalvatella has witnessed constant growth allowing it to multiply its turnover and staff eight-fold in just five years.
The RocaSalvatella Group is made up of a team of professionals with a wealth of experience in the execution of digital projects, backgrounds at major organisations, and careers in executive positions featuring serious responsibilities. Their profiles encompass humanist, technical, economic and business educations received in different countries, and they are known and respected on the Web, with advanced relational capillarity in multiple sectors. Professors at a range of universities and business schools, they are regularly asked to appear in the mass media and as speakers at different events.
For further information:
Tatiana Viladomat – Mobile World Capital Barcelona
tviladomat@mobileworldcapital.com
+34 663 700 314
Adriana Ribas - Román y Asociados
a.ribas@romanyasociados.es
+34 93 414 23 40/ +34 646 23 93 26
Ana Sesé / Clara Castillejo
sese@iese.edu / ccastillejo@iese.edu
+34 93 253 64 29 / +34 607 214 499
Anna Miracle Fandos / Maria Altimira
anna@rocasalvatella.com / maltimira@rocasalvatella.com
+34 93 544 24 02 / +34 608836686