Year end is a traditional time for taking stock—looking back on our achievements and challenges during the past year—and looking ahead at some of the trends that will undoubtedly shape our future.
2018 was a very good year at The Lou Hammond Group. The travel industry as a whole experienced another strong year, making a significant impact on the overall economy. Our firm continued to grow with new clients, new employees and, yes new challenges.
A highlight of the past year was the opening of our Houston office to expand our reach in the booming Texas/Southwest markets. We made our mark there with new clients and with some exciting projects for the Houston Space Center. As a fifth generation Texan, I was particularly proud to see The Lou Hammond Group take up residence in my home state.
Crisis communications was in the forefront in 2018. We were saddened by the many hardships people experienced as a result of wildfires, hurricanes, storms and other disasters. All of these occurrences were also major media events generating extensive local, national and even international coverage. I am proud to report that members of the LHG account team and crisis communications specialists jumped in immediately to assist our clients and proactively manage media coverage. In December 2017, the massive Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County burned approximately 281,893 acres, at the time becoming the largest wildfire in modern California history. Managing local, regional and national media coverage, our two-pronged approach was to provide critical updates on the current situation until the fires were completely contained; and we outlined a post-fire communication plan targeting major media outlets.
Before we could even implement the second phase, a mudslide devasted Montecito in Santa Barbara County. Again, our approach was to monitor media coverage and provide updates as events unfolded. In February, we worked to mitigate the long-term impact of the disaster, through targeted interviews and a media events in Los Angeles resulting in nearly 40 million total readership on the recovery effort.
Following a similar multi-phase approach, our team also helped manage messaging and media coverage for the Sonoma Wildfire Recovery and the Redding Wildfires in July 2018. Post-fire “open for business” messaging was targeted for media, website and social platforms helped Redding tourism experience a faster-than-expected recovery despite additional wildfires in the region.
The list goes on…Hurricane Michael that nearly devasted Panama City, FL…an alligator attack that killed a resident in the Sea Pines South Carolina community…a toxic Red Tide on Florida’s Paradise Coast. Lessons learned: be immediately available; be honest and responsive during the crisis; provide updates on post-crisis recovery; mitigate the long-term impact on business and tourism through proactive outreach to local, regional, national and social media.
Can you believe, hard for me but…Lou Hammond Group celebrated a significant milestone on December 1—the 35th Anniversary of the founding of our firm with three employees and three clients in a small office in mid-town Manhattan. A lot has changed since then, but our founding principles and ideals remain much the same. The revolution in technology and the digitization of communications may have changed the way we deliver messages. But the basics of good communications are the same as when the firm was started 35 years ago – tell a good story; provide valuable content; act with integrity and produce results.
Electronic communications are no doubt the wave of the future. But we still believe in building relationships and the value of face-to-face communications. A case in point was our very successful ‘Love on the Road’ media blitz for our client, the Virginia Department of Tourism. Eight tourism travel partners fanned out over a two-day period to conduct 20 desk-side interviews with top New York media representatives. In a follow-up survey, all of the travel partners were extremely satisfied with the tour and the results it produced. Our friends in the media were also very pleased with this technique – respecting their busy schedules, delivering a good story and building relationships for the future.
Bloggers and influencers will continue to play an important role in the communications mix. But we see a bigger emphasis on trust and authenticity. Micro-influencers may not have as big a following as famous celebrities and spokespersons, but they may have more ‘influence’ and credibility with the people you need to reach. In 2019, expect to see posting of more videos and podcasts that engage the target audience and start a conversation on social media platforms.
The forecast for 2019 is for another strong year for the travel industry. Perhaps the most encouraging trend we see is that people are craving a personalized travel experience. As one blogger aptly said, ‘gadgets will not replace humans in delivering a memorable travel experience.’
As we get ready to turn the page on the calendar to 2019, all of us at LHG want to wish you a very Happy Holiday season and a Joyous New Year.
And now see below for 35 fun LHG facts to celebrate our 35th Anniversary!
