by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Industry Relations and VP, Ovation Global DMC Redemption on the Streets of Las Vegas 4am is around the time the big clean up starts. In Las Vegas it’s also the time I rise. The Strip goes into twilight mode as night time revelers gradually de-materialise leaving space for jet-lagged Irish and the cleaners…. Read more »
Posts Tagged: Social Media
Meetings and Events: How good are we at marketing ourselves?
by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Industry Relations, MCI Aisle or Window? I’m an aisle man through and through. Quick access to over-head lockers, fast track to the loo, it affords me the illusion of control in a place where, ultimately, I have zero control. For this trip I book very late and end up in a… Read more »
Building a Brand with Teddy Bears and Hugs: the Ovation Story
by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Ovation Global DMC and VP, Industry Relations, MCI How do you create demand? Previously on this blog I’ve stated that you need to know weird and wonderful people to be truly successful as a destination management company. DMC legends like Laurie Sprouse in Dallas/Fort Worth or Patrick Sullivan in NYC are… Read more »
Hybrid Events and the new event participant
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Industry Relations, MCI “It’s not who attends your event, it’s who participates” Sebastien Tondeur, CEO, MCI Samuel Johnson, or Dr Johnson as he was more commonly known, had a wonderful ability to summarise a universal truth in a single, simple sentence. His aphorisms are both sublime and ridiculous: “Integrity without… Read more »
Site EMEA Forum, Berlin – Where to Europe?
by Padraic Gilligan Berlin, Early Morning, 7am The room is already flooded in bright light when my alarm squalls into life at 7am. I think my vintage football shirt might be appropriate in Germany’s capital, now that Arsenal FC has signed Poldolski so I wear it for my morning march. I try to capture on… Read more »
Behind the Scenes at the IRF – what happened at the parties
by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Industry Relations, MCI and VP, Destination Services, Ovation Global DMC The Importance of Giving Back Weather around DFW and a runway incident at ORD prevented my attendance at the pre-event reception and dinner at the Hyatt Regency. I was in time, however, to have a night cap with my buddy Jonathan… Read more »
Memphis lives! Final tales from ADMEI
by Padraic Gilligan, VP, Industry Relations, MCI and VP, Ovation Global DMC A perfect job Many of us would like to be Kevin Kirby. Kevin has had a series of very fun jobs – Universal Studios, Disney and, for the past 6 years, Director of Global Sales for Hard Rock Café. He obviously understands the… Read more »
Memphis: Destination King
by Padraic Gilligan, Managing Partner, SoolElla “I’m going to Graceland” So, like millions before us, we headed to Graceland. For me it was like participating on the Santiago di Compostella Camino or visiting Our Lady’s Shine at Lourdes. Snatches of songs from U2 ( “… early morning April 4 shot rings out in the Memphis… Read more »
It’s all about the culture, Stupid! Further lessons from last week’s Social Media gaffes
by Padraic Gilligan, Vice President, Industry Relations, MCI My first round of golf for 2012 was somewhat marred yesterday by last week’s social media stories. I knew there was a connection between the McDonald’s, Trip Advisor and culture/strategy stories but I couldn’t figure it out. So I stood up on the tee box, gazed confidently… Read more »
Focus on fake reviews V Focus on what REALLY matters: More on Trip Advisor
Having posted on the extraordinary inclusion of 3 Irish hotels on the Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Top 25 Hotels in the World I was obviously intrigued by Conor Pope’s story which appeared on the front page of Monday’s Irish Times (30 January). Apparently Pope had sight of internal correspondence authored by Jean O’Connell, Director of… Read more »