Tech
Internationally renowned light and interactive sculptor Jen Lewin’s most famous work is The Pool, a giant installation of interactive circular pods that produce colored light when stepped (or jumped, or danced) on. The project, like many of Lewin’s others, uses tech to create an artistic and interpersonal experience. The TEDx alum has studios in Boulder, CO, and New York, NY. Read more “Jen Lewin Discusses Art & Technology”
Science
*EDITOR*
When Michio Kaku was in fourth grade, he happened upon a riddle.
Not one of the monumental queries that would consume his later life. No, this one was simple. Leafing through a pamphlet, a young Kaku saw the question, “What do physicists and baseball players have in common?” Curious, he turned the page to read the answer: “They both get paid to do what they love.”
Now globally renowned, Dr. Michio Kaku is one of the great popular scientists of our age. A co-founder of string theory, this theoretical physicist has a flair for engaging the masses with education – with appearances in numerous television shows and viral videos. Not to mention, he’s a three-time New York Times #1 bestselling author. Read more “Michio Kaku is at Home in the Future”
movies
Innovation & Tech Today sat down with Dr. Andrew Knoll, the Fisher Professor of Natural History at Harvard University, to discuss his collaboration with legendary film director Terrence Malick. He is the scientific advisor for the new Malick film, Voyage of Time. Read more “Terrence Malick’s New Film: Voyage of Time”
Food
Tech
For the first time, a successful, Federal Aviation Administration approved, drone delivery in an urban environment has taken place and it’s causing a stir across the technology world. The most interesting development may be that a smaller company took on Goliaths like Amazon, Google, and Wal-Mart, and beat them.
Drones delivering consumer goods has been envisioned for awhile, but it has remained an elusive goal. Until now. A young company called Flirtey, led by CEO Matt Sweeny, has successfully achieved drone delivery of a consumer product. This may change how goods are transported for the foreseeable future. Nevada Governor, Brian Sandoval praised the company, “on successfully completing the nation’s first fully autonomous urban package delivery. I am thrilled that Flirtey is not only testing its cutting-edge technology in Nevada but also creating jobs through its headquarters relocation to Reno.”
Science
A Russian researcher recently pulled off one of the largest ever heists. But she wasn’t stealing diamonds or priceless art; rather she stole academic knowledge and gave it away free to every person in the world. Read more “An Academic Robin Hood”
Tech
It’s clear that Cleveland has transformed in the last decade, in ways that have fundamentally changed the city. Before reading this section, you may have thought of the city as another in a long line of rust belt cities, whose better days are behind them. However, once you abandon some of these preconceived notions you begin to see that Cleveland is not only surviving but also thriving. Especially in the medical field, the city is producing an environment that is second to none in terms of advancements and innovations. Read more “The Heart of the City”
VR
The arrival of virtual reality headsets in 2016 has defined much of the year in gaming. Toward the beginning of the year we previewed the rise of these powerful and fascinating new tools for entertainment, warning you all that the headsets were coming. Now, several months later, they’re here in all their glory. From Google Cardboard to the PlayStation VR, there’s a large and dynamic range of equipment that can allow you to hop right out of this world and into a virtual one. Read more “3 Trends To Watch For In VR Gaming”
Travel
Do you work with your local destination marketing organization (DMO)? If the answer to that question is no or ‘what is a DMO’, you are missing out on one of the most valuable resources to grow your business.DMO is an organization, typically affiliated with a local government, whose mission is to attract leisure and business travelers and promote the destination. This can be a visitors bureau or a tourism board and they work to help local businesses reach these potential customers.
Read more “10 Reasons You Should Know Your DMO”
Travel
Hachez, a German chocolate company, wanted to start to a museum called CHOCOVERSUM in Hamburg dedicated to their products. They figured it would be pretty easy. Everyone loves chocolate, and the company knew their product so it would be as simple as opening the doors and people showing up, right? As any attraction can tell you, just because you build it doesn’t mean they will come. Unfortunately, in 2011 after one year in operation, fewer than 50,000 people per year were visiting the CHOCOVERSUM.
Read more “How One Private Museum Grew Its Visitor Count 400%”
Travel
The world’s biggest accommodation site has set its sights on our sector. In this interview, VP of Experiences Ram Papatla discusses Booking.com’s plans for tours, activities, and attractions. While it’s still early days for the brand in tours and activities, their incredible size in hotels and accommodations around the world means they are one company we should all watch.
Read more “Booking’s Big Plans”
Travel
The sector of online booking for attractions and events is heating up. This week saw two companies that provide online booking and distribution raise significant investment. Tiqets, a Netherlands-based online ticketing reseller for attractions, raised $23 million in funding. This brings their total investment of outside capital since their launch to $45 million. Earlier in the week London-based Festicket, a portal and booking platform focused on music festivals, secured $10.5 million in series D funding.
Read more “Two Online Ticketing Platforms Land Funding”
Travel
2018 has been a wild year for the in-destination industry. We’ve seen mergers, acquisitions, new startups, and companies fold, along with large amounts of money being raised, particularly in the booking tech space. As we spend time with our families during the holidays, it’s worth taking stock of these changes. More importantly, it’s also the time to look towards the future. In this video, one of online travel’s first visionaries Erik Blachford, a venture investor and the former CEO of Expedia, shares his take on the future of our amazing industry. If you think you’ve heard all the predictions, a few of these might surprise you.
Read more “Five Big Predictions for Tours, Activities & Attractions”
Travel
It’s the biggest outbound travel market – and growing like crazy. Here’s what you need to know to reach this audience, from one of Asia’s leading sellers of Tours, Activities & Attractions: Eric Gnock Fah, co-founder & COO, Klook.
Read more “Understanding Asian Travelers”
Travel
GetYourGuide is reshaping the dynamic between operators and online travel agencies (OTAs) with its new branded tour experiences, called Originals. In this engaging talk Tao Tao, Co-founder & COO at GetYourGuide explains the role of branding in tours and activities and the launch of their branded tours initiative and raises key questions about branding that every operator must try to answer for themselves.
Read more “Redefining Branding in an Online World”
Travel
With Instagram and other social media outlets, customers are looking to share their lives and adventures, especially when they’re on vacation. An amazing activity or tour can be the highlight of an entire trip, but an experience that is just ok will rarely be mentioned. Are you doing enough to make your business stand out?
Read more “Is Your Tour Memorable? Turn Your Customers Into Cheerleaders”
Travel
One of the biggest debates in our industry this year has been over the acquisitions of reservation tech companies Bokun and FareHarbor by online travel agencies (OTAs) TripAdvisor and Booking.com, respectively. But for other OTAs, could there be an advantage to sitting out of the acquisition frenzy? Expedia Local Expert Vice President Jen O’Twomney thinks so. Speaking at Arival in Las Vegas with Arival COO and co-founder Bruce Rosard, she noted that as consolidation has transformed the industry, Expedia has been positioned as a truly independent voice. In this wide-ranging interview, O’Twomney touches on a variety of issues related to Expedia and the future of the industry in general.
Read more “Expedia on the Benefits of Tech Neutrality”
Travel
Humor can be one of the great tools to help sell your products to consumers. DJ O’Neil, CEO and creative director of Hub Strategy, has made a career out helping companies sell their products by making people laugh. He’s the brains behind advertising campaigns for SlingBox, Dropcam, the Oakland A’s, as well as big brands in tourism, such as Viator and the National Aquarium.
Read more “Using Humor to Sell Stuff”
Travel
Pricing can be one of the most difficult decisions a company can make. There are many issues to consider: your costs, competitors, seasonality, discounting, and what your customers would be willing to pay, among many others. There’s no silver bullet to find the perfect price point, but if you are adaptable and committed to providing great service, customers will usually be willing to pay that price.
Read more “How Much Is Your Experience Worth?”