Talking Tourism

Talking Tourism Episode 125 - Defining Your Hospitality Brand with Jennifer Vandekreeke

March 20, 2023 TICT Season 8 Episode 14
Talking Tourism
Talking Tourism Episode 125 - Defining Your Hospitality Brand with Jennifer Vandekreeke
Show Notes

Jennifer Vandekreeke is Executive General Manager – Customer at NRMA Expeditions. Originally from the US, Jennifer moved her young family to Australia in 2011 to launch the Carnival Cruise Line brand down under. In 2021, she left the cruise industry to pursue her true passion – wilderness travel – and joined the NRMA Expeditions team leading the charge on all things commercial. Jennifer brings with her over two decades of experience working with global tourism brands such as Club Med, Seabourn Cruises and the Biltmore Hotel in the US, Europe and South America.

In today's episode, Rachel Williams gleans the best of Jennifer's workshop presentation to the 2022 Tasmanian Tourism Conference, which led delegates through the art of defining their own hospitality brand. In her role with NRMA Expeditions, Jennifer knows a thing or two about creating exceptional guest experiences, and she shares with our listeners what makes them truly stand out, and how this looks across different markets.

Rachel and Jennifer also unpack the unique selling points that Tasmanian tourism operators can leverage to create the kinds of experiences that entice tourists our way instead of anywhere else, as well as how to define your offering in such a way that it's unique from any other in the market.

Jennifer also chats storytelling in the brand and marketing world, and how telling a story changes how you sell and how your market engages with your brand. Finally, she offers her advice on how operators can bring their brand positioning to life across their customer touchpoints, to reach the right customers and get the most bang for their buck. 

Today’s episode is brought to you by our partner, Knight Frank. Knight Frank knows property. With a proven track record established over 125 years, Knight Frank has the distinct advantage of taking a longer term approach and investing in their client relationships versus being driven by the bottom line. Thanks to Knight Frank for their generous support of TICT and for helping to make this episode of Talking Tourism possible.