19 September 2011
South African Tourism’s innovative Touch Table shines at the Loeries
South African Tourism's innovative Touch Table at INDABA 2011
© Darling Lama Productions
The Touch Table is a truly pioneering marketing tool, exploiting the move to digital and social media - both among global travel trade professionals and consumers. - William Price, Global E-Marketing Manager at South African Tourism.
SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM’s Touch Table, a world first in interactive travel and tourism trade communication, has won two Awards at the 33rd annual Loerie Awards - a Silver Loerie in the category of ‘Internet, Mobile and Interactive Communication: Applications and Interactive Tools’ and a Loerie Craft Certificate in the category of ‘Internet, Mobile and Interactive Communication: Digital Crafts’.
The Touch Table offers eight interactive hubs, allowing eight people to use it simultaneously. Using touch screen technology, users are able to search the National Tourism Database, browse numerous leisure experiences offered in South Africa, search the destination by province, send email and digital postcards from the table; and review the larger South African Tourism global advertising and marketing campaign and its elements in full high definition.
The Loeries recognition comes amidst a string of recent South African Tourism awards and accolades. Last week, SA Tourism’s ‘Adventurers Wanted’ campaign (in collaboration with National Geographic) won a Media & Marketing (M&M) Award for Global Media Excellence, while the World Travel Awards (WTA) last week in Egypt named South African Tourism Africa’s best destination marketing body, an award South African Tourism also won in 2010, 2009 and 2008.
“We are delighted that our peers in both travel and in advertising and marketing recognise our work,” says William Price, Global E-Marketing Manager at South African Tourism.
“The Touch Table is a truly pioneering marketing tool, exploiting the move to digital and social media - both among global travel trade professionals and consumers. It makes it possible for us to take destination information to people in the way they are accustomed to searching for it, and in a simple format. More importantly, it provides the global travel trade with the information, resources and networking tools to effectively sell our destination,” added Price.
The Touch Table was launched at the annual travel and tourism INDABA in Durban in May 2011, and was an instant hit with the global travel trade, and with the South African tourism product too.
“The technology and ease of use of the Touch Table makes a great first impression and users find it a really useful and accessible source of destination information. The beauty of a digital platform such as this is that the content is always relevant and up to date. It becomes a personal tool for users.
“Because it’s digital, we are able to ensure that content is specific and useful no matter where in the world we take it,” Price said from Paris, where the Touch Table is currently on display at the Top Resa trade exhibition in France. “The Touch Table debuted at INDABA this year with global content. And at Top Resa in Paris we have added France-specific content to the global content to suit the information needs of that market. When it leaves Paris, it goes to the World Travel Market in London, where the content will be adjusted again to give it a strong UK-campaign influence. The Touch Table is very easy to pack up and ship, making it exceptionally portable, and increasing its easy use all over the world. It’s a great destination marketing tool,” says Price.
The Touch Table was a Gloo Digital Design entrant into the 2011 Loerie Awards and the Pixel Project was an integral partner in its development.Ends
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