First Hand Experience v's Internet Research

The internet is useful – very useful! Gone are the bad old days of PA’s sitting in libraries researching information on many and varied topics only to be thrown out at closing time or, even worse, realising that the book they need is not for loan and the photocopier had broken down; a nightmare for all concerned.

Oh yes, the internet is very useful ... but can anything ever take the place of firsthand experience? It seems that in one area at least the answer is possibly not. Recently a friend of ours decided to go to Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt. They had heard a lot about the place; how cost effective it was, how the weather was always good and how relaxed it was whilst still being strategically positioned so that you could go out and experience the culture of the area if you wanted to.

They were sold and so off they went and indeed a good holiday was had. However, afterwards they said that their first impressions were not so good. As they transferred from the airport to their hotel they travelled down a main through road on which just about every possible hotel chain had a property. There are over 200 hotels in Sharm el Sheikh and its immediate surrounding area and first impressions can be of a sprawling mass of hotels, restaurants, shops (both high end and not so high end), British bars etc. If you are a tired traveller then you could, very easily, be put off.

“What happened once you arrived at your hotel?” we asked. Our friends had stayed at a three star property and so weren’t expecting The Ritz. The service wasn’t bad and the people were friendly they reported.

“Did you go out to see the sites?” we asked. Our friends said no. After a bit of a false start regarding a planned visit to Petra by plane, they were told that a road and boat option was all that was available, meaning that they would have to get up at 3am in the morning and would probably not get back to the hotel until about 10pm that same day (or is that night?).

“The weather; was that good?” we asked. It was they reported. Though not as warm as you might think ... but then it was December.

“And value for money?” Not bad at all. Outside of the hotel it was very reasonable but in the hotel – well – they know how to charge though not nearly as much as back in the UK of course.

Now this was a private holiday and not a group incentive trip or conference. The fact remains though that the internet can paint a brilliant picture, whether that is of Sharm el Sheikh or just about any destination in the world for that matter. So what tips for a corporate organiser? Should you discount the internet entirely?

No of course not. The internet is great for background research and to get a sense of a place and the opportunities it provides. The key, however, is to know your group, know your client and to know your proposed destination(s) personally and not by having just Googled them.

Sharm el Sheikh has been recommended by The Phoenix Partners for both midsized conferences and incentive travel groups, but you have to know your properties, your areas and how to communicate both its strengths and potential issues openly so that your client can make an informed decision. That decision then needs to be followed up with a detailed recce where your client can experience the country, properties, activity options and restaurants for themselves. In other words – you must ensure that your client tries before they buy.

In the end experience and not the internet should be your guide and that experience is well worth paying for.