Josh Collins has a background grounded in live entertainment and experience design. He helps brands develop better rhythms of connecting with their audiences both online and off. After 15 years of traveling the world with brands like Stevie Wonder, The Roots, John Legend and more, Josh was attracted to take over and lead the Visit Franklin brand for Franklin, Tennessee, located just south of Nashville.

After five and a half years growing Franklin’s brand, developing their digital platform, and eventually increasing the visitation rate by 13.6% in 2018, Streetsense reached out to Josh and brought him on board to lead the Destination and Travel and Tourism practice. Now he’s honored to join countless other destinations and travel and tourism brands and help them grow their reach, connect with their audience, and create a healthier, more sustainable tourism product for their community.

On this episode of Destination on the Left, I talk with Josh Collins about designing travel experiences that are personal and impactful and bringing together local communities to make memories for people all over the world.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

How growing up around live music shaped the lens of Josh’s world
Josh’s affinity for digital and how he used it to help artists develop their brands
Different trends of personalization in travel and tourism
Tools that tourism boards are using to collect data that will help improve visitor experiences
The importance of activating local communities to create an attractive aura in the destination

Designing Experiences

Since he was six years old, Josh Collins has been on a tour bus alongside some of the most famous musicians in the world. Working with the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Roots, John Legend, and more, Josh has been exposed to destinations across the globe and been a part of numerous crowd-pleasing experiences. From this wild life, Josh learned what it takes to design memorable experiences and events for others to enjoy.

Josh and his company, Streetsense, have seized on a cliche trend in travel and tourism and breathed new life into it: personalization. When it comes to creating experiences that stick with people, the smallest details can have a big impact. Josh’s team ensures that destination staff are warm, personal, and always there to attend to their guests’ needs. Technology is employed to enable users to customize their experiences at Josh’s destinations, surveying and choosing the attractions they want to see and sharing their feedback with the rest of the world.

The point of it all is a connection. When trying to think of what attracts people to a destination, Josh calls to mind the little things we all might love about our hometowns: our favorite places to eat, parks to walk in, or spots to catch a breathtaking view. These are the things that connect us to locations; mimicking them can be an important tool to maximize satisfaction with experiences. Identifying those local gems and bringing them to people will satisfy the community and all of the lucky people who get to experience its hidden treasures.

Vibrant Destination and Learning From Others

On Destination On The Left, we talk a lot about collaboration and “co-opetition”. Josh Collins is a certifiable expert in these concepts, as his mission is to constantly team up with other partners to make his destinations and experiences successful. Streetsense’s “Vibrant Destination” program is the recipe for Josh’s experience architecture and design.

The program is all about synergy. That may sound like a buzzword, but it’s an important concept. Josh’s team ensures that all aspects of a destination are cooperating from top to bottom and receiving an equal voice in how to build a unique experience for tourists. Local businesses, concert venues, visitor bureaus, tourism agencies and more all work hand-in-hand to build successful experiences and places for people to visit again and again.

On a more personal level, Josh believes that the best way to collaborate is through mentorship and friendly conversation. A lack of conscious respect during conversation makes discourse and discussion difficult and the design process suffers as a result. If you respect someone’s work, you should take them out to coffee and ask them for help. Only through partnership and shared knowledge can we as tourism professionals continue to design experiences that will stay with people for a lifetime. I hope that Josh’s wisdom will inspire you to take the steps you need to start designing touching, impactful experiences for your tourists today.

Resources:

Josh’s Email: jcollins@streetsense.com
Website: www.streetsense.com
Instagram: @realstreetsense
Facebook: @realstreetsense

Episode Transcript

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