Lokakuun elämyspersoona 

Yliopettaja Mário Passos Ascenção kehottaa matkailuyrityksiä lopettamaan matkimisen ja aloittamaan innovoimisen. Matkailu- ja vapaa-ajan palveluja tarjoavat yritykset tulevat lähivuosina saamaan innovointiin ja tulevaisuuden muutoksen merkit "haistamiseen" erikoistuneen osaajajoukon, kun maailman mittakaavassakin uudentyyppisestä Experience and Wellness Management –tutkinnosta valmistuvat siirtävät oppinsa liiketoimintaan. Myös valtion rahoittama matkailun ja elämystuotannon klusteriohjelma antaa Ascençãon mielestä Suomelle kilpailuetua elämystalouden maailmankartalla.

When and how did you realize you were living in an Experience Economy?

In 1994, when I was studying for the Bachelor of Hospitality Management at the University of Algarve in Portugal, I was taught that leisure and tourism consumption are rooted on experiences. At that time I found it more than obvious, and I guess that for most people it is not surprising that concepts, such as the experience economy, the experience society, the experience industry came to exist.

In our existence we interact with our surroundings, both human and non-human elements - the life world as it's called in social sciences, and this dynamic process we call experience (past, present and future).

You took a Deep Dive into the Experience Economy by attending an intensive 3-day learning experience by Joe Pine in September. What was the biggest insight of the training? How will you make use of this knowledge in you work?

I enjoyed the THEMING experiences concept. I consider it of great importance, and will definitely apply it to the Degree Programme in Experience and Wellness Management.

You are the principal lecturer of this new programme. Why this kind of programme has been put up? What's special about it?

The Degree Programme in Experience and Wellness Management is the first of its kind in the world. The programme provides the students with comprehensive competences to work in the emerging professions in experience and wellness in tourism and leisure industries.

The programme is staged through a modular framework of interdisciplinary studies. It emphasises multifaceted management and transformation by developing management competences to deal with new operations, new consumers, new markets, new research, new environments, new contexts, new concepts, new perspectives, new developments.

The programme bridges theory to practice, and working placements are an integral part of it. There are three specialisations: Destinations and Resort Management; Sports and Fitness Management; and Entertainment and Media Management.

Graduates either start their own business (e.g. consultant/specialist) or work for private or public organisations in junior and middle management positions (e.g. resorts, spas, sport centres, entertainment, media, retail, attractions, cruise lines, hotels, restaurants, airlines and alike).

This degree programme was set up because we at HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences believe that leisure and tourism experiences will have economic value are the future.

This degree programme is special per se because it addresses experience and wellness, two areas that are largely ignored by the academia, but it is also special due to its pedagogical approach; ie. co-learning (student-industry-teacher).

Which are, in your opinion, the most important characteristics of a person who works within the experience industry?

In my view those who work within the experience industry need to be Champions of Change. This is particularly important at this moment in time as the Experience Economy is still at the emergence stage. Then, of course, there are personality traits and attitudes, such as enthusiasm, self-confidence, initiative, commitment, creativity, innovation, self-discipline, flexibility, will to learn and passion for experiences that suit well to this industry.

How can enterprises benefit from the Experience Economy? Please give an example.

In the context of tourism, experiences are yet again another opportunity for differentiation. Since the origins of mass tourism destinations and enterprises alike are asked to diversify in order to create a competitive advantage.

In the last three four decades several voices alerted the Mediterranean destinations and enterprises to develop alternative tourism experiences to the 3s experience (sun, sea and sand) and invest in their services (in particular service quality). Despite all debate, the changes have been slow and less significant as expected.

Many destinations and enterprises still provide an undifferentiated package offer for collective consumption. Later efforts to provide more individualized and customized experiences only lead to the continuous success of tourism packages.

Today we are witnessing niche tourism experiences being sold like mass tourism experiences, this is, highly specialized and customized packages to a large number of tourists - mass customization. Is this good for tourists and enterprises alike in the Experience Economy? I am not really sure! Still, there is an increasing desire for do-it-yourself experiences in order to escape the institutionalization of experiences.

How do you think ICT can be best exploited in rendering meaningful experiences?

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are critical to improve the competitiveness of the tourism industry. In Europe the diffusion of the ICT's is rapidly growing even if the percentages are still reduced. The majority of the ICT platforms are conceived for individual enterprises or single tourism destination but very few are using ICT platforms to create a network of alternatives allowing customers to build their own experiences. It is important to recognize that the development of ICT requires high level of coordination. I can see that there is a role for ICT in the supporter of experience creation.

The experience economy allows make more money with fewer customers. What kind of experiences do you have of pricing of experience products?

There are several companies charging more money due to the fact they stage and render experiences. However, in most cases the experience is given for free or its purpose is to add-value.

In Germany, Tropical Islands is open 365 days a year around the clock. All the purchases made during guests stay at Tropical Islands (food, drinks, souvenirs, services, experiences, etc.) are recorded on an electronic chip wristband.

The ABX bar at the rear of the Radisson Plaza foyer in Sydney the drinks vary their prices based on demand! Special software linked to the cash register causes the prices of drinks to increase or decrease according to demand. In see in the future restaurants charging by how much time guests use the restaurants instead of how much food they eat. Pricing strategies will be increasingly more diverse and imaginative.

You come from Portugal. How do you see our countries in the world’s experience industry map?

From what I can gather, Finland is more explicitly involved with the process of experience creation. The existence of the Tourism and Experience Management Cluster Programme is an indication that Finland wants to be in the experience industry world map. In Portugal, I am not aware of such governmental programme dedicated to the field of experience.

What is your advice to the tourism industry to keep up with the global competition?

The tourism industry encompasses many organisations, thus in such a fragmented industry my advice is stop imitating and start innovating. In doing that tourism organisations need to stop reducing experiences to ‘mere animal activity’ – sleeping, eating, drinking, moving, etc.

We know from biology that change in species occurs at the fringe, where the population is most sparse and the orthodox ways of the center are weakest. Therefore, sameness and standardisation of tourism experiences leads to one-dimensional market place reflected by both the theory of universal market and Fordism (also, Post-Fordism and Neo-Fordism). It is important for the tourism industry to understand that the spontaneous activity of human imagination should not be sacrificed to a world of produced commodities and packaged experiences.

What is the best and most unforgettable experience you’ve had yourself?

My life has been made of bests and mosts instead of the best and most unforgettable experience. Kissing my girlfriend for the first time in a warm summer night overlooking Helsinki harbour ranks pretty well in my list of best and unforgettable experiences. Running the Stockholm marathon in 2007 is also on the list.

What about wandering through Venice, Lisbon, Paris and Riga? Being the ‘Freshman of the Year’ in 1993 was another great and unforgettable experience, as well as being in command of my parents’ business at the age of 14 whilst they were on holiday. Or how about winning the junior football league with my hometown team in 1992? Of course climbing Mount Fuji, gazing Grand Canyon and mountaineering the Yellow Mountain were all unforgettable. I’m sure there are more experiences, but memory is failing me. Does that mean they are not unforgettable? Oh gosh, I hope not!

Ove Gjesdal, our Experience Person of September, asks you what will follow the Experience Economy and what will be the driving forces in the next Economy?

Pine and Gilmore suggest us that next we will have the Transformation Economy. There are already evidence that people are willing to pay vast amounts of money to be transformed. In this view I see wellness as the next big thing! The desire of people for living well and longer will be the biggest driving force of this economy (supported by new technology). Who will not pay to live a few more years and well?

What would you like to ask the next Experience Person of the Month?

Imagine we’re in 2050, the Experience Economy accounts for approximately 50% of economic activity in Europe. Which European country do you think will present the highest share of Experience Economy value added? Why?