Cluster management in tourism can work by bringing together different actors like small businesses, freelancers, researchers, and designers. Successful clusters have a dedicated strategy, strong governance, and provide value through information sharing, human resources, and innovation creation. Cluster management should focus on identifying competencies and innovation opportunities, generating and evaluating new ideas, initiating collaborative projects, and promoting results. Key factors for effective cluster management include emerging from cooperation between stakeholders, sustainable financing, management skills, demand-oriented services, and clear targets.

1. How can Cluster Management in Tourism Work?
Gerd Meier zu Köcker
iit – Institute for Innovation and Technology
Reykjavik, 28 May 2013

2. 2
Outperformers are more Open-minded to
Innovate with Partners
Key lessons from the global IBM study 2012

3. 3
External Partnerships Are Becoming More
Important for CEOs operating Strategies
Key lessons from the global IBM study 2012
2012
2008

4. 4
Sources for Innovation – Today -
Source: IBM CEO Study
External Sources Internal Sources
Persons
Relationships
Organisations

5. 5
Source: IBM CEO Study
External Sources Internal Sources
Persons
Relationships
Organisations
Hot spot for innovation
Sources for Innovation – Today -

6. 6
Main Types of Actors Gathered in a Cluster

7. 7
But Tourism Clusters are Different….
Industry and Business structure
• High share of small businesses
• High share of freelancer
• High share of semi-professionals
• Hetegogenous
• Lack of business orientation
Access to financing
Cross-cutting nature Highly competitive Innovation followers
Actors
• Very small, no market leaders or
global actors
• Heterogeneous
• Lack of capabilities to invest in
innovations
Tourism clusters
Key issues and
challenges…
…each of which are
characteristic… but
not necessarily
exclusive.
Framework conditions

8. 8
Let‘s Have a Look how other Tourism Clusters are Doing
• Data sets were taken from a Pan-European cluster database,
containing more than 450 clusters (incl. 15 tourism clusters)
• Internationally recognised indicators were used to describe and
compare clusters and their organisations

9. 9
Degree of Specialization of Tourism Clusters
Varies all over Europe

10. 10
Critical Mass Needed
Average Size of Tourism Clusters

11. 11
Strong Governance is one of the Key Success Factors

12. 12
Most Cluster Have a Dedicated Strategy

13. 13
Focus of Tourism Clusters
Cluster X All tourism clusters

14. 14
Tourism Clusters Provide Added Value in
Information and Matchmaking
Cluster X All tourism clusters

15. 15
Cluster X All tourism clusters
Tourism Clusters Provide Added Value in
Human Ressources

16. 16
Cluster X All tourism clusters
Tourism Clusters Provide Added Value in
Creation Innovations

17. 17
The Way how to Generate Innovations….
Ideas Analyses Development Monitoring
Evaluation Commitment Execution Evaluation
Focusofnetworkingactivitiesin
theinnovationprocess
Project
management
Innovation
management
Innovation
management
Own investigations, 2010

18. 18
18
How to Create Innovations in Tourism Clusters –
6 Modules
Modules (What) Instruments (How)
 Identify competencies
- qualitative
- quantitative
- Surveys, questionnaires for participants in clusters, interviews
 Identify innovation fields
- technological
- organisational
- Trend analysis, market analysis, SWOT, PEST, Expert opinion,
Expert interviews, panel discussions
 Generate ideas - Workshops, customer workshops, visit conferences, initiate
competition, training, learning, face-to-face meetings
 Evaluate ideas and align with
innovation fields
- Individual interviews with researchers and market experts as well
as with panel groups
 Initiate projects - Build a winning team, get funding, allocate responsibilities, plan
resources, benefit from group dynamics
 Exploit the results of the product
or service (for project partners,
for the network, for the public)
- Patents, promotion beyond the own cluster, start the next
innovation management cycle

19. 19
Visibility on Public Media is an Important Success Factor

20. 20
Good Cluster Management Provides High Impact

21. 21
How Cluster Management in the Tourism Sector
Should Work
Tasks of Cluster
Managements
in the Field of
Tourism

22. 22
Success Stories (I)
• Objective:
- Communication strategy to promote benefits
of hydrotherapy in les Landes / FR
• Method:
- Involve key actors in strategy development
- Pooling resources (500 K€)
- Creation of regional branding
• Results
- One Website as One entry point
- No. 1 in hydrotherapy in France again

23. 23
Success Stories (II)
• Objective:
- Creation of new equipment for providers of Carbonic Gas Baths
- Better control of the overall process
• Method:
- Bringing together actors from R&D, SPA and designers
- Creativity workshops
- Joint R&D
• Results
- New equipment available
- Lower energy consumption
- Better working conditions for hydrotherapy personal

24. 24
Success Stories (III)
Close cooperation of
•“experience tourism” companies
•transport operators
•accommodation operators
•regional cluster coordinators
•R&D initiatives
•national and international tourism partners and
operators
Strategic focus areas
•Product development with a focus on creating attractive theme
concepts based on international trends
•Marketing activities with a primary focus on interest-based
segmentation
•Communication through new media and the establishment of
systems that ensure optimal interactivity with the travelers

25. 25
25
Some Success Factors for Cluster Management
• Cluster emergence
• Sustainable financing
• Cluster management skills
• Spectrum and quality of services provided by the cluster
management
• Demand-orientation of services provided by the cluster
management
• Added-values provided by the cluster management
• Clear targets and milestone of cluster management

26. 26
Thank you very much for your attention
Dr. Gerd Meier zu Köcker
Chairman of the Board
Institute for Innovation and Technology
Steinplatz 1
10623 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 310078-118
Fax: +49 (0) 30 310078-222
E-Mail: mzk@iit-berlin.de
www.iit-berlin.de